Ernest Borgnine

Infobox Actor
name = Ernest Borgnine


caption = Borgnine shows off his new CPO cover at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. on October 15, 2004
birthname = Ermes Effron Borgnino
birthdate = birth date and age|mf=yes|1917|1|24
birthplace = Hamden, Connecticut
yearsactive = 1951 - present
spouse = Rhoda Kemins (1949-1958)
Katy Jurado (1959-1963)
Ethel Merman (1964-1965)
Donna Rancourt (1965-1972)
Tova Borgnine (1973-)
academyawards = Best Actor
1955 "Marty"
baftaawards = Best Actor in a Leading Role
1955 "Marty"
goldenglobeawards = Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
1955 "Marty"
awards = NBR Award for Best Actor
1955 "Marty"
NYFCC Award for Best Actor
1955 "Marty"
Hollywood Walk of Fame
6324 Hollywood Boulevard

Ermes Effron Borgnino (born January 24, 1917), ["Ernest Borgnine." International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 3: Actors and Actresses, 4th ed. St. James Press, 2000. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2006: "Born: Ermes Effron Borgnino in Hamden, Connecticut, January 24, 1917 (some sources say 1915 or 1918)."] [cite book|title=The Movies That Changed Us: Reflections on the Screen|first=Nick|last=Clooney|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=2003|id=ISBN 0-7434-1044-0, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0743410440&id=1rkA5nHOOuQC&pg=PA114&lpg=PA114&sig=nbnIq-OGOVT0DSMpB_7qF3ISIuU p. 114] ] better known by his stage name Ernest Borgnine, is an American Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award-winning actor.

Biography

Early life

Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnino in Hamden, Connecticut, the son of Anna (née Boselli) who immigrated to the U.S. from Carpi, Italy and Charles B. Borgnino, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ottiglio, Italy. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/19/Ernest-Borgnine.html Ernest Borgnine Biography (1917-) ] ] His parents divorced when he was two years old and he and his mother went to live in Italy, [Associated Press, [http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=332085&Category=20&subCategoryID= Ernest Borgnine at 90 still wants to act, but people ask, ‘Is he still alive?’] , January 24, 2007] but five years later they returned to Hamden, Connecticut, where he attended public schools.

Naval Career

Borgnine joined the United States Navy in 1935 after high school. He was discharged in 1941, but he re-enlisted when the United States entered World War II and served until 1945 (a total of ten years), reaching the rank of Gunner's Mate 1st Class. His military decorations included the American Campaign Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp, and the World War II Victory Medal.

In 2004, Borgnine received the honorary rank of Chief Petty Officer from the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott — the U.S. Navy's highest ranking enlisted sailor at the time — for Borgnine's support of the Navy and Navy families worldwide.

Acting career

After a few years of drifting, Borgnine attended the Randall School of Drama in Hartford, Connecticut. Following graduation, he went to the famous Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. His first role was as the Gentleman Caller in Tennessee Williams' "Glass Menagerie". In 1949, he debuted on Broadway in the role of a nurse in the hit play "Harvey".

In 1951, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he received his big break in "From Here to Eternity" (1953), playing the cruel Sergeant "Fatso" Judson, in charge of the stockade, who taunts fellow soldier Angelo Maggio (played by Frank Sinatra). After Maggio ends up in the stockade for being drunk on duty, Fatso beats him to death. However, Fatso meets his own end in a knife fight with Maggio's best friend, Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) as payback for Maggio's death.

Borgnine built a reputation as a dependable character actor and appeared in early film roles as villains, including "Johnny Guitar" and "Bad Day at Black Rock". But in 1955, the actor starred as a warm-hearted butcher in the film version of the television play "Marty", which gained him an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Because of Borgnine's longevity, "Marty" currently stands as the oldest film with a Best Actor performance from someone still alive. With the passing of Charlton Heston on April 5, 2008, Borgnine is currently the only living actor who has won Best Actor for performances given prior to 1960.

