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Born: January 24, 1917 – Died: July 8, 2012
Ernest Borgnine, the iconic actor known for his role in "Marty," was born Ermes Effron Borgnino on January 24, 1917, in Hamden, Connecticut. His parents, Anna and Camillo Borgnino, were Italian immigrants from Carpi and Ottiglio, Italy, respectively. Growing up as an only child, Ernest had a passion for sports, particularly boxing, but had no initial interest in acting. However, fate had other plans. After a stint in the United States Navy, he embarked on a remarkable acting career.
Borgnine's journey took him from the Randall School of Drama in Hartford to the famous Barter Theatre in Virginia, where he played various roles. His breakthrough came in 1949 on Broadway, and he eventually moved to Los Angeles in 1951 to pursue a movie career. His memorable performance as Sergeant "Fatso" Judson in "From Here to Eternity" in 1953 marked the beginning of his prolific acting career, which spanned over six decades and included over 100 films and several television series. Notably, he won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Marty Piletti in "Marty" in 1955, a role that showcased his versatility as an actor. Ernest Borgnine's legacy in the entertainment industry is truly remarkable, and his impact is celebrated to this day.
Early Life and Career
Ernest Borgnine's childhood and upbringing were marked by his Italian immigrant parents, Anna and Camillo Borgnino. Despite being an only child, he had a strong passion for sports, particularly boxing, during his formative years. However, his initial career trajectory took a different path when he joined the United States Navy at the age of 18, serving for ten years before leaving in 1945.
After his Navy service, Borgnine found himself at a crossroads and uncertain about his future career. It was his mother who suggested that his forceful personality and charisma could make him suitable for a career in acting. He took her advice and enrolled at the Randall School of Drama in Hartford, where he honed his acting skills.
Borgnine's first professional role came on Broadway in 1949 when he played a male nurse in "Harvey." However, it was his role as Bill Street in the 1951 film "China Corsair" that marked his film debut. The turning point in his career came in 1953 when he portrayed Sergeant "Fatso" Judson in "From Here to Eternity," which earned him critical acclaim and recognition.
The role that catapulted Ernest Borgnine into stardom was that of Marty Piletti in the 1955 film "Marty." This role showcased his remarkable acting abilities and garnered him an Academy Award for Best Actor. This recognition solidified his status as a leading actor in Hollywood.
Throughout his career, Borgnine accumulated numerous awards and honors, including an Oscar, and he continued to work steadily in film and television. In addition to his acting talents, he lent his voice to animated films like "SpongeBob SquarePants." His impact on Hollywood and the entertainment industry is undeniable, as he left an indelible mark with over 100 feature films and several television series.
In his personal life, Borgnine was married to Tova Traesnaes from 1973 until his death in 2012. They resided in Beverly Hills, California, where he also supported his wife's cosmetics company. Beyond his acting career, Borgnine actively supported various charitable causes and was known for speaking at benefit events throughout the country. His enduring legacy continues to shine in the world of entertainment, and he is considered an icon and legend in the industry.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2012 | SpongeBob SquarePants (TV Series) | Mermaid Man | Mermaid Man Doll (voice) |
