Burt Lancaster

Burt Lancaster
Lancaster inDesert Furyin 1947
Born	Burton Stephen Lancaster (1913-11-02)November 2, 1913 New York City, U.S.
Died	October 20, 1994(1994-10-20)(aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary
Occupations	Actor film producer
Years active	1935–1991
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	June Ernst ​ ​ (m.1935;div.1946)​ Norma Anderson ​ ​ (m.1946;div.1969)​ Susan Martin ​ ​ (m.1990)​
Children	5; includingBill

Burton Stephen Lancaster(November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and film producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year career in films and television series. He was a four-time nominee for theAcademy Award for Best Actor(winning once), and he also won twoBAFTAAwards and oneGolden Globe Awardfor Best Lead Actor. TheAmerican Film Instituteranks Lancaster as#19 of thegreatest male starsof classic Hollywood cinema.

Lancaster performed as a circus acrobat in the 1930s. At the age of 32, and after serving inWorld War II,he landed a role in a Broadway play and drew the attention of a Hollywood agent. His breakthrough role was in the film noirThe Killersin 1946 alongsideAva Gardner.A critical success, it launched both of their careers. Not long after in 1948, Lancaster starred alongsideBarbara Stanwyckin the commercially and critically acclaimed filmSorry, Wrong Numberwhere he portrayed the husband to her bedridden, invalid character. In 1953, Lancaster played the illicit lover ofDeborah Kerrin the military dramaFrom Here to Eternity.A box office smash, it won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and landed a Best Actor nomination for Lancaster.

Burt also played "Owen" in the movie "High Lonesome". Later in the 1950s, he starred inThe Rainmaker(1956), withKatharine Hepburn,earning a Best Actor Golden nomination, and in 1957 he starred inGunfight at the O.K. Corral(1957) with frequent co-starKirk Douglas.During the 1950s, his production company,Hecht-Hill-Lancaster,was highly successful, with Lancaster acting in films such as:Trapeze(1956), a box office smash in which he used his acrobatic skills and for which he won theSilver Bear for Best Actor;Sweet Smell of Success(1957), a dark drama today considered a classic;Run Silent, Run Deep(1958), a WWII submarine drama withClark Gable;andSeparate Tables(1958), a hotel-set drama which received seven Oscar nominations.

In the early 1960s, Lancaster starred in a string of critically successful films, each in very disparate roles. Playing a charismatic biblical con-man inElmer Gantryin 1960 won him the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actor. He played a Nazi war criminal in 1961 in the all-star, war-crime-trial film,Judgment at Nuremberg.Playing a bird expert prisoner inBirdman of Alcatrazin 1962, he earned the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor and his third Oscar nomination. In 1963, Lancaster traveled to Italy to star as an Italian prince inVisconti'sepic period dramaThe Leopard.In 1964, he played a US Air Force General who, opposed by a Colonel played by Douglas, tries to overthrow the President inSeven Days in May.Then, in 1966, he played an explosives expert in the westernThe Professionals.Although the reception of his 1968 filmThe Swimmerwas initially lackluster upon release, in the years after it has grown in stature critically and attained acult following.

In 1970, Lancaster starred in the box-office hit, air-disaster dramaAirport.In 1974 he again starred in aViscontifilm,Conversation Piece.He experienced a career resurgence in 1980 with the crime-romanceAtlantic City,winning the BAFTA for Best Actor and landing his fourth Oscar nomination. Starting in the late 1970s, he also appeared in television mini-series, including the award-winningSeparate but EqualwithSidney Poitier.He continued acting into his late 70s, until a stroke in 1990 forced him to retire; four years later he died from a heart attack. His final film role was in the Oscar-nominatedField of Dreams.

Early life

Lancaster was born on November 2, 1913, in New York City, at his parents' home at 209 East 106th Street, the son of Elizabeth (néeRoberts) and mailman James Lancaster.Both of his parents wereProtestantsof working-class origin. All four of his grandparents were emigrants from Ireland to the United States, from the province ofUlster.His maternal grandparents were fromBelfastand were descendants ofEnglish dissenterswho had colonised Ireland as part of thePlantation of Ulster.