Later film roles include "The Vikings", "The Flight of the Phoenix", "The Dirty Dozen", "The Wild Bunch", "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Black Hole".

Borgnine played Lieutenant Commander Quentin McHale in what began as a serious one hour 1962 television pilot "Seven Against the Sea". From 1962 through 1966, the series became a popular situation comedy television series "McHale's Navy", for which he received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, in 1963. Borgnine starred in the 1964 film version of the series, and appeared in a cameo performance in the 1997 remake.

Borgnine's later television work included a co-starring role (with Jan-Michael Vincent) as veteran helicopter pilot Dominic Santini in the action/espionage series "Airwolf". The series ran from 1984 to 1986.

He was the first center square in the original version of the television game show Hollywood Squares, with host Peter Marshall.

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ernest Borgnine has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6324 Hollywood Blvd. In 1996, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Also in 1996, Borgnine toured the U.S. in a bus to meet his fans and see the country. The trip was the subject of a 1997 documentary, "Ernest Borgnine on the Bus". He also served one year as the Chairman of the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, visiting patients in Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers.

Since 1999, Borgnine has provided his voice talent to the cartoon "SpongeBob SquarePants" as the elderly superhero Mermaid Man (where he is once again paired up with his "McHale's Navy" co-star, Tim Conway, who voices Mermaid Man's sidekick Barnacle Boy). Borgnine has also appeared on an episode of "The Simpsons" as himself in addition to a number of television commercials. In 2000, he was the executive producer of "Hoover", in which he is the only credited actor.

In 2007, 90-year-old Borgnine starred in the Hallmark Original Movie "A Grandpa for Christmas". He starred as a grandpa who discovers that, when his estranged daughter is in a car accident, that he has a granddaughter he never knew about. She is taken into his care, and they soon become great friends. For his performance in "A Grandpa For Christmas", Borgnine received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for Television. At 90, he was the oldest Golden Globe nominee ever. He did not win, however.

Autobiography

Borgnine has completed his autobiography, Ernie, which was published by Citadel Press in July 2008. Ernie is a loose, conversational recollection of highlights from his acting career and notable events from his personal life.

In the wake of the book's publication, he has begun a small promotional tour, visiting independent bookstores in the Los Angeles area to promote the book's release and meet some of his fans.cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=The Importance of Being Ernie | date= | publisher= | url =http://newtextureblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/ernest-borgnine-in-hollywood.html | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-08-05 | language = ]

Personal life

Borgnine has married five times.
#Rhoda Kemins (1949–1958), whom he met while serving in the Navy; [cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/marty-ar.html |title=Ernest Borgnine: Fiendish 'Fatso' to Meek 'Marty' |author=M. A. Schmidt |date=April 10, 1955 |accessdate = 2006-11-14 |work=New York Times] They had one daughter, Gina (born August 18, 1952).
#The actress Katy Jurado (1959–1963)
#The singer Ethel Merman (1964), which lasted barely over a month. (divorce final May 25, 1965)
#Donna Rancourt (1965-1972), with whom he had a son, Christopher (born August 9, 1969) and two daughters, Sharon (born August 5, 1965) and Diana (born December 29, 1970).
#Tova Traesnaes (1972 to date)

He holds the 33rd degree of the Scottish Rite of Masonry and has long been active in the Craft and is also a member of the Shriners. Borgnine is also a recipient of the Grand Cross, which is the highest honor for service to the Scottish Rite. Borgnine is also a member of the Lambda chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

Borgnine also had a street named in his honor in his hometown of Hamden, Connecticut, and still retains a large and vocal following in that area.

For 30 years (1972-2002), Borgnine marched in Milwaukee's annual Great Circus Parade as the "Grand Clown".