| 2012 | The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez | Rex Page |
| 2011 | Snatched | Big Frank Baum |
| 2011 | Love's Christmas Journey (TV Movie) | Nicholas |
| 2011 | SpongeBob SquarePants: Heroes of Bikini Bottom (Video) | Mermaid Man |
| 2011 | The Lion of Judah | Slink (voice) |
| 2011 | Night Club | Albert |
| 2010 | Another Harvest Moon | Frank |
| 2010 | Red | Henry, The Records Keeper |
| 2010 | The Genesis Code | Carl Taylor |
| 2010 | Enemy Mind | Command (voice) |
| 2010 | SpongeBob's Boating Bash (Video Game) | Mermaid Man (voice) |
| 2009 | The Wishing Well (TV Movie) | Big Jim |
| 2009 | SpongeBob's Truth or Square (Video Game) | Mermaid Man (voice) |
| 2009 | ER (TV Series) | Paul Manning |
| 2008 | The Prologue to Houdini Magic's Expert at the Card Table (Short) | Narrator |
| 2008 | Frozen Stupid | Frank Norgard |
| 2008 | Chinaman's Chance: America's Other Slaves | Judge Holliday |
| 2008 | Aces 'N' Eights (TV Movie) | Thurmond Prescott |
| 2008 | Strange Wilderness | Milas |
| 2007 | A Grandpa for Christmas (TV Movie) | Bert O'Riley |
| 2007 | Oliviero Rising | Bill |
| 2006 | La cura del gorilla | Jerry Warden |
| 2005 | Spongebob Squarepants: Tide and Seek (Video) | Mermaid Man |
| 2005 | That One Summer (Video) | Otis Garner |
| 2005 | Rail Kings (Video) | Steamtrain |
| 2005 | 3 Below (Video) | Grandpa |
| 2004 | The Blue Light (TV Movie) | Faerie King |
| 2004 | Barn Red | Michael Bolini |
| 2004 | The Trail to Hope Rose (TV Movie) | Eugene |
| 2004 | Renegade | Rolling Star |
| 2003 | The Long Ride Home | Lucas Moat |
| 2003 | The District (TV Series) | Uncle Mike Murphy |
| 2002 | Whiplash | Judge DuPont |
| 2002 | September 11 | L'homme (segment "USA") |
| 2002 | Family Law (TV Series) | Frank Collero |
| 2002 | 7th Heaven (TV Series) | Joe |
| 2002 | Touched by an Angel (TV Series) | Max Blandish |
| 2001 | SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge (Video Game) | Mermaid Man (voice) |
| 2000 | The Kiss of Debt | Godfather Mariano |
| 2000 | Castle Rock | Nate |
| 2000 | Hoover | J. Edgar Hoover |
| 2000 | Walker, Texas Ranger (TV Series) | Eddie Ryan |
| 2000 | The Last Great Ride | Franklin Lyle |
| 2000 | Chicken Soup for the Soul (TV Series) | Lawrence Yaeger |
| 1999 | The Lost Treasure of Sawtooth Island | Ben Quinn |
| 1999 | Shadows of the Past | Hotis Brown |
| 1999 | Early Edition (TV Series) | Antonio Birelli |
| 1998 | An All Dogs Christmas Carol (Video) | Carface (voice) |
| 1996–1998 | All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series (TV Series) | Carface (voice) |
| 1998 | Mel | Grandpa |
| 1998 | 12 Bucks | Lucky |
| 1998 | BASEketball | Ted Denslow |
| 1998 | Small Soldiers | Kip Killagin (voice) |
| 1998 | JAG (TV Series) | Artemus Sullivan |
| 1997 | Gattaca | Caesar |
| 1997 | McHale's Navy | Cobra |
| 1995–1997 | The Single Guy (TV Series) | Doorman Manny | Manny Cordoba |
| 1996 | Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (Video) | Grandfather |
| 1996 | Pinky and the Brain (TV Series) | Father (voice) |
| 1996 | All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 | Carface (voice) |
| 1995 | Captiva Island | Arty |
| 1995 | Veterinarian Christine II: The Temptation (TV Movie) | Dr. Gustav Gruber |
| 1995 | Outlaws: The Legend of O.B. Taggart | Sheriff Laughton |
| 1993–1994 | The Commish (TV Series) | Frank Nardino |
| 1994 | Spirit of the Season (Video) | Grandfather |
| 1993 | Der blaue Diamant (TV Movie) | Hans Kroger |
| 1993 | Veterinarian Christine (TV Movie) | Dr. Gustav Gruber |