Lancaster grew up inEast Harlem,New York City. He developed a great interest and skill in gymnastics while attendingDeWitt Clinton High School,where he was a basketball star. Before he graduated from DeWitt Clinton, his mother died of acerebral hemorrhage.Lancaster was accepted byNew York Universitywith an athletic scholarship, but dropped out.

Circus career

Lancaster andNick Cravat,performing with theFederal Theatre ProjectCircus (1935–38)

Cravat and Lancaster performing on the horizontal bars

At the age of 9, Lancaster metNick Cravatwith whom he developed a lifelong partnership.Together, they learned to act in local theatre productions and circus arts atUnion Settlement,one of the city's oldest settlement houses.In the 1930s, they formed the acrobat duoLang and Cravatand soon joined the Kay Brothers circus. However, in 1939, an injury forced Lancaster to give up the profession, with great regret. He then found temporary work, first as a salesman forMarshall Fieldsand then as a singing waiter in various restaurants.

World War II service

After the United States enteredWorld War II,Lancaster joined theUnited States Armyin January 1943 and performed with the Army's 21stSpecial ServicesDivision, one of the military groups organized to follow the troops on the ground and provideUSOentertainment to keep up morale. He served with GeneralMark Clark'sFifth Armyin Italy from 1943 to 1945.He was discharged October 1945 and was an entertainment specialist with the rank oftechnician fifth grade.

Acting career

Broadway

Lancaster returned to New York after his Army service. Although initially unenthusiastic about acting, Lancaster was encouraged to audition for a Broadway play by a producer who saw him in an elevator while he was visiting his then-girlfriend at work.The audition was successful and Lancaster was cast inHarry Brown'sA Sound of Hunting(1945). The show only ran three weeks, but his performance attracted the interest of a Hollywood agent,Harold Hecht.Lancaster had other offers but Hecht promised him the opportunity to produce their own movies within five years of hitting Hollywood.

Through Hecht, Lancaster was brought to the attention of producerHal B. Wallis.Lancaster left New York and moved to Los Angeles. Wallis signed him to a non-exclusive eight-movie contract.

Hal Wallis

WithAva GardnerinThe Killers,1946

Lancaster's first filmed movie wasDesert Furyfor Wallis in 1947, where Lancaster was billed afterJohn HodiakandLizabeth Scott.It was directed byLewis Allen.

Then producerMark Hellingerapproached him to star in 1946'sThe Killers,which was completed and released prior toDesert Fury.Directed byRobert Siodmak,it was a great commercial and critical successand launched Lancaster and his co-starAva Gardnerto stardom. It has since come to be regarded as a classic.

Hellinger used Lancaster again onBrute Forcein 1947, a prison drama written byRichard Brooksand directed byJules Dassin.It was also well received.Wallis released his films through Paramount, and so Lancaster and other Wallis contractees made cameos inVariety Girlin 1947.

Lancaster's next film was a thriller for Wallis in 1947,I Walk Alone,co-starring Lizabeth Scott and a youngKirk Douglas,who was also under contract to Wallis.Varietylisted it as one of the top grossers of the year, taking in more than $2 million.

In 1948, Lancaster had a change of pace with the film adaptation ofArthur Miller'sAll My Sons,made atUniversal PictureswithEdward G. Robinson.His third film for Wallis was an adaptation ofSorry, Wrong Numberin 1948, withBarbara Stanwyck.

Norma Productions

Hecht kept to his promise to Lancaster to turn producer. The two of them formed a company, Norma Productions, and did a deal with Universal to make a thriller about a disturbed G.I. in London,Kiss the Blood Off My Handsin 1948, withJoan Fontaineand directed by Norman Foster. It made a profit of only $50,000, but was critically acclaimed.

Back in Hollywood, Lancaster made another film noir with Siodmak,Criss Cross,in 1949. It was originally going to be produced by Hellinger and when Hellinger died, another took over.Tony Curtismade an early appearance.

Lancaster appeared in a fourth picture for Wallis,Rope of Sand,in 1949.

Norma Productions signed a three-picture deal withWarner Bros.The first was 1950'sThe Flame and the Arrow,a swashbuckler movie, in which Lancaster drew on his circus skills. Nick Cravat had a supporting role and the film was a huge commercial success, making $6 million. It was Warners' most popular film of the year and established an entirely new image for Lancaster.