On August 14, 2008, Borgnine claimed on Fox News that the secret to his long life was that he "masturbates a lot". [cite news |first= Katy |last= Jordan |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= Ernest Borgnine, 91, reveals his little secret |url= http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/general/view/2008_08_15_Ernest_Borgnine__91__reveals_his_little_secret/srvc=home&position=6 |work= Boston Herald |publisher= |date= August 15, 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-15 ] [cite web |url=http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=152013 |title=Anchors Floored After Mic Picks Up Ernest Borgnine’s Shock Secret to Long Life|date=August 14, 2008 |work=Breitbart.tv]

Awards and nominations

Filmography

Film

*"China Corsair" (1951)
*"The Whistle at Eaton Falls" (1951)
*"The Mob" (1951)
*"From Here to Eternity" (1953)
*"The Stranger Wore a Gun" (1953)
*"Johnny Guitar" (1954)
*"Demetrius and the Gladiators" (1954)
*"The Bounty Hunter" (1954)
*"Vera Cruz" (1954)
*"Bad Day at Black Rock" (1955)
*"Marty" (1955)
*"Run for Cover" (1955)
*"Violent Saturday" (1955)
*"The Last Command" (1955)
*"The Square Jungle" (1955)
*"Jubal" (1956)
*"The Catered Affair" (1956)
*"The Best Things in Life Are Free" (1956)
*"Three Brave Men" (1956)
*"The Vikings" (1958)
*"The Badlanders" (1958)
*"Torpedo Run" (1958)
*"Summer of the Seventeenth Doll" (1959)
*"The Rabbit Trap" (1959)
*"Man on a String" (1960)
*"Pay or Die" (1960)
*"Black City" (1961)
*"The Italian Brigands" (1961)
*"Go Naked in the World" (1961)
*"The Last Judgement" (1961)
*"Barabbas" (1961)
*"McHale's Navy" (1964)
*"The Flight of the Phoenix" (1965)
*"The Oscar" (1966)
*"McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force
*"The Dirty Dozen" (1967)
*"Chuka" (1967)
*"The Man Who Makes the Difference" (1968) (short subject)
*"The Legend of Lylah Clare" (1968)
*"Ice Station Zebra" (1968)
*"The Split" (1968)
*"The Wild Bunch" (1969)
*"A Bullet for Sandoval" (1969)
*"The Adventurers" (1970)
*"Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?" (1970)
*"Murder in the Ring" (1971)
*"Rain for a Dusty Summer" (1971)
*"Willard" (1971)
*"Bunny O'Hare" (1971)
*"Hannie Caulder" (1971)
*"The World of Sport Fishing" (1972) (documentary)
*"Film Portrait" (1972) (documentary)
*"The Revengers" (1972)
*"The Poseidon Adventure" (1972)
*"Emperor of the North Pole" (1973)
*"The Neptune Factor" (1973)
*"Law and Disorder" (1974)
*"Vegeance Is Mine" (1974)
*"The Devil's Rain" (1975)
*"Hustle (1975 film)" (1975)
*"Shoot" (1976)
*"The Greatest" (1977)
*"Jesus of Nazareth" (1977)
*"Crossed Swords" (1978)
*"Convoy" (1978)
*"All Quiet on the Western Front" (1979)
*"Ravagers" (1979)
*"The Double McGuffin" (1979)
*"The Black Hole" (1979)
*"When Time Ran Out..." (1980)
*"Super Fuzz" (1980)
*"High Risk" (1981)
*"Escape from New York" (1981)
*"Deadly Blessing" (1981)
*"Young Warriors" (1983)
*"" (1984)
*"The Manhunt" (1985)
*"Skeleton Coast" (1987)
*"Isola del tesoro (1987) (treasure island) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0179577/)
*"The Opponent" (1987)
*"The Big Turnaround" (1988)
*"Moving Target" (1988)
*"Any Man's Death" (1988)
*"Spike of Bensonhurst" (1988)
*"" (1988)
*"Real Men Don't Eat Gummi Bears" (1989)
*"The Last Match" (1990)
*"Tides of War" (1990)
*"Laser Mission" (1990)
*"Mistress" (1992) (Cameo)
*"" (1994)
*"Captiva Island" (1995)
*"" (1996) (documentary)
*"Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders" (1996)
*"All Dogs Go to Heaven 2" (1996) (voice)
*"Ernest Borgnine On the Bus" (1997)
*"McHale's Navy" (1997)
*"Gattaca" (1997)
*"12 Bucks" (1998)
*"Small Soldiers" (1998) (voice)
*"BASEketball" (1998)
*"Mel" (1998)
*"The Last Great Ride" (1999)
*"Abilene" (1999)
*"The Lost Treasure of Sawtooth Island" (1999)
*"The Kiss of Debt" (2000)
*"Castlerock" (2000)
*"Hoover" (2000) (also executive producer)
*"Whiplash" (2002)
*"11'9"September 1xx11" (2002)
*"Rail Kings" (2002)
*"Barn Red" (2003)
*"The American Hobo" (2003) (documentary) (narrator)
*"The Long Ride Home" (2003)
*"Blueberry" (2004)
*"3 Below" (2005)
*"Rail Kings" (2005)
*"Chinaman's Chance" (2006)
*"Cura del gorilla, La" (2006)
*"Strange Wilderness" (2008)
*"Another Harvest Moon" (2008)

