Ernest Borgnine
Encyclopedia
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty
. On television, he played Quinton McHale in the 1962-66 series McHale's Navy
and co-starred in the mid-1980s action series Airwolf
, in addition to a wide variety of other roles. Borgnine is also known for his role as Mermaid Man in the animated television series
SpongeBob SquarePants
. Borgnine earned an Emmy Award
nomination at age 92 for his work on the series ER
.
, the son of Anna (née
Boselli), who immigrated to the United States from Carpi (Modena
, Italy
), and Camillo Borgnino, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ottiglio
(Province of Alessandria
, Italy
).
His parents separated when he was two years old, and he and his mother went to live in Italy. By 1923, his parents had reconciled, and the family name was changed from Borgnino to Borgnine. The family had settled in North Haven, Connecticut
, where he attended public schools. His mother also had the passion to develop her own dance. Anna gave her son a lot of moral support and he stood closely by her at all times.
in 1935, after graduation from James Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Connecticut
. He was discharged in 1941, but re-enlisted when the United States entered World War II
and served until 1945 (a total of ten years), reaching the rank of Gunner's Mate
1st Class. He served aboard the destroyer USS Lamberton (DD-119)
. His military decorations included the Navy Good Conduct Medal
, American Defense Service Medal
with Fleet Clasp, American Campaign Medal
, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
and the World War II Victory Medal.
In a British Film Institute interview about his life and career, Borgnine said of the war:
"After World War II we wanted no more part in war. I didn't even want to be a boy-scout. I went home and said that I was through with the Navy and so now, what do we do? So I went home to mother, and after a few weeks of patting on the back and, 'You did good,' and everything else, one day she said, 'Well?' like mothers do. Which meant, 'Alright, you gonna get a job or what?'"
In 2004, Borgnine received the honorary rank of Chief Petty Officer
from the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Terry D. Scott
—the US Navy's highest ranking enlisted sailor at the time—for Borgnine's support of the Navy and naval families worldwide.
in Abingdon
, Virginia
, so-called for its audiences bartering their produce for admission during the Great Depression. In 1947, he landed his first stage role in State of the Union. Although it was a short role, he won over the audience. His next role was as the Gentleman Caller in Tennessee Williams
' The Glass Menagerie
. In 1949, he had his Broadway
debut in the role of a nurse in the play Harvey
. More roles on stage led him to being a decades-long character actor
.
In 1951, he moved to Los Angeles
, California
, where he eventually received his big break in From Here to Eternity
(1953), playing the cruel Sergeant "Fatso" Judson in charge of the stockade
, who taunts fellow soldier Angelo Maggio (played by Frank Sinatra
). Borgnine built a reputation as a dependable character actor
and appeared in early film roles as villains, including movies like Johnny Guitar
, Vera Cruz
and Bad Day at Black Rock
. But in 1955, the actor starred as a warm-hearted butcher in Marty
, the film version of the television play of the same name
, which gained him an Academy Award for Best Actor
over Frank Sinatra and former Best Actors Spencer Tracy
and James Cagney
.
Borgnine's film career continued successfully through the 1960s, 1970s and the 1980's, including The Vikings
, The Flight of the Phoenix
, The Dirty Dozen
, Ice Station Zebra
, The Poseidon Adventure, The Black Hole
and Escape from New York
. One of his most famous roles became that of Dutch, a member of The Wild Bunch
in the 1969 Western classic from director Sam Peckinpah
.
Of his role in 'The Wild Bunch', he later said, 'I did [think it was a moral film]. Because to me, every picture should have some kind of a moral to it. I feel that when we used to watch old pictures, as we still do I'm sure, the bad guys always got it in the end and the good guys always won out. Today it's a little different. Today it seems that the bad guys are getting the good end of it. There was always a moral in our story.'
in Captain Video and His Video Rangers, beginning in 1951. These two episodes led to countless other television roles that Borgnine would gain in Goodyear Television Playhouse
, Short Short Dramas, The Ford Television Theatre, Waterfront, The Lone Wolf, Fireside Theatre, The O. Henry Playhouse, Frontier Justice
, Laramie
, The Blue Angels, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
, Run for Your Life
, Little House on the Prairie
s two-part episode - "The Lord is My Shepherd", The Love Boat
, Magnum, P.I.
, Highway to Heaven
with old friend Michael Landon
, Murder, She Wrote
, Walker, Texas Ranger
, Touched by an Angel
and the final episodes of ER
, among many others.
Melissa Gilbert
has said that her favorite Little House on the Prairie
episode of all time is the 1975 two-part "The Lord is My Shepherd" in which she co-starred with Borgnine. He played the mysterious mountain-man Jonathon who uttered the classic line, "I think I will" in response to his deep desire to eat his porridge.
In 2009, at the age of 92, Borgnine earned an Emmy nomination for his performances in the final two episodes of the long-running NBC medical series ER
.