Lancaster was borrowed by20th Century FoxforMister 880in 1950, a comedy withEdmund Gwenn.MGM put him in a popular Western,Vengeance Valleyin 1951,then he went to Warners to play the title role in the biopicJim Thorpe – All-American,also in 1951.

Halburt

Norma signed a deal withColumbia Picturesto make two films through a Norma subsidiary, Halburt. The first film was 1951'sTen Tall Men,where Lancaster was a member of theFrench Foreign Legion.Robert Aldrichworked on the movie as a production manager.

The second was 1952'sThe First Time,a comedy which was the directorial debut ofFrank Tashlin.It was meant to star Lancaster but he wound up not appearing in the film – the first of their productions in which he did not act.

Hecht-Lancaster Productions

In 1951, the actor/producer duo changed the company's name to Hecht-Lancaster Productions. The first film under the new name was another swashbuckler: 1952'sThe Crimson Pirate,directed by Siodmak. Co-starring Cravat, it was extremely popular.

Lancaster changed pace once more by doing a straight dramatic part in 1952'sCome Back, Little Sheba,based on a Broadway hit, withShirley Booth,produced by Wallis and directed byDaniel Mann.

Alternating with adventure films, he went intoSouth Sea Womanin 1952 at Warners. Part of the Norma-Warners contract was that Lancaster had to appear in some non-Norma films, of which this was one.

WithDeborah KerrinFrom Here to Eternity,1953

In 1954, for his own company, Lancaster produced and starred inHis Majesty O'Keefe,a South Sea island tale shot in Fiji. It was co-written by James Hill, who would soon become a part of the Hecht-Lancaster partnership.

United Artists

Hecht and Lancaster left Warners forUnited Artists,for what began as a two-picture deal, the first of which was to be 1954'sApache,starring Lancaster as a Native American.

They followed it with another Western in 1954,Vera Cruz,co-starringGary Cooperand produced by Hill. Both films were directed byRobert Aldrichand were hugely popular.

United Artists signed Hecht-Lancaster to a multi-picture contract, to make seven films over two years.These included films in which Lancaster did not act. Their first wasMartyin 1955, based onPaddy Chayefsky's TV play starringErnest Borgnineand directed byDelbert Mann.It won both theBest Picture Oscarand thePalme d'Oraward atCannesand Borgnine anBest Actor Oscar.It also earned $2 million on a budget of $350,000.Vera Cruzhad been a huge success, butMartysecured Hecht-Lancaster as one of the most successful independent production companies in Hollywood at the time.Martystar Borgnine was under contract to Hecht-Lancaster and was unhappy about his lack of upcoming roles, especially after only receiving some seven lines in 1957'sSweet Smell of Successand half of his normal pay forMarty.He eventually sued for breach of contract to gain back some of this money in 1957.

Without Hill, Hecht and Lancaster producedThe Kentuckianin 1955. It was directed by Lancaster in his directorial debut, and he also played a lead role. Lancaster disliked directing and only did it once more, on 1974'sThe Midnight Man.

Lancaster still had commitments with Wallis, and madeThe Rose Tattoofor him in 1955, starring withAnna Magnaniand Daniel Mann directing. It was very popular at the box office and critically acclaimed, winning Magnani an Oscar.

Hecht-Hill-Lancaster

In 1955, Hill was made an equal partner in Hecht-Lancaster, with his name added to the production company.Hecht-Hill-Lancaster(HHL) released their first filmTrapezein 1956, with Lancaster performing many of his own stunts. The film, co-starringTony CurtisandGina Lollobrigida,went on to become the production company's top box office success, and United Artists expanded its deal with HHL.

In 1956, Lancaster and Hecht partnered withLoring Buzzelland entered the music industry with the music publishing companiesLeigh Music,Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music,Calyork MusicandColby Musicand the record labelsCalyork RecordsandMaine Records.

The HHL team impressed Hollywood with its success; asLifewrote in 1957, "[a]fter the independent production of a baker's dozen of pictures, it has yet to have its first flop... (They were also good pictures.)."In late 1957, they announced they would make ten films worth $14 million in 1958.

Lancaster made two films for Wallis to complete his eight-film commitment for that contract:The Rainmaker(1956) withKatharine Hepburn,which earned Lancaster a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor; andGunfight at the O.K. Corral(1957) with Kirk Douglas, which was a huge commercial hit directed byJohn Sturges.