| 1993 | The Simpsons (TV Series) | Ernest Borgnine (voice) |
| 1992 | Mistress | Ernest Borgnine |
| 1992 | Home Improvement (TV Series) | Eddie Phillips |
| 1991 | Mountain of Diamonds (TV Movie) | Ernie |
| 1991 | The Last Match | Coach |
| 1990 | Tides of War | Doctor |
| 1990 | Appearances (TV Movie) | Emil Danzig |
| 1990 | Any Man's Death | Herr Gantz |
| 1989 | Ocean (TV Mini Series) | Pedro El Triste |
| 1989 | Laser Mission | Prof. Braun |
| 1989 | Jake and the Fatman (TV Series) | Col. Tom Cody |
| 1989 | Jake Spanner, Private Eye (TV Movie) | Sal Piccolo |
| 1989 | Real Men Don't Eat Gummi Bears | The Bishop |
| 1988 | The Big Turnaround | Father Lopez |
| 1988 | Moving Target | Captain Morrison |
| 1988 | Spike of Bensonhurst | Baldo Cacetti |
| 1988 | Qualcuno pagherà | Victor |
| 1988 | Skeleton Coast | Col. Bill Smith |
| 1988 | The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission (TV Movie) | Gen. Sam Worden |
| 1987 | Treasure Island in Outer Space (TV Mini Series) | Billy Bones |
| 1987 | The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission (TV Movie) | General Sam Worden |
| 1987 | Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) | Cosmo Ponzini |
| 1986 | Highway to Heaven (TV Series) | Guido Liggio |
| 1984–1986 | Airwolf (TV Series) | Dominic Santini |
| 1985 | Alice in Wonderland (TV Mini Series) | The Lion |
| 1985 | The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission (TV Movie) | Gen. Worden |
| 1984 | The Manhunt | Ben Robeson |
| 1984 | Love Leads the Way: A True Story (TV Movie) | Sen. Brighton |
| 1984 | Code Name: Wild Geese | Fletcher |
| 1984 | The Last Days of Pompeii (TV Mini Series) | Marcus |
| 1984 | Airwolf (TV Movie) | Dominic |
| 1983 | Masquerade (TV Series) | Jerry Pulaski |
| 1983 | Carpool (TV Movie) | Mickey Doyle |
| 1983 | Young Warriors | Lt. Bob Carrigan |
| 1983 | Blood Feud (TV Movie) | J. Edgar Hoover |
| 1983 | Matt Houston (TV Series) | Buster Ryan |
| 1982 | Magnum, P.I. (TV Series) | Earl Gianelli | 'Mr. White Death' |
| 1982 | The Love Boat (TV Series) | Dominic Rosselli |
| 1981 | Deadly Blessing | Isaiah Schmidt |
| 1981 | High Risk | Clint |
| 1981 | Escape from New York | Cabbie |
| 1980 | Super Fuzz | Sgt. Willy Dunlop |
| 1980 | When Time Ran Out... | Tom Conti |
| 1979 | The Black Hole | Harry Booth |
| 1979 | All Quiet on the Western Front (TV Movie) | Stanislaus Katczinsky |
| 1979 | The Double McGuffin | Mr. Firat |
| 1979 | Ravagers | Rann |
| 1978 | Convoy | Dirty Lyle | Lyle Wallace |
| 1978 | Cops and Robin (TV Movie) | Joe Cleaver |
| 1978 | The Ghost of Flight 401 (TV Movie) | Dom Cimoli |
| 1977 | Crossed Swords | John Canty |
| 1977 | The Greatest | Angelo Dundee |
| 1976–1977 | Future Cop (TV Series) | Officer Joe Cleaver |
| 1977 | Fire (TV Movie) | Sam Brisbane |
| 1977 | Jesus of Nazareth (TV Mini Series) | The Centurion |
| 1976 | Holiday Hookers | Max |
| 1976 | Shoot | Lou |
| 1975 | Hustle | Santoro |
| 1975 | The Devil's Rain | Jonathan Corbis |
| 1974 | Little House on the Prairie (TV Series) | Jonathan |
| 1974 | Sunday in the Country | Adam Smith |
| 1974 | Law and Disorder | Cy |
| 1974 | Twice in a Lifetime (TV Movie) | Vince Boselli |
| 1973 | Legend in Granite (TV Movie) | Vince Lombardi |
| 1973 | The Neptune Factor | Chief Diver Don MacKay |
| 1973 | Emperor of the North | Shack |
| 1973 | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (TV Series) | Guest Performer |
| 1972 | The Poseidon Adventure | Rogo |
| 1972 | The Revengers | Hoop |
| 1972 | The Boxer | Captain Perkins |
| 1971 | The Trackers (TV Movie) | Sam Paxton |
| 1971 | Hannie Caulder | Emmett Clemens |