, Andy Griffith
, Danny Thomas
, Alan Young
, Fred MacMurray
and Buddy Ebsen
. That same year he signed a contract with Universal Studios
for the lead role as the gruff but lovable skipper Lieutenant Commander
Quinton McHale in what began as a serious one-hour 1962 episode called Seven Against the Sea for Alcoa Premiere. Just like the McHale character, Borgnine was a longtime navy man in real life. This World War II
sitcom also starred two formerly unknown comedians/actors, the late Joe Flynn
as Capt. Wallace B. Binghamton and Tim Conway
as Ensign Charles Parker. Both of them got along very well with Borgnine, especially Conway. The insubordinate crew of PT-73 helped the show become an overnight success during its first season, although it did not land in the Top 30 until 1963, when it tied with Hazel
in the ratings. Borgnine thrived on the adulation from fans for their favorite Navy
man. He received an Emmy Award
nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1963. At the end of the fourth season in 1966 low ratings and repetitive story lines brought McHale's Navy to an end. Borgnine was not happy about the show’s cancellation and was concerned about what television role he might play in the future. He also starred in the 1964 film version of the series and later appeared in a cameo performance in the 1997 remake.
in 1983, for a co-starring role opposite Jan-Michael Vincent
, on Airwolf
. After he was approached by producer Donald P. Bellisario, who had been impressed by Borgnine's guest role as a wrestler in a 1982 episode of Magnum, P.I.
, he immediately agreed. He played Dominic Santini, a helicopter pilot, in the series which became an immediate hit. Borgnine's strong performances belied his exhaustion due to the grueling production schedule, and the challenges of working with his younger, troubled series lead. The show was cancelled by CBS
in 1986.
in The Single Guy
as doorman Manny Cordoba, which lasted two seasons. According to Silverman, Borgnine would come to work with more energy and passion than all other stars combined. He was the first person to arrive on the set every day and the last to leave.
medical centers.
Ernest Borgnine is a Freemason
in Hollywood Lodge No. 355, and a 33rd° Scottish Rite Mason in the Southern Masonic Jurisdiction. He is also a member of the Loyal Order of Moose at that organization's Lodge in Junction City, OR.
Ernest Borgnine has volunteered to be Stories of Service National spokesman, urging his fellow World War II
vets to come forward and share their stories.
Since 1999, Borgnine has provided his voice talent to the comedy cartoon
SpongeBob SquarePants
as the elderly superhero
Mermaid Man (where he is once again paired up with his McHale's Navy co-star Tim Conway
as the voice of Mermaid Man's sidekick Barnacle Boy). He has expressed affection for this role, in no small part for its popularity among children. Borgnine also appears as himself in The Simpsons
episode "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood", in addition to a number of television commercials. In 2000, he was the executive producer of Hoover, in which he is the only credited actor.
In 2007, 90-year-old Borgnine starred in the Hallmark
original film A Grandpa for Christmas
. He played a man who, after his estranged daughter is in a car accident, discovers that he has a granddaughter he never knew about. She is taken into his care, and they soon become great friends. Borgnine received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for Television for his performance. At 90, he was the oldest Golden Globe nominee ever.
On April 2, 2009, Borgnine starred in the last episode of the long-running medical series ER
. His role was that of a husband whose long marriage ended with his wife's death. In his final scene, Borgnine's character is in a hospital bed lying beside his just-deceased wife. His performance garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, his third nomination and his first in 29 years (since being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special in 1980 for All Quiet on the Western Front
).
In 2009, at age 92, he was the main character in Another Harvest Moon
, directed by Greg Swartz and also starring Piper Laurie
and Anne Meara
. On October 2, 2010, Borgnine appeared as himself in a sketch on Saturday Night Live
. On October 15, 2010 he appeared in his latest movie, Red
, which was filmed earlier that year.
In the wake of the book's publication, he began a small promotional tour, visiting independent bookstores in the Los Angeles area to promote the book's release and meet some of his fans.
(1959–1963) Borgnine once referred to his second ex-wife this way: "Beautiful, but a tiger."
He later married singer Ethel Merman
(1964); the marriage barely lasted a month. Their divorce was finalised on May 25, 1965. Borgnine married Donna Rancourt (1965–1972), with whom he had a son, Christopher (born August 9, 1969) and two daughters, Sharon (born August 5, 1965) and Diana (born December 29, 1970). His fifth and current marriage is to Tova Traesnaes
(February 24, 1973 to date).
He has one sister, Evelyn Velardi (b. 1926). His mother, Anna Borgnine, died in 1949, after a long battle against tuberculosis
, just days before his first wedding.
On January 24, 2007, Borgnine celebrated his 90th birthday at a bistro in West Hollywood, California
. Guests included his wife Tova, decades-long friend Tim Conway
, Dennis Farina
, Army Archerd
, Andy Granatelli
, Bo Hopkins
, Burt Young
, Steven Bauer
, his son Cris Borgnine, grandson Anthony Borgnine, Connie Stevens
, David Gerber
, Debbie Reynolds
, Joe Mantegna
, Norm Crosby
and many more.
On February 24, 2008, Borgnine celebrated the 35th anniversary of his marriage to cosmetics maker Tova Traenaes.
He is a member of the Lambda chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon
fraternity.
A street was named in Borgnine’s honor in his hometown of Hamden, Connecticut, where he still enjoys a large and vocal following. There is also a Mexican-themed restaurant in New York City with a shrine dedicated to Borgnine.
For 30 years (1972–2002), Borgnine marched in Milwaukee's annual Great Circus Parade as the "Grand Clown."
for his portrayal of Marty Piletti in the film Marty
.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ernest Borgnine has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6324 Hollywood Blvd. In 1996, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
in Oklahoma City
, Oklahoma
.
He was honored with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
at the 17th annual SAG Awards, held January 30, 2011.