Lancaster re-teamed withTony Curtisin 1957 forSweet Smell of Success,a co-production between Hecht-Hill-Lancaster and Curtis' own company with wifeJanet Leigh,Curtleigh Productions. The movie, directed byAlexander Mackendrick,was a critical success but a commercial disappointment. Over the years it has come to be regarded as one of Lancaster's greatest films.

HHL produced seven additional films in the late 1950s. Four starred Lancaster:Run Silent, Run Deep(1958), aRobert Wisedirected war film withClark Gable,which was mildly popular;Separate Tables(1958) a hotel-set drama with Kerr andRita Hayworth(who married James Hill), which received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and Oscar awards for lead actorDavid Nivenand supporting actressWendy Hiller,and was both a critical and commercial success;The Devil's Disciple(1959), with Douglas andLaurence Olivier,which lost money (and saw Lancaster fire Mackendrick during shooting);and the WesternThe Unforgiven(1960), withAudrey Hepburn,which was a critical and commercial disappointment.

Three were made without Lancaster, all of which lost money:The Bachelor Party(1957), from another TV play by Chayefsky, and directed by Delbert Mann;Take a Giant Step(1959), about a black student; andSummer of the Seventeenth Doll(1960), from an Australian play, shot on location in Australia and Britain.

HHL served as the production company for the 1960–61 TV seriesWhiplash.

The Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions company dissolved in 1960 after Hill ruptured his relationship with both Hecht and Lancaster. Hill went on to produce a single additional film,The Happy Thieves,in a new production company, Hillworth Productions, co-owned with his wifeRita Hayworth.

Hecht and Lancaster

A drawing of Lancaster after he won an Oscar forElmer Gantry,1960. Artist:Nicholas Volpe

Lancaster played the title role inElmer Gantry(1960), written and directed by Richard Brooks for United Artists. The film received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor. Lancaster won the1960 Academy Awardfor Best Actor, a Golden Globe Award, and theNew York Film Critics Awardfor his performance.

Hecht and Lancaster worked together onThe Young Savages(1961), directed byJohn Frankenheimerand produced by Hecht.Sydney Pollackworked as a dialogue coach.

Lancaster starred inJudgment at Nuremberg(1961) forStanley Kramer,alongsideSpencer Tracy,Richard Widmarkand a number of other stars. The film was both a commercial and critical success, receiving eleven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

He then did another film with Hecht and Frankenheimer (replacingCharles Crichton),Birdman of Alcatraz(1962), a largely fictionalized biography. In it he playsRobert Stroud,a federal prisoner incarcerated for life for two murders, who begins to collect birds and over time becomes an expert in bird diseases, even publishing a book. The film shows Stroud transferred to the maximum security Alcatraz prison where he is not allowed to keep birds and as he ages he gets married, markets bird remedies, helps stop a prison rebellion, and writes a book on the history of the U.S. penal system, but never gets paroled.

The sympathetic performance earned Lancaster a Best Actor Oscar nomination, a BAFTA Award for Best Actor, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Dramatic Role. Hecht went on to produce five films without Lancaster's assistance, through his company Harold Hecht Films Productions between 1961 and 1967, including another Academy Award winner,Cat Ballou,starringLee MarvinandJane Fonda.

Collaborations with younger filmmakers

Lancaster madeA Child Is Waiting(1963) withJudy Garland.It was produced by Kramer and directed byJohn Cassavetes.

He went to Italy to star inThe Leopard(1963) forLuchino Visconti,co-starringAlain DelonandClaudia Cardinale.It was one of Lancaster's favourite films and was a big hit in France but failed in the US (though the version released was much truncated).

He had a small role inThe List of Adrian Messenger(1963) for producer/star Kirk Douglas, and then did two for Frankenheimer:Seven Days in May(1964), a political thriller with Douglas, andThe Train(1964), a World War Two action film (Lancaster had Frankenheimer replaceArthur Pennseveral days into filming).

Lancaster starred inThe Hallelujah Trail(1965), a comic Western produced and directed byJohn Sturgeswhich failed to recoup its large cost.

He had a big hit withThe Professionals(1966), a Western directed by Brooks and also starringLee Marvin.

