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Charles Bickford

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Charles Bickford
Bickford as host ofThe Man Behind the Badge(circa1955)
Born
Charles Ambrose Bickford

(1891-01-01)January 1, 1891
Cambridge, Massachusetts,U.S.
DiedNovember 9, 1967(1967-11-09)(aged 76)
Los Angeles,California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1911–1967
Spouse
Beatrice Ursula Allen
​
​
(m.1916)​
Children2

Charles Ambrose Bickford(January 1, 1891 – November 9, 1967)[1]was an American actor known for supporting roles.[2]He was nominated three times for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActorforThe Song of Bernadette(1943),The Farmer's Daughter(1947) andJohnny Belinda(1948). His other roles includeWhirlpool(1950),A Star Is Born(1954) andThe Big Country(1958).

Early life

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Bickford was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during the first minute of 1891.[3]His parents were Loretus and Mary Ellen Bickford.[4]The fifth of seven children, he was an intelligent but very independent and unruly child. He had a particularly strong relationship with his maternal grandfather, a sea captain, who was a powerful influence during his formative years. At the age of nine, he was tried and acquitted of the attempted murder of a trolley motorman, who had callously driven over and killed his beloved dog.[3]: 12–16 He attended Foster School andEverett High School.[4]

Always more interested in experiencing life than reading about it, Bickford was considered "the wild rogue" of the family, causing his parents frequent consternation. In his late teens, he drifted aimlessly around the United States for a time. Before breaking into acting, he worked as a lumberjack and investment promoter, and for a short time, ran a pest-extermination business. He was a stoker and fireman in the United States Navy when a friend dared him to get a job inburlesque.Bickford served as an engineer lieutenant in the United States Army during World War I. His first entry into acting was on the stage, eventually including Broadway. This venue provided him with an occasional living and served as the principal training ground for developing his acting and vocal talents.[citation needed]

Acting career

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Bickford had intended to attend theMassachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) to earn an engineering degree, but while wandering around the country, he became friends with the manager of a burlesque show, who convinced Bickford to take a role in the show. He debuted in Oakland, California in 1911.[3]: 50–53 Bickford enjoyed himself so much that he abandoned his plans to attend MIT.[3]: 60–61 He made his legitimate stage debut with the John Craig Stock Company at theCastle Square Theatrein Boston in 1912.[3]: 61–62 He eventually joined a road company and traveled throughout the United States for more than a decade, appearing in various productions. In 1925, while working in a Broadway play calledOutside Looking In,co-starJames Cagney(in his first Broadway role) and he received rave reviews.[3]: 142–145 He was offered a role inHerbert Brenon's 1926 film ofBeau Geste,but anxious not to give up his newfound Broadway stardom, refused it, a decision he later came to regret. Following his appearance in the critically praised but unsuccessfulMaxwell Anderson-Harold Hickerson drama about theSacco and VanzetticaseGods of the Lightning(Bickford was the Sacco character), he was contacted by filmmakerCecil B. DeMilleand offered a contract withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer(MGM) studios to star in DeMille's first talking picture:Dynamite.[3]: 157 He soon began working with MGM studio chiefLouis B. Mayeron a number of projects.

Bickford andRaquel TorresinThe Sea Bat(1930)

Bickford became a star after playingGreta Garbo's lover inAnna Christie(1930), but never developed into a leading man. Always independent minded, exceptionally strong-willed, and quick with his fists, Bickford frequently argued and nearly came to blows with Mayer and any number of other MGM authority figures during the course of this contract with the studio. During the production ofDynamite,he punched out his director following a string of heated arguments, primarily related to the interpretation of his character's role. Throughout his early career on both the stage and later films, Bickford rejected numerous scripts and made no secret of his disdain for much of the material he was offered. Not surprisingly, his association with MGM was short-lived, with Bickford asking for and quickly receiving a release from his contract. He soon found himself blacklisted at other studios, though, forcing him[3]: 274–277 to take the highly unusual step (for that era) of becoming an independent actor for several years. His career took another turn in 1935, when he was mauled by a lion and nearly killed while filmingEast of Java.While he recovered, he lost his contract with Twentieth Century-Fox and his leading-man status owing to extensive neck scarring suffered in the attack, coupled with his advancing age.[3]: 298–303 Soon, he made a very successful transition to character roles, which he felt offered much greater diversity and allowed him to showcase his talent to better effect. Much preferring the character roles that became his forte, Bickford appeared in many notable films, includingThe Farmer's Daughter,Johnny Belinda,A Star Is Born,andNot as a Stranger.[3]: 308 

Gene Kelly,Charles Bickford,Veronica Lake,Joe E. Brown,Eleanor Roosevelt,Jane Wyman,Myrna Loy,George Murphy,andMargaret O'Brienin 1945

Finding great success playing an array of character roles in films and later in television, Bickford quickly became highly sought-after; his burly frame and craggy, intense features, coupled with a gruff, powerful voice lent themselves to a wide variety of roles. Most often, he played lovable father figures, stern businessmen, heavies, ship captains, or authority figures of some sort. During the 1940s, he was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He served as host of the 1950s television seriesThe Man Behind the Badge.[5]

On April 16, 1958, Bickford appeared withRoger Smithin "The Daniel Barrister Story" onWagon Train.