Each year, a dinner is held in Borgnine's honor by Tortilla Flats, a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan's West Village. February 2010 was the eighteenth consecutive year for the celebration. In addition to sitting in booths decorated with his photos, dinner guests answer trivia questions while wearing sailor hats and Borgnine masks.
Marty (film)
Marty is a 1955 American film directed by Delbert Mann. The screenplay was written by Paddy Chayefsky, expanding upon his 1953 teleplay of the same name. The film stars Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. The film enjoyed international success, winning the 1955 Academy Award for Best Picture and...
. On television, he played Quinton McHale in the 1962-66 series McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962...
and co-starred in the mid-1980s action series Airwolf
Airwolf
Airwolf is an American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. The program centers on a high-tech military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme....
, in addition to a wide variety of other roles. Borgnine is also known for his role as Mermaid Man in the animated television series
Cartoon series
A cartoon series is a set of regularly presented animated television programs with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same characters and a basic theme...
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
. Borgnine earned an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination at age 92 for his work on the series ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
.
Early life
Borgnine was born in Hamden, ConnecticutHamden, Connecticut
Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant." Hamden is home to Quinnipiac University. The population was 58,180 according to the Census Bureau's 2005 estimates...
, the son of Anna (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Boselli), who immigrated to the United States from Carpi (Modena
Province of Modena
The Province of Modena is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Modena.It has an area of 2,689 km², and a total population of 659,925 . There are 48 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Modena.At May 31, 2005, the main comuni by population...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), and Camillo Borgnino, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ottiglio
Ottiglio
Ottiglio is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 50 km east of Turin and about 25 km northwest of Alessandria....
(Province of Alessandria
Province of Alessandria
The Province of Alessandria is an Italian province, with a population of some 430,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The provincial capital is the city of Alessandria....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
).
His parents separated when he was two years old, and he and his mother went to live in Italy. By 1923, his parents had reconciled, and the family name was changed from Borgnino to Borgnine. The family had settled in North Haven, Connecticut
North Haven, Connecticut
North Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut on the outskirts of New Haven, Connecticut.North Haven is less than ten miles from downtown New Haven and Yale University. It is near Sleeping Giant State Park and home the Quinnipiac University School of Health Sciences, the School of Nursing,...
, where he attended public schools. His mother also had the passion to develop her own dance. Anna gave her son a lot of moral support and he stood closely by her at all times.
Naval career
Borgnine joined the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in 1935, after graduation from James Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. He was discharged in 1941, but re-enlisted when the United States entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and served until 1945 (a total of ten years), reaching the rank of Gunner's Mate
Gunner's Mate
The United States Navy occupational rating of gunner's mate also known as gunsmens mate is a designation given by the Bureau of Naval Personnel to enlisted sailors who either satisfactorily complete initial Gunner's Mate "A" school training, or who "strike" for the rating as a deck seaman by...
1st Class. He served aboard the destroyer USS Lamberton (DD-119)
USS Lamberton (DD-119)
USS Lamberton / was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was the only ship named for Benjamin P. Lamberton, an admiral who had served with Admiral Dewey in the Battle of Manila Bay....
. His military decorations included the Navy Good Conduct Medal
Good Conduct Medal
The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...
, American Defense Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal
The American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military, recognizing service before America’s entry into the Second World War but during the initial years of the European conflict.-Criteria:...
with Fleet Clasp, American Campaign Medal
American Campaign Medal
The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...
and the World War II Victory Medal.
In a British Film Institute interview about his life and career, Borgnine said of the war:
"After World War II we wanted no more part in war. I didn't even want to be a boy-scout. I went home and said that I was through with the Navy and so now, what do we do? So I went home to mother, and after a few weeks of patting on the back and, 'You did good,' and everything else, one day she said, 'Well?' like mothers do. Which meant, 'Alright, you gonna get a job or what?'"
In 2004, Borgnine received the honorary rank of Chief Petty Officer
Chief Petty Officer
A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
from the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy is a unique non-commissioned rank in the United States Navy, which has a paygrade of E-9. The holder of this rank and post is the most senior enlisted member of the U.S...
Terry D. Scott
Terry D. Scott
Terry D. Scott was the tenth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy from April 22, 2002 until July 10, 2006.-Biography:Scott was born in Buffalo, Missouri. Before enlisting in the Navy, he lived in Louisburg, Kansas. He joined the Navy in December 1976. He has served on several naval ships almost...
—the US Navy's highest ranking enlisted sailor at the time—for Borgnine's support of the Navy and naval families worldwide.
Acting career
After the war was over he returned to his parents' home with no job and no direction. Since he wasn't willing to settle for a dead-end job at one of the factories, his mother encouraged him to pursue a more glamorous profession and suggested that his personality would be well-suited for the stage. He surprised his mother by taking the suggestion to heart, although his father was far from enthusiastic. After graduation, he auditioned and was accepted to the Barter TheatreBarter Theatre
Barter Theatre, located in Abingdon, Virginia, opened on June 10, 1933. It is one of the longest running professional theatres in the nation. In 1933, when the country was in the middle of the Great Depression, most patrons were not able to pay the full ticket price...
in Abingdon
Abingdon, Virginia
Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, USA, 133 miles southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County and is a designated Virginia Historic Landmark...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, so-called for its audiences bartering their produce for admission during the Great Depression. In 1947, he landed his first stage role in State of the Union. Although it was a short role, he won over the audience. His next role was as the Gentleman Caller in Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
' The Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie is a four-character memory play by Tennessee Williams. Williams worked on various drafts of the play prior to writing a version of it as a screenplay for MGM, to whom Williams was contracted...