In 1966, at the age of 52, Lancaster appeared nude in directorFrank Perry's filmThe Swimmer(1968), in what the criticRoger Ebertcalled "his finest performance".Prior to working onThe Swimmer,Lancaster was terrified of the water because he did not know how to swim. In preparation for the film, he took swimming lessons fromUCLAswim coach Bob Horn.Filming was difficult and clashes between Lancaster and Perry led toSydney Pollackcoming in to do some filming.The film was not released until 1968, when it proved to be a commercial failure, though Lancaster remained proud of the movie and his performance.

Norlan Productions

WithAudrey HepburninThe Unforgiven,1960

In 1967, Lancaster formed a new partnership withRoland Kibbee,who had already worked as a writer on five Lancaster projects:Ten Tall Men,The Crimson Pirate,Three Sailors and a Girl(in which Lancaster made a cameo appearance),Vera Cruz,andThe Devil's Disciple.

Through Norlan Productions, Lancaster and Kibbee producedThe Scalphuntersin 1968, directed by Sydney Pollack.

Lancaster followed it with another film from Pollack,Castle Keepin 1969, which was a big flop. So wasThe Gypsy Moths,for Frankenheimer, also in 1969.

1970s

With Soviet fighter pilotAlexander Pokryshkinduring documentary filming "The Unknown War", episode 9 War in the Air. Moscow, USSR, 1978, photo: Leo Medvedev

Lancaster had one of the biggest successes of his career withAirportin 1970, starring alongsideDean Martin,George Kennedy,Van Heflin,Helen Hayes,Maureen Stapleton,Barbara Hale,Jean Seberg,andJacqueline Bisset.TheRoss Hunterfilm received nine Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture. It became one of the biggest box-office hits of 1970 and, at that time, reportedly the highest-grossing film in the history ofUniversal Pictures.

He then went into a series of Westerns:Lawmanin 1971, directed byMichael Winner;Valdez Is Comingin 1971, for Norlan; andUlzana's Raidin 1972, directed by Aldrich and produced by himself and Hecht. None were particularly popular butUlzana's Raidhas become a cult film.

Lancaster did two thrillers, both 1973:Scorpiowith Winner andExecutive Action.

Lancaster returned to directing in 1974 withThe Midnight Man,which he also wrote and produced with Kibee.

He made a second film with Visconti,Conversation Piecein 1974 and played the title role in the TV seriesMoses the Lawgiver,also in 1974.

Lancaster was one of many names in 1975's1900,directed byBernardo Bertolucci,and he had a cameo in 1976'sBuffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History LessonforRobert Altman.

He playedShimon Peresin the TV movieVictory at Entebbein 1977 and had a supporting role inThe Cassandra Crossingin 1976. He made a fourth and final film with Aldrich,Twilight's Last Gleamingin 1977, and had the title role in 1977'sThe Island of Dr. Moreau.

Lancaster was top-billed inGo Tell the Spartansin 1978, aVietnam Warfilm; Lancaster admired the script so much that he took a reduced fee and donated money to help the movie to be completed. He was inZulu Dawnin 1979.

1980s

Lancaster began the 1980s with a highly acclaimed performance alongsideSusan SarandoninAtlantic Cityin 1980, directed byLouis Malle.The film received five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and a Best Actor nomination for Lancaster.

He had key roles inCattle Annie and Little Britchesin 1981,The Skinin 1982 with Cardinale,Marco Polo,also in 1982, andLocal Heroin 1983.

By now, Lancaster was mostly a character actor in features, as inThe Osterman Weekendin 1983, but he was the lead in the TV movieScandal Sheetin 1985.

He was inLittle Treasurein 1985, directed byAlan Sharp,who had writtenUlzana's Raid;On Wings of Eaglesfor TV in 1986, asBull Simons;1986's made for TVBarnumstarred him in the title role;Tough Guysreunited him on the big screen with Kirk Douglas in 1986;Fathers and Sons: A German Tragedy(in GermanVäter und Söhne – Eine deutsche Tragödie) in 1986 for German TV; 1987'sControlmade in Italy;Rocket Gibraltarin 1988, andThe Jeweller's Shopin 1989.

