Charles bronson

A tenth child of a humble family of Lithuanian emigrants, Charles Bunchinsky was born on November 3, 1921 in Ehrenfeld, a Pennsylvania mining town. At the age of ten he lost his father, and although he finished high school, he soon had to start working in the mine. He never cared to admit that he didn’t get into the world of acting out of an artistic vocation, but because he thought that actors earned a lot of money. He had a reason, although for that you had to be a star, and Bronson didn’t become one until very late. Even so, he did not lack work: after finishing his studies at the Pasadena Playhouse School of Dramatic Art in Philadelphia, directors who needed someone with a tough look raffled him off.

Some of these titles have endured in the cinephile memory, such asThe Impetuous , by George Cukor , orVeracruz , with Gary Cooper , Burt Lancaster , and the Spanish Sara Montiel . He excelled as Vincent Price ‘s brutal mute servant in the terrifyingThe Wax Museum Crimes .

He soon had to change a Russian-sounding last name, for fear the Un-American Activities Committee would subpoena him. Action stuntman John Sturges offers him his biggest shot yet, the role of Bernardo, a cold but honest gunslinger inThe Magnificent Seven . Thus, he consecrates himself as a secondary, which opens the doors of other great productions such asThe great escape andTwelve from the gallows . He makes his career compatible with television, and takes part in the most popular series of the 50s, such asBonanza and Twilight Zone .

As they still did not offer her leading roles, she decided to try her luck in Europe. At that stage he put himself in the hands of Sergio Leone , inUntil his time came . Back home, he finally rises to the top, with the unexpected success of the by-productThe city vigilante . The role of his guy who takes justice into his own hands made a fortune, and he would shoot several sequels. Late in his life, Bronson suffered from depression over the death of his second wife, actress Jill Ireland , with whom he worked on several films. He remarried in 1993, to another actress, Kim West, who was by his side at the time of her death.