. In 1949, he had his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in the role of a nurse in the play Harvey
Harvey (play)
Harvey is a 1944 play by American playwright Mary Chase. Produced by Brock Pemberton and directed by Antoinette Perry, the play premiered on 1 November 1944 at the 48th Street Theatre on Broadway where it was staged for 1,775 performances before closing on January 15, 1949. The original production...
. More roles on stage led him to being a decades-long character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
.
In 1951, he moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where he eventually received his big break in From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity is a 1953 drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on the novel of the same name by James Jones. It deals with the troubles of soldiers, played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra and Ernest Borgnine stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the...
(1953), playing the cruel Sergeant "Fatso" Judson in charge of the stockade
Stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
, who taunts fellow soldier Angelo Maggio (played by Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
). Borgnine built a reputation as a dependable character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
and appeared in early film roles as villains, including movies like Johnny Guitar
Johnny Guitar
Johnny Guitar is a 1954 Republic Pictures Western film starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, and Scott Brady.The screenplay was based upon a novel by Roy Chanslor. Though credited to Philip Yordan, he was merely a front for the actual screenwriter, blacklistee Ben Maddow. ...
, Vera Cruz
Vera Cruz (film)
Vera Cruz is a 1954 American Technicolor Western starring Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, and featuring Denise Darcel, Sara Montiel, and Cesar Romero. The movie was directed by Robert Aldrich from a story by Borden Chase...
and Bad Day at Black Rock
Bad Day at Black Rock
Bad Day at Black Rock is a 1955 thriller film directed by John Sturges that combines elements of Westerns and film noir. It tells the story of a mysterious stranger who arrives at a tiny isolated town in a desert of the southwest United States in search of a man...
. But in 1955, the actor starred as a warm-hearted butcher in Marty
Marty (film)
Marty is a 1955 American film directed by Delbert Mann. The screenplay was written by Paddy Chayefsky, expanding upon his 1953 teleplay of the same name. The film stars Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. The film enjoyed international success, winning the 1955 Academy Award for Best Picture and...
, the film version of the television play of the same name
Marty
Marty is a 1953 teleplay by Paddy Chayefsky. It was telecast live May 24, 1953, on The Goodyear Television Playhouse with Rod Steiger in the title role and Nancy Marchand, in her television debut, playing opposite him as Clara...
, which gained him an Academy Award for Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
over Frank Sinatra and former Best Actors Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
and James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
.
Borgnine's film career continued successfully through the 1960s, 1970s and the 1980's, including The Vikings
The Vikings (film)
The Vikings is an adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer in 1958 Technicolor, produced by and starring Kirk Douglas, and based on the novel The Viking by Edison Marshall, based in its turn on legendary material from the sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons. Other actors included Tony Curtis,...
, The Flight of the Phoenix
The Flight of the Phoenix
The Flight of the Phoenix is a 1964 novel by Elleston Trevor. The plot involves the crash of a transport aircraft in the middle of a desert and the survivors' desperate attempt to save themselves...
, The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M...
, Ice Station Zebra
Ice Station Zebra
Ice Station Zebra is a 1963 thriller novel written by Scottish author Alistair MacLean. This was the last of MacLean's classic sequence of first person narratives which began with Night Without End, and represented a return to that earlier novel's Arctic setting...
, The Poseidon Adventure, The Black Hole
The Black Hole
The Black Hole is a 1979 American science fiction film directed by Gary Nelson for Walt Disney Productions. The film stars Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux, Anthony Perkins, and Ernest Borgnine, while the voices of the main robot characters are provided by Roddy...
and Escape from New York
Escape from New York
Escape from New York is a 1981 American science fiction action film directed and scored by John Carpenter. He co-wrote the screenplay with Nick Castle. The film is set in the near future in a crime-ridden United States that has converted Manhattan Island in New York City into a maximum security...
. One of his most famous roles became that of Dutch, a member of The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch is a 1969 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah about an aging outlaw gang on the Texas-Mexico border, trying to exist in the changing "modern" world of 1913...
in the 1969 Western classic from director Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
.
Of his role in 'The Wild Bunch', he later said, 'I did [think it was a moral film]. Because to me, every picture should have some kind of a moral to it. I feel that when we used to watch old pictures, as we still do I'm sure, the bad guys always got it in the end and the good guys always won out. Today it's a little different. Today it seems that the bad guys are getting the good end of it. There was always a moral in our story.'
Character actor
Borgnine made his TV debut as a character actorCharacter actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
in Captain Video and His Video Rangers, beginning in 1951. These two episodes led to countless other television roles that Borgnine would gain in Goodyear Television Playhouse
Goodyear Television Playhouse
The Goodyear Television Playhouse produced live television dramas from 1951 to 1957 during the "Golden Age of Television".Sponsored by Goodyear, the hour-long anthology series was telecast Sundays at 9pm on NBC...
, Short Short Dramas, The Ford Television Theatre, Waterfront, The Lone Wolf, Fireside Theatre, The O. Henry Playhouse, Frontier Justice
Frontier Justice
Frontier justice is extrajudicial punishment that is motivated by the nonexistence of law and order or dissatisfaction with justice. The phrase can also be used to describe a prejudiced judge...