His first critical success in a while wasField of Dreamsin 1989, in which he played a supporting role asMoonlight Graham.He was also in the miniseriesThe Betrothedin 1989.

Later career

Lancaster's final performances included TV miniseriesThe Phantom of the Opera(1990);Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair(1990) asLeon Klinghofferbased on the 1985MSAchille Laurohijacking incident;andSeparate But Equal(1991) withSidney Poitier.

Frequent collaborators

InJudgment at Nuremberg,1961

Lancaster appeared in a total of seventeen films produced by his agent,Harold Hecht.Eight of these were co-produced byJames Hill.He also appeared in eight films produced byHal B. Wallisand two with producerMark Hellinger.Although Lancaster's work alongside Kirk Douglas was known as that of a successful pair of actors, Douglas, in fact, produced four films for the pair, through his production companies Bryna Productions and Joel Productions. Roland Kibbee also produced three Lancaster films, and Lancaster was also cast in twoStanley Kramerproductions.

Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas starred in seven films across the decades with Burt Lancaster:I Walk Alone(1948),Gunfight at the O.K. Corral(1957),The Devil's Disciple(1959),The List of Adrian Messenger(1963),Seven Days in May(1964),Victory at Entebbe(1976) andTough Guys(1986), which fixed the notion of the pair as something of a team in the public imagination. Douglas was always billed under Lancaster in these movies but, with the exception ofI Walk Alone,in which Douglas played a villain, their roles were usually more or less the same size. Both actors arrived in Hollywood at about the same time, and first appeared together in the fourth film for each, albeit with Douglas in a supporting role. They both became actor-producers who sought out independent Hollywood careers.

John Frankenheimer

John Frankenheimerdirected five films with Lancaster:The Young Savages(1961),Birdman of Alcatraz(1962),Seven Days in May(1964),The Train(1964), andThe Gypsy Moths(1969).

Other repeat collaborators

He was directed four times byRobert Aldrich,three times each byRobert SiodmakandSydney Pollack,and twice each byByron Haskin,Daniel Mann,John Sturges,John Huston,Richard Brooks,Alexander Mackendrick,Luchino Visconti,andMichael Winner.

Roland Kibbeewrote for seven Lancaster films. Lancaster used makeup veteran Robert Schiffer in twenty credited films, hiring Schiffer on nearly all of the films he produced.

Political activism

Lancaster was a vocal supporter of progressive and liberal political causes.He frequently spoke out in support of racial and other minorities. As a result, he was often a target of FBI investigations.He was named in PresidentRichard Nixon's 1973 "Enemies List".

A vocal opponent of theVietnam War,he helped pay for the successful defense of a soldier accused of "fragging"(i.e., murdering) another soldier during war-time.In 1968, Lancaster actively supported the presidential candidacy of anti-war SenatorEugene McCarthyofMinnesota,and frequently spoke on his behalf during theDemocraticprimaries.

Lancaster was also active inanti-death penalty activism.He campaigned heavily forGeorge McGovernin the1972 United States presidential election.

In 1985, Lancaster joined the fight against AIDS after fellow movie starRock Hudsoncontracted the disease.Lancaster delivered Hudson's last words at the Commitment to Life fundraiser at a time when the stigma surrounding AIDS was at its height.

Of his political opinions, frequent co-starTony Curtissaid: "Here's this great big aggressive guy that looks like a ding-dong athlete playing these big tough guys and he has the soul of—who were those first philosophers of equality?—Socrates,Plato.He was a Greek philosopher with a sense that everybody was equal. "

Actor andSAGpresidentEd Asnersaid he showed everybody in Hollywood "how to be a liberal with balls".

Hollywood Ten

In 1947, Lancaster reportedly signed a statement release by theNational Council of Arts, Sciences and Professions(NCASP) asking Congress to abolish theHouse Un-American Activities Committee(HUAC).He was also a member of the short-livedCommittee for the First Amendment,formed in support of theHollywood Ten.He was one of 26 movie stars who flew to Washington in October 1947 to protest against the HUAC hearings.The committee'sHollywood Fights Backbroadcasts onABC Radio Networkwere two 30-minute programs that took place on October 27 and November 2, 1947, during which committee members voiced their opposition to the HUAC hearings.Many members faced blacklisting and backlash due to their involvement in the committee. Lancaster was listed in anti-communist literature as afellow traveler.

