Charles Bronson was born Nov. 3, 1921, in rural Pennsylvania, one of 15 children of a Lithuanian coal miner. After World War II service, he enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse and began appearing in small roles in television and movies as Charles Buchinski. He played many henchman, soldier and Indian roles, including Ygor in House of Wax (1953).Renamed Bronson after 1954, he starred in The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen and many other notable films. Filling in for Clint Eastwood in 1968's Once Upon a Time in the West made Bronson a superstar in Europe, where he worked for several years (he was known as "Il Bruto" in Italy). In 1972, he nabbed a special Golden Globe Award as "The World's Most Popular Actor."
Back in the United States, Bronson scored again as the vigilante hero of Death Wish (1974) and continued in the same vein well into his 70s. He died Aug. 30, 2003.
The MechanicCharles Bronson (looking gnarled as ever) works alone as a hit man for "The Organization." But when willing acolyte Jan-Michael Vincent proves he has the stuff aspiring killers are made of, Bronson agrees to train him. Looks like it might be a case of the pupil overtaking the master, though, when... Read More
Hard TimesAn aging street fighter (Charles Bronson) travels to New Orleans to eke out a living during the Depression. Despite the tough times, he finds some success when a shady promoter (James Coburn) eases his way into the gambling underworld, and a lovely woman (Jill Ireland) falls for him. This gritty yet... Read More
Mr. MajestykScripted by novelist Elmore Leonard and directed by Richard Fleischer, this action thriller stars the iconic Charles Bronson as Vietnam vet Vince Majestyk. Now retired to a Colorado melon farm, Majestyk finds his peaceful existence shattered when racketeers threaten him after he refuses their demand... Read More
Chato's LandCharles Bronson, who played numerous American Indian roles during his career, is the title character here -- an Apache half-breed wrongly accused of murdering a sheriff. Jack Palance leads a posse of bounty hunters into the desert to capture the fugitive Chato, but the half-breed vows he won't go... Read More
The Evil That Men DoWhen his friend is brutally tortured and murdered, professional assassin Holland (Charles Bronson) comes out of retirement looking for revenge. But to get to the killer (Joseph Maher), who's known as the Doctor, Holland must first eliminate everyone standing in his way. With the Doctor receiving... Read More