, Laramie
Laramie (TV series)
Laramie is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1959 to 1963. Laramie was a Revue Studios production which originally starred John Smith as Slim Sherman, Robert Fuller as Jess Harper, Hoagy Carmichael as Jonesy and Robert Crawford, Jr...
, The Blue Angels, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre is an anthology television series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967...
, Run for Your Life
Run for Your Life (TV series)
Run for Your Life is an American television drama series starring Ben Gazzara as a man with only a short time to live. It ran on NBC from 1965 to 1968. The series was created by Roy Huggins, who had previously explored the "man on the move" concept with The Fugitive.-Synopsis:Gazzara plays lawyer...
, Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie (TV series)
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
s two-part episode - "The Lord is My Shepherd", The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
, Highway to Heaven
Highway to Heaven
Highway to Heaven is an American television drama series which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989.- Season 1 :- Season 2 :- Season 3 :- Season 4 :- Season 5 :...
with old friend Michael Landon
Michael Landon
Michael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
, Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
, Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...
, Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
and the final episodes of ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, among many others.
Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...
has said that her favorite Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie (TV series)
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
episode of all time is the 1975 two-part "The Lord is My Shepherd" in which she co-starred with Borgnine. He played the mysterious mountain-man Jonathon who uttered the classic line, "I think I will" in response to his deep desire to eat his porridge.
In 2009, at the age of 92, Borgnine earned an Emmy nomination for his performances in the final two episodes of the long-running NBC medical series ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
.
McHale's Navy
In 1962, Borgnine joined the ranks of other sitcom stars such as John ForsytheJohn Forsythe
John Forsythe was an American stage, television and film actor. Forsythe starred in three television series, spanning four decades and three genres: as single playboy father Bentley Gregg in the sitcom Bachelor Father ; as the unseen millionaire Charles Townsend on the crime drama Charlie's...
, Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
, Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas was an American nightclub comedian and television and film actor, best known for starring in the television sitcom Make Room for Daddy . He was also the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...
, Alan Young
Alan Young
Alan Young is an English-Canadian actor and voice actor, best known for his role as Wilbur Post in the television series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series and video games...
, Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
and Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen
Buddy Ebsen was an American character actor and dancer. A performer for seven decades, he had starring roles as Jed Clampett in the long-running television series The Beverly Hillbillies and as the title character in the 1970s detective series Barnaby Jones, and played Barnaby Jones in the movie...
. That same year he signed a contract with Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
for the lead role as the gruff but lovable skipper Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Quinton McHale in what began as a serious one-hour 1962 episode called Seven Against the Sea for Alcoa Premiere. Just like the McHale character, Borgnine was a longtime navy man in real life. This World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
sitcom also starred two formerly unknown comedians/actors, the late Joe Flynn
Joe Flynn (US actor)
Joseph A. Flynn was an American character actor. He was best known for his role in the 1960s ABC television situation comedy, McHale's Navy. He was also a frequent guest star on 1960s TV shows such as Batman and appeared in several Walt Disney film comedies...
as Capt. Wallace B. Binghamton and Tim Conway
Tim Conway
Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway is an American comedian and actor, primarily known for his roles in sitcoms, films and television. Conway is best known for his role as the inept second-in-command officer, Ensign Charles Parker, to Lt...
as Ensign Charles Parker. Both of them got along very well with Borgnine, especially Conway. The insubordinate crew of PT-73 helped the show become an overnight success during its first season, although it did not land in the Top 30 until 1963, when it tied with Hazel
Hazel (TV series)
Hazel is a Screen Gems television series about a fictional live-in maid named Hazel Burke and her employers, the Baxters. The five-season, 154-episode series aired in primetime from September 1961 until April 1966...
in the ratings. Borgnine thrived on the adulation from fans for their favorite Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
man. He received an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1963. At the end of the fourth season in 1966 low ratings and repetitive story lines brought McHale's Navy to an end. Borgnine was not happy about the show’s cancellation and was concerned about what television role he might play in the future. He also starred in the 1964 film version of the series and later appeared in a cameo performance in the 1997 remake.
Airwolf
Borgnine returned to a new contract with Universal StudiosUniversal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in 1983, for a co-starring role opposite Jan-Michael Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent is an American actor best known for his role as helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on the 1980s U.S. television series Airwolf .-Early life:...
, on Airwolf
Airwolf
Airwolf is an American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. The program centers on a high-tech military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme....
. After he was approached by producer Donald P. Bellisario, who had been impressed by Borgnine's guest role as a wrestler in a 1982 episode of Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
, he immediately agreed. He played Dominic Santini, a helicopter pilot, in the series which became an immediate hit. Borgnine's strong performances belied his exhaustion due to the grueling production schedule, and the challenges of working with his younger, troubled series lead. The show was cancelled by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in 1986.
The Single Guy
He auditioned a third time for a co-starring role opposite Jonathan SilvermanJonathan Silverman
-Personal life:Silverman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Devora and Hillel Emanuel Silverman, a rabbi. He is the grandson of famous Conservative Rabbi Morris Silverman. David Schwimmer was his best friend in high school. He is married to actress Jennifer Finnigan who he briefly co...
in The Single Guy
The Single Guy
The Single Guy is an American television sitcom that ran for two seasons on NBC, from September 1995 to April 1997. It starred Jonathan Silverman as struggling New York City writer Jonathan Eliot, and followed several of his close friends The series also starred Joey Slotnick as Eliot's best...
as doorman Manny Cordoba, which lasted two seasons. According to Silverman, Borgnine would come to work with more energy and passion than all other stars combined. He was the first person to arrive on the set every day and the last to leave.