Civil rights movement

He and his second wife, Norma, hosted a fundraiser forMartin Luther King Jr.and theStudent Diversity Leadership Conference(SDLC) ahead of the historicMarch on Washingtonin 1963.He attended the march, where he was one of the speakers.He flew in from France for the event, where he was shootingThe Train,and flew back again the next day, despite a reportedfear of flying.

On August 28, 1963, at theMarch on WashingtonLancaster "read the speech thatJames Baldwinwas supposed to make, "because (asMalcolm Xsaid in a speech delivered in Detroit at the King Solomon Baptist Church in late 1963) "they wouldn't let Baldwin get up there because they know Baldwin is liable to say anything."

ACLU

In 1968, Lancaster was elected to serve as chairman of theRoger Baldwin Foundation,a newly formed fund-raising arm of theAmerican Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.His co-chairs wereFrank SinatraandIrving L. Lichtenstein.In October 1968, he hosted a party at his home to raise money for theACLUto use for the defense of the more than four hundred people arrested at the1968 Democratic National Convention.Throughout the years, he remained an ardent supporter and a fundraiser for the organization.

While serving as a member of the five-person ACLU Foundation executive committee, he cast the key vote to retainRamona Ripstonas executive director of the Southern California affiliate, a position she would build into a powerful advocacy force in Los Angeles politics. Ripston later recalled: "There was a feeling that a woman couldn't run the ACLU foundation, nor have access to the books. The vote finally came down to two 'yes' and two 'no.' Who had the deciding vote? Burt. He had a scotch or two and finally he said, 'I think she should be executive director.' I always loved him for that."

When PresidentGeorge H. W. Bushderided Democratic candidateMichael Dukakisas a "card-carrying member of the ACLU", Lancaster was one of the supporters featured in the organization's first television advertising campaign stating: "I'm a card-carrying member of the ACLU" and "No one agrees with every single thing they've done. But no one can disagree with the guiding principle—with liberty and justice for all.'"He also campaigned forMichael Dukakisin the1988 United States presidential election.

Personal life

Lancaster's sonBill LancasterinThe Big Valley,1967. In adulthood, he became a screenwriter.

Marriages and relationships

Lancaster guarded his personal life and attempted to keep it private despite his stardom. He was married three times and had five children.

His first marriage was to June Ernst, atrapezeacrobat. Ernst was the daughter of a renowned female aerialist and an accomplished acrobat herself. After they were married, he performed with her family and her until their separation in the late 1930s. When they divorced is unclear. Contemporary reports listed 1940, but subsequent biographers have suggested dates as late as 1946, delaying his marriage to his second wife.

He met second wife Norma Anderson (1917–1988) when the stenographer substituted for an ill actress in a USO production for the troops in Italy. Reportedly, on seeing Lancaster in the crowd on her way to town from the airport, she turned to an officer and asked, "Who is that good-looking officer and is he married?" The officer set up a blind date between the two for that evening.They married in 1946. Norma was active in political causes with an entire room in their Bel Air home devoted to her major interest, the League of Woman Voters, crammed with printing presses and all the necessary supplies for mass mailings.

She was a life-long member of theNAACP.The couple held a fundraiser forMartin Luther King Jr.and theSouthern Christian Leadership Conferenceahead of the 1963March on Washington.All five of his children were with Anderson:Bill(who became an actor and screenwriter), James, Susan, Joanna (who worked as a film producer), and Sighle (pronounced "Sheila" ). It was a troubled marriage. The pair separated in 1966, and divorced in 1969.

In 1966, Lancaster began a long-term relationship with hairdresser Jackie Bone, who worked onThe Professionals.The relationship was tempestuous, with Bone once smashing a wine bottle over Lancaster's head at a dinner withSydney PollackandPeter Falk.Reportedly, they eventually split up after her religious conversion, which Lancaster believed he could not share with her.

His third marriage, to Susan Martin, lasted from September 1990 until his death in 1994.

According to biographer Kate Buford inBurt Lancaster: An American Life,Lancaster was devotedly loyal to his friends and family. Old friends from his childhood remained his friends for life.

Possible affairs

Some media outlets and authors have written that Lancaster was bisexual and had relationships with both men and women.