Television

*"McHale's Navy" (1962-1966)
*"" (1971)
*"The Trackers" (1971)
*"Legend in Granite" (1973)
*"Twice in a Lifetime" (1974)
*"Holiday Hookers" (1976)
*"Future Cop" (1976) (pilot for series)
*"Jesus of Nazareth" (1977) (miniseries)
*"Fire!" (1977)
*"Future Cop" (1977) (canceled after 7 episodes)
*"Little House on the Prairie ("The Lord is my Shepherd" episode)
*"The Ghost of Flight 401" (1978)
*"Cops and Robin" (1978)
*"All Quiet on the Western Front" (1979)
*"Magnum, P.I." in "Mr. White Death" (Season 3-Episode 49) (1982)
*"Blood Feud" (1983)
*"Carpool" (1983)
*"Masquerade" (1983) (pilot for series)
*"" (1984)
*"The Last Days of Pompeii" (1984) (miniseries)
*"Airwolf" (1984-1986)
*"" (1985)
*"Alice in Wonderland" (1985)
*"Space Island" (1987) (miniseries)
*"" (1987)
*"" (1988)
*"Ocean" (1989) (miniseries)
*"Jake Spanner, Private Eye" (1989)
*"Appearances" (1990)
*"Home Improvement" (1991)
*"Mountain of Diamonds" (1991)
*"Tierarztin Christine" (1993)
*"Hunt for the Blue Diamond" (1993)
*"The Simpsons - Boy-Scoutz n the Hood (voice) (1993)
*"" (1995)
*"The Single Guy" (1995-1997)
*"JAG" in "Yesterday's Heroes" of Season 3 (1998)
*"" (1996-1999) (voice, Carface)
*"SpongeBob SquarePants" (voice, Mermaid Man) (1999-present)
*"7th Heaven" (2002)
*"The Blue Light" (2004)
*"The Trail to Hope Rose" (2004)
*"A Grandpa for Christmas" (2007)
*"Aces 'n Eights" (2008)

Quotes

A 91 year old Ernest gives the secret to looking so young during an interview on Fox News, cquote|I don't dare tell you... [whispers] I masturbate a lot."

References

*cite web|accessdate=2008-03-23
url=http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/borgnine_e.htm
title="Ernest Borgnine"
date=March 8, 2008
work=Biographies in Navy History
publisher=Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy

External links

*imdb name|id=0000308|name=Ernest Borgnine
*tcmdb name|161123
*amg name|2:7448

Persondata
NAME= Borgnine, Ernest
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Borgnino, Ermes Effron
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= January 24, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH= Hamden, Connecticut, USA
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=