Other activities
Also in 1996, Borgnine toured the US on a bus to meet his fans and see the country. The trip was the subject of a 1997 documentary, Ernest Borgnine on the Bus. He also served one year as the Chairman of the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, visiting patients in many Department of Veterans AffairsUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
medical centers.
Ernest Borgnine is a Freemason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
in Hollywood Lodge No. 355, and a 33rd° Scottish Rite Mason in the Southern Masonic Jurisdiction. He is also a member of the Loyal Order of Moose at that organization's Lodge in Junction City, OR.
Ernest Borgnine has volunteered to be Stories of Service National spokesman, urging his fellow World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
vets to come forward and share their stories.
Work since 1999
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
as the elderly superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
Mermaid Man (where he is once again paired up with his McHale's Navy co-star Tim Conway
Tim Conway
Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway is an American comedian and actor, primarily known for his roles in sitcoms, films and television. Conway is best known for his role as the inept second-in-command officer, Ensign Charles Parker, to Lt...
as the voice of Mermaid Man's sidekick Barnacle Boy). He has expressed affection for this role, in no small part for its popularity among children. Borgnine also appears as himself in The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood", in addition to a number of television commercials. In 2000, he was the executive producer of Hoover, in which he is the only credited actor.
In 2007, 90-year-old Borgnine starred in the Hallmark
Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards is a privately owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce C. Hall, Hallmark is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts....
original film A Grandpa for Christmas
A Grandpa for Christmas
A Grandpa For Christmas is a 2007 Hallmark Channel original TV film starring Ernest Borgnine and Juliette Goglia.-Plot:Bert is a retired Hollywood actor who has been estranged from his only daughter Marie for many years...
. He played a man who, after his estranged daughter is in a car accident, discovers that he has a granddaughter he never knew about. She is taken into his care, and they soon become great friends. Borgnine received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for Television for his performance. At 90, he was the oldest Golden Globe nominee ever.
On April 2, 2009, Borgnine starred in the last episode of the long-running medical series ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
. His role was that of a husband whose long marriage ended with his wife's death. In his final scene, Borgnine's character is in a hospital bed lying beside his just-deceased wife. His performance garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, his third nomination and his first in 29 years (since being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special in 1980 for All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front (1979 film)
All Quiet on the Western Front is a television movie produced by ITC Entertainment, released on November 14, 1979, starring actors Richard Thomas from The Waltons fame as Paul Baumer, and Ernest Borgnine as Katczinsky...
).
In 2009, at age 92, he was the main character in Another Harvest Moon
Another Harvest Moon
Another Harvest Moon is a 2009 American drama film directed by Greg Swartz about four elderly citizens coping with life in a nursing home. The film stars Ernest Borgnine, Piper Laurie, Anne Meara and Doris Roberts.-Cast:* Ernest Borgnine as Frank...
, directed by Greg Swartz and also starring Piper Laurie
Piper Laurie
Piper Laurie is an American actress of stage and screen known for her roles in the television series Twin Peaks and the films The Hustler, Carrie, and Children of a Lesser God, all of which brought her Academy Award nominations...
and Anne Meara
Anne Meara
Anne Meara is an American actress and comedian. She and Jerry Stiller were a prominent 1960s comedy team, appearing as Stiller and Meara, and are the parents of actor/comedian Ben and actress Amy Stiller.- Personal life :...
. On October 2, 2010, Borgnine appeared as himself in a sketch on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. On October 15, 2010 he appeared in his latest movie, Red
Red (2010 film)
RED is a 2010 American action comedy film loosely inspired by the three-issue comic book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage...
, which was filmed earlier that year.
Autobiography
Borgnine's autobiography Ernie was published by Citadel Press in July 2008. Ernie is a loose, conversational recollection of highlights from his acting career and notable events from his personal life.In the wake of the book's publication, he began a small promotional tour, visiting independent bookstores in the Los Angeles area to promote the book's release and meet some of his fans.
Personal life
Borgnine has been married five times. He was first married to Rhoda Kemins (1949–1958), whom he met while serving in the Navy; They had one daughter, Gina (born August 18, 1952). Then he married actress Katy JuradoKaty Jurado
Katy Jurado , born María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García in Mexico, D.F., was a Mexican actress who had a successful film career both in Mexico and in Hollywood....
(1959–1963) Borgnine once referred to his second ex-wife this way: "Beautiful, but a tiger."
He later married singer Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
(1964); the marriage barely lasted a month. Their divorce was finalised on May 25, 1965. Borgnine married Donna Rancourt (1965–1972), with whom he had a son, Christopher (born August 9, 1969) and two daughters, Sharon (born August 5, 1965) and Diana (born December 29, 1970). His fifth and current marriage is to Tova Traesnaes
Tova Traesnaes
Tova Traesnaes Borgnine, , is a Norwegian-American business-woman, the founder of the Beauty By Tova cosmetics featured on QVC shopping network since 1990, and wife of actor Ernest Borgnine....
(February 24, 1973 to date).
He has one sister, Evelyn Velardi (b. 1926). His mother, Anna Borgnine, died in 1949, after a long battle against tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, just days before his first wedding.
On January 24, 2007, Borgnine celebrated his 90th birthday at a bistro in West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
. Guests included his wife Tova, decades-long friend Tim Conway
Tim Conway
Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway is an American comedian and actor, primarily known for his roles in sitcoms, films and television. Conway is best known for his role as the inept second-in-command officer, Ensign Charles Parker, to Lt...