Bickford continued to act in projects right up to his death. He guest-starred onThe Islanders,The Barbara Stanwyck Show,andThe Eleventh Hour.In his final years, Bickford played rancher John Grainger, owner of the Shiloh Ranch, onThe Virginian.Bickford was well-liked by both fans and his fellow actors, including series leadJames Drury.According to Drury, Bickford, who guest-starred earlier in the series in an unrelated role, wished he could have been on the series from the beginning.[6]According to Paul Green, author ofA History of Television's The Virginian, 1962-1971,Bickford's vigorous portrayal of John Grainger helped restore the quality of the show after what some considered a chaotic fourth season.[7]

Two of the actor's late-career, big-screen roles came in the WesternThe Big Country(1958), as a wealthy and ruthless rancher, withGregory PeckandCharlton Heston;and in the dramaDays of Wine and Roses(1962), as the forlorn father of an alcoholic, withJack LemmonandLee Remick.PresidentDwight D. EisenhowerranThe Big Countryfour nights in a row in theWhite Housewhen it was first released.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Bickford married actress Beatrice Ursula Allen (stage name Beatrice Loring)[citation needed]in Manhattan in 1916.[8]The couple had two children, daughter Doris, known as “Bunny”, and son Rex.[citation needed]

Bickford was a practicing Catholic[9]and aDemocratwho supportedAdlai Stevenson's campaign during the1952 presidential election.[10]

In 1965, Bickford published his autobiographyBulls, Balls, Bicycles, & Actors.[3]: 308 

Death and legacy

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Bickford died in Los Angeles on November 9, 1967, at age 76, of pneumonia and a blood infection after being hospitalized for an extended period.[1]

Bickford received two stars on theHollywood Walk of Famein 1960. Hismotion-picture staris located at 6780 Hollywood Boulevard, and his television star is located at 1620 Vine Street.[11]

Filmography

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As actor

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As himself

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  • Screen Snapshots Series 9, No. 20(1930, short)
  • Screen Snapshots(1932, documentary short)
  • Hollywood on Parade No. B-6(1934, short)
  • The Dark Wave(1956, documentary short)
  • Now Is Tomorrow(1958, TV movie)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Charles Bickford".Los Angeles Times Hollywood Star Walk.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
  2. ^"Veteran Actor Bickford Dies in Hollywood".Madera Tribune.Vol. 76, no. 127.United Press International.November 10, 1967. p. 1.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
  3. ^abcdefghijkBickford, Charles (1965).Bulls Balls Bicycles & Actors.Paul S. Eriksson, Inc. p. 4.
  4. ^abAaker, Everett (2017).Television Western Players, 1960–1975: A Biographical Dictionary.McFarland. pp. 32–35.ISBN978-1476628561.RetrievedSeptember 16,2018.
  5. ^Pitts, Michael R. (September 17, 2015).Charles Bronson: The 95 Films and the 156 Television Appearances.McFarland. p. 289.ISBN978-1-4766-1035-1.
  6. ^Thomas, Nick (June 23, 2019)."Tinseltown Talk: James Drury remembers 'The Virginian' co-stars".The Beaver County Times.Archived fromthe originalon July 27, 2020.RetrievedApril 29,2020.
  7. ^Green, Paul (January 10, 2014).A History of Television's The Virginian, 1962-1971.McFarland.ISBN978-0-7864-5799-1.
  8. ^"New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940": Charles Ambrose Bickford and Beatrice Ursula Allen, 20 January 1916, Manhattan, New York. New York City Municipal Archives viaFamilySearch.
  9. ^Morning News, January 10, 1948,Who Was Who in America(Vol. 2)
  10. ^Motion Picture and Television Magazine,November 1952, page 33.
  11. ^"Charles Bickford".Hollywood Walk of Fame.October 25, 2019.

Further reading

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  • Alistair, Rupert (2018). "Charles Bickford".The Name Below the Title: 65 Classic Movie Character Actors from Hollywood's Golden Age(softcover) (First ed.). Great Britain: Independently published. pp. 36–39.ISBN978-1-7200-3837-5.
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