| 1971 | Bunny O'Hare | Bill Green (Gruenwald) |
| 1971 | Rain for a Dusty Summer | The General |
| 1971 | Willard | Martin |
| 1971 | Who Killed the Mysterious Mr. Foster? (TV Movie) | Deputy Sam Hill |
| 1970 | Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came | Sheriff Harve |
| 1970 | The Adventurers | Fat Cat |
| 1969 | A Bullet for Sandoval | Don Pedro Sandoval |
| 1969 | The Wild Bunch | Dutch |
| 1968 | The Split | Bert Clinger |
| 1968 | Ice Station Zebra | Boris Vaslov |
| 1968 | The Legend of Lylah Clare | Barney Sheean |
| 1968 | Get Smart (TV Series) | TV Viewer (uncredited) |
| 1967 | The Dirty Dozen | General Worden |
| 1967 | Chuka | Sgt. Otto Hahnsbach |
| 1966 | Run for Your Life (TV Series) | Harry Martin |
| 1966 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (TV Series) | Melvin Freebie |
| 1962–1966 | McHale's Navy (TV Series) | Lt. Cmdr. Quinton McHale |
| 1966 | The Oscar | Barney Yale |
| 1965 | The Flight of the Phoenix | Trucker Cobb |
| 1957–1965 | Wagon Train (TV Series) | Indian Brave | Earl Packer | Estaban Zamora ... |
| 1964 | McHale's Navy | Lt. Commander Quinton McHale |
| 1961–1962 | General Electric Theater (TV Series) | Major David Orlovsky | Matty Moran |
| 1962 | Alcoa Premiere (TV Series) | Captain Quentin MacHale |
| 1961 | Barabbas | Lucius |
| 1961 | I briganti italiani | Sante Carbone |
| 1961 | Il re di Poggioreale | Peppino Navarra |
| 1961 | The Last Judgment | Pickpocket |
| 1961 | The Blue Angels (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1961 | Go Naked in the World | Pete Stratton |
| 1959–1960 | Laramie (TV Series) | Boone Caudie | Major Prescott |
| 1957–1960 | Zane Grey Theatre (TV Series) | Willie | Big Jim Morrison |
| 1960 | Pay or Die! | Police Lt. Joseph Petrosino |
| 1960 | Man on a String | Boris Mitrov |
| 1959 | Season of Passion | Roo |
| 1959 | The Rabbit Trap | Eddie Colt |
| 1958 | Torpedo Run | Lt. Archer 'Archie' Sloan |
| 1958 | The Badlanders | John 'Mac' McBain |
| 1958 | The Vikings | Ragnar |
| 1958 | Schlitz Playhouse (TV Series) | Hully Brown |
| 1957 | The O. Henry Playhouse (TV Series) | Buck |
| 1956 | Three Brave Men | Bernard F. 'Bernie' Goldsmith |
| 1956 | The Best Things in Life Are Free | Lew Brown |
| 1956 | The Catered Affair | Tom Hurley |
| 1956 | Jubal | Shep Horgan |
| 1955 | The Square Jungle | Bernie Browne |
| 1955 | The Last Command | Mike Radin |
| 1955 | Violent Saturday | Stadt, Amish Farmer |
| 1955 | Run for Cover | Morgan |
| 1955 | Marty | Marty Piletti |
| 1955 | Fireside Theatre (TV Series) | Woodruff |
| 1955 | Bad Day at Black Rock | Coley Trimble |
| 1954 | The Lone Wolf (TV Series) | Saks |
| 1954 | Vera Cruz | Donnegan |
| 1954 | The Bounty Hunter | Bill Rachin |
| 1954 | Waterfront (TV Series) | Jack Bannion |
| 1954 | Demetrius and the Gladiators | Strabo |
| 1954 | Johnny Guitar | Bart Lonergan |
| 1954 | The Ford Television Theatre (TV Series) | Gus White |
| 1954 | The Danny Thomas Show (TV Series) | Cop |
| 1953 | From Here to Eternity | Sgt. 'Fatso' Judson |
| 1953 | The Stranger Wore a Gun | Bull Slager |
| 1953 | Short Short Dramas (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1950–1953 | Rocky King, Detective (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1951–1952 | The Philco Television Playhouse (TV Series) | Mathew O'Rourke |
| 1951 | Shadow of the Cloak (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1951 | Goodyear Playhouse (TV Series) | Sgt. Lenahan |
| 1951 | The Mob | Joe Castro |
| 1951 | Captain Video and His Video Rangers (TV Series) | Nargola |
| 1951 | The Whistle at Eaton Falls | Bill Street |
| 1951 | China Corsair | Hu Chang |