, Dennis Farina
Dennis Farina
Dennis Farina is an American actor of film and television and former Chicago police officer. He is a character actor, often typecast as a mobster or police officer. His most known film roles are those of mobster Jimmy Serrano in the comedy Midnight Run and Ray "Bones" Barboni in Get Shorty...
, Army Archerd
Army Archerd
Armand Andre "Army" Archerd was a columnist for Variety for over fifty years before retiring his "Just for Variety" column in September 2005. In November 2005, Archerd began blogging for Variety and was working on a memoir when he died.-Life and career:Archerd was born in The Bronx, New York, and...
, Andy Granatelli
Andy Granatelli
Anthony "Andy" Granatelli was the CEO of STP.Along with brothers Vince and Joe, Andy first worked as an auto mechanic and 'speed-shop' entrepreneur, modifying engines such as the 'flathead' Ford into racing-quality equipment...
, Bo Hopkins
Bo Hopkins
Bo Hopkins is an American actor.-Career:Hopkins has appeared in more than one hundred film and television roles in a career of more than forty years, including The Bridge at Remagen, The Wild Bunch, The Getaway, American Graffiti, White Lightning, Radioland Murders, The Killer Elite, Midnight...
, Burt Young
Burt Young
Burt Young is an American actor, painter and author. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law and friend Paulie in the Rocky film series.-Personal life:...
, Steven Bauer
Steven Bauer
Steven Bauer is a Cuban-American actor. He is known for his role as Manny Ribera in the 1983 film Scarface, and his role on the bilingual PBS show Que Pasa, USA.-Early life:...
, his son Cris Borgnine, grandson Anthony Borgnine, Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in the television series Hawaiian Eye and other TV and film work.-Early life:...
, David Gerber
David Gerber
David Gerber was a television executive producer. His notable work on television included the 1970s TV series Police Story and Police Woman. Other executive producer credits include The Ghost & Mrs...
, Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
, Joe Mantegna
Joe Mantegna
Joseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. is an American actor, producer, writer,director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos , The Godfather Part III , Forget Paris , and Up Close & Personal...
, Norm Crosby
Norm Crosby
Norm Crosby is an American comedian sometimes associated with the Borscht Belt who often appeared on television in the 1970s. He is best known for his use of malapropisms and is often called The Master of Malaprop. He was born in Boston.-Career:Crosby went solo as a standup comedian, adopting a...
and many more.
On February 24, 2008, Borgnine celebrated the 35th anniversary of his marriage to cosmetics maker Tova Traenaes.
He is a member of the Lambda chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...
fraternity.
A street was named in Borgnine’s honor in his hometown of Hamden, Connecticut, where he still enjoys a large and vocal following. There is also a Mexican-themed restaurant in New York City with a shrine dedicated to Borgnine.
For 30 years (1972–2002), Borgnine marched in Milwaukee's annual Great Circus Parade as the "Grand Clown."
Awards and nominations
Borgnine won the 1955 Academy Award for Best ActorAcademy Award for Best Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
for his portrayal of Marty Piletti in the film Marty
Marty (film)
Marty is a 1955 American film directed by Delbert Mann. The screenplay was written by Paddy Chayefsky, expanding upon his 1953 teleplay of the same name. The film stars Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. The film enjoyed international success, winning the 1955 Academy Award for Best Picture and...
.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ernest Borgnine has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6324 Hollywood Blvd. In 1996, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
He was honored with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
The Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award is given by the Screen Actors Guild's National Honors and Tributes Committee "for outstanding achievement in fostering the finest ideals of the acting profession." The award predates the 1st Screen Actors Guild Awards by over thirty years, having been...
at the 17th annual SAG Awards, held January 30, 2011.
Each year, a dinner is held in Borgnine's honor by Tortilla Flats, a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan's West Village. February 2010 was the eighteenth consecutive year for the celebration. In addition to sitting in booths decorated with his photos, dinner guests answer trivia questions while wearing sailor hats and Borgnine masks.