Friends said he claimed he was romantically involved withDeborah Kerrduring the filming ofFrom Here to Eternityin 1953.However, Kerr stated that while there was a spark of attraction,nothing ever happened.

He reportedly had an affair withJoan Blondell.

In her 1980 autobiography,Shelley Wintersclaimed to have had a two-year affair with him, during which time he was considering separation from his wife. In his Hollywood memoirs, friendFarley Grangerrecalled an incident when Lancaster and he had to come to Winters' rescue one evening when she had inadvertently overdosed on alcohol and sleeping pills.She broke up with him for "cheating on her with his wife" after she heard reports of his wife's third or fourth pregnancy.Lancaster and Winters performed together in the 1949 radio play adaptation ofThe Killers.They appeared in two films together:The Young Savages,where she played his character's former lover, andThe Scalphunters.

Religion

Despite hisProtestantbackground and upbringing,Lancaster identified as anatheistlater in life.

Health problems

As Lancaster reached his 60s, he began to be affected bycardiovascular disease.In January 1980, he had complications from a routinegall bladderoperation (that he barely survived). In 1983, following two minor heart attacks, he underwent an emergency quadruplecoronary bypass.He continued to act, however, and to engage in public activism. In 1988, he attended a congressional hearing in Washington, DC, with former colleagues who includedJames StewartandGinger Rogersto protest against media magnateTed Turner's plan tocolorizevarious black-and-white films from the 1930s and 1940s. On November 30, 1990, when he was 77, a stroke left him partiallyparalyzedand largely unable to speak, ending his acting career.

Death

Lancaster's plaque under an oak tree in Westwood Memorial Park where his ashes were scattered

Lancaster died at his apartment inCentury City,Los Angeles, after having a third heart attack at 4:50 am on October 20, 1994.His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered under a large oak tree inWestwood Memorial Park,which is located inWestwood Village,California. A small, square ground plaque amid several others, inscribed "Burt Lancaster 1913–1994", marks the location. As he had requested, no memorial or funeral service was held for him.

Legacy

The centennial of Lancaster's birth was honored at New York City'sFilm Society of Lincoln Centerin May 2013 with the screening of 12 of the actor's best-known films, fromThe KillerstoAtlantic City.

Lancaster has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame,at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography and awards

Main article:Burt Lancaster filmography

Lancaster was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1954 forFrom Here to Eternity,in 1961 forElmer Gantry,in 1964 forBirdman of Alcatraz,and in 1982 forAtlantic Cityand won the award in 1961. Lancaster's leading role in Luchino Visconti's 1963 canonicalThe Leopardbegan a series of roles with important European art film directors that included roles in Bernardo Bertolucci's1900and Louis Malle'sAtlantic Cityas well as Visconti'sConversation Piece.

Box office ranking

For a number of years exhibitors voted Lancaster among the most popular stars:

Year	US Rank	UK Rank
1950	16th
1951	25th
1952	24th
1953	17th
1954	13th	7th
1955	16th
1956	4th	3rd
1957	15th	3rd
1958	20th
1960	19th
1961	11th
1962	10th

In other media

Spanish music groupHombres Greleased an album namedLa cagaste, Burt Lancaster(You messed up, Burt Lancaster) in 1986.

Thomas Hart Bentonpainted a scene fromThe Kentuckianas part of the film's marketing. Lancaster posed for the painting, also known asThe Kentuckian.

References

Bibliography

• Andreychuk, Ed.Burt Lancaster: A Filmography And Biography.Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2005.ISBN978-0-7864-2339-2.
• Buford, Kate.Burt Lancaster: An American Life.London: Aurum Press, 2008.ISBN1-84513-385-4.
• Winters, Shelley.Shelley: Also known as Shirley.New York: Morrow, 1980.ISBN978-0-688-03638-6.
• Karney, Robyn.Burt Lancaster: A Singular Man.Trafalgar Square Pub, 1997ISBN1570760748

External links

• Burt Lancasterat theAmerican Film Institute Catalog
• Burt LancasteratIMDb
• Burt Lancasterat theTCM Movie Database
• Burt LancasteratAllMovie
• Burt Lancasterat theInternet Broadway Database
• Literature on Burt Lancaster
• "The Rainmaker",a poem for Lancaster