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Academy Award | Best Actor Academy Award for Best Actor Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... |
Marty Marty (film) Marty is a 1955 American film directed by Delbert Mann. The screenplay was written by Paddy Chayefsky, expanding upon his 1953 teleplay of the same name. The film stars Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. The film enjoyed international success, winning the 1955 Academy Award for Best Picture and... |
|
| BAFTA Award | Best Foreign Actor BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Best Actor in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.-Superlatives:... |
Marty | ||
| Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... |
Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama | Marty | ||
| NBR Award National Board of Review of Motion Pictures The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures was founded in 1909 in New York City, just 13 years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr.'s revocation of moving-picture exhibition licenses on Christmas Eve 1908. The mayor believed that the new medium... |
Best Actor National Board of Review Award for Best Actor An incomplete list of the winners of the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Award for Best Actor :-1940s:-1950s:-1960s:-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... |
Marty | ||
| NYFCC Award New York Film Critics Circle Awards New York Film Critics' Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. It is considered one of the most important precursors to the Academy Awards.... |
Best Actor New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking.... |
Marty | ||
| 1962 | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead) | McHale's Navy McHale's Navy McHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962... |
|
| 1979 | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special | All Quiet on the Western Front All Quiet on the Western Front (1979 film) All Quiet on the Western Front is a television movie produced by ITC Entertainment, released on November 14, 1979, starring actors Richard Thomas from The Waltons fame as Paul Baumer, and Ernest Borgnine as Katczinsky... |
|
| 1999 | Daytime Emmy Award Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming... |
Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program | All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series is an animated television series which aired from 1996 to 1998 in syndication and on the Fox Family Channel from 1998 to 1999, with 41 half-hour episodes produced in total. It was produced by MGM Animation and was distributed by Claster Television... |
|
| 2007 | Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television | A Grandpa for Christmas A Grandpa for Christmas A Grandpa For Christmas is a 2007 Hallmark Channel original TV film starring Ernest Borgnine and Juliette Goglia.-Plot:Bert is a retired Hollywood actor who has been estranged from his only daughter Marie for many years... |
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| 2009 | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Outstanding Guest Actor - Drama | ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television... |
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| 2009 | Lifetime Achievement Award | from the Rhode Island International Film Festival Rhode Island International Film Festival Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state. Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the Newport Film/Video Society & Arts Collaborative, a 501 non-profit... |
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| 2011 | Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award The Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award is given by the Screen Actors Guild's National Honors and Tributes Committee "for outstanding achievement in fostering the finest ideals of the acting profession." The award predates the 1st Screen Actors Guild Awards by over thirty years, having been... |
from the Screen Actors Guild Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide... |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | China Corsair China Corsair China Corsair is a 1951 adventure film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring Jon Hall and Lisa Ferraday. This film was the film debut of Ernest Borgnine.-Plot synopsis:Tamara rescues shipwrecked McMillen... |
Hu Chang | |
| 1951 | Bill Street | ||
| 1951 | Joe Castro | ||
| 1953 | From Here to Eternity From Here to Eternity From Here to Eternity is a 1953 drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on the novel of the same name by James Jones. It deals with the troubles of soldiers, played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra and Ernest Borgnine stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the... |
Staff Sergeant James R. "Fatso" Judson | |
| 1953 | Bull Slager | ||
| 1954 | Johnny Guitar Johnny Guitar Johnny Guitar is a 1954 Republic Pictures Western film starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, and Scott Brady.The screenplay was based upon a novel by Roy Chanslor. Though credited to Philip Yordan, he was merely a front for the actual screenwriter, blacklistee Ben Maddow. ... |
Bart Lonergan | |
| 1954 | Demetrius and the Gladiators Demetrius and the Gladiators Demetrius and the Gladiators is a 1954 sword and sandal drama film and a sequel to The Robe. It was made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Delmer Daves and produced by Frank Ross. The screenplay was by Philip Dunne based on characters created by Lloyd C... |
Strabo | |
| 1954 | Bill Rachin | ||
| 1954 | Vera Cruz Vera Cruz (film) Vera Cruz is a 1954 American Technicolor Western starring Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, and featuring Denise Darcel, Sara Montiel, and Cesar Romero. The movie was directed by Robert Aldrich from a story by Borden Chase... |
Donnegan | |
| 1955 | Bad Day at Black Rock Bad Day at Black Rock Bad Day at Black Rock is a 1955 thriller film directed by John Sturges that combines elements of Westerns and film noir. It tells the story of a mysterious stranger who arrives at a tiny isolated town in a desert of the southwest United States in search of a man... |
Coley Trimble | |
| 1955 | Marty Marty (film) Marty is a 1955 American film directed by Delbert Mann. The screenplay was written by Paddy Chayefsky, expanding upon his 1953 teleplay of the same name. The film stars Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. The film enjoyed international success, winning the 1955 Academy Award for Best Picture and... |
Marty | Academy Award for Best Actor Academy Award for Best Actor Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Best Actor in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.-Superlatives:... Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama National Board of Review Award for Best Actor National Board of Review Award for Best Actor An incomplete list of the winners of the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Award for Best Actor :-1940s:-1950s:-1960s:-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking.... |
| 1955 | Run for Cover Run for Cover (film) Run for Cover is a 1955 western film directed by Nicholas Ray. It stars James Cagney and Viveca Lindfors.-Plot:Matt Dow meets young cowboy Davey Bishop for the first time. As they take turns shooting at a hawk, a train that has recently been robbed goes by... |
Morgan | |
| 1955 | Violent Saturday Violent Saturday Violent Saturday is a 1955 American crime drama directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Victor Mature, Lee Marvin, Richard Egan and Stephen McNally. The film, set in a mining town, depicts the planning of a bank robbery as the nexus in the personal lives of several townspeople.Prominent actors... |
Stadt, Amish Farmer | |
| 1955 | Mike Radin | ||
| 1955 | Bernie Browne | ||
| 1956 | Jubal Jubal (film) Jubal is a 1956 Western directed by Delmer Daves based on a 1939 novel by Paul Wellman. It stars Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine and Rod Steiger and was filmed in Technicolor and CinemaScope on location in Jackson Hole, Wyoming... |
Shep Horgan | |
| 1956 | Tom Hurley | ||
| 1956 | Lew Brown | ||
| 1956 | Three Brave Men | Bernard F. "Bernie" Goldsmith | |
| 1958 | Ragnar | ||
| 1958 | John "Mac" McBain | ||
| 1958 | Torpedo Run Torpedo Run Torpedo Run is a 1958 Metrocolor war film starring Glenn Ford as a World War II submarine commander in the Pacific who is obsessed with sinking a particular Japanese aircraft carrier.It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.- Plot :... |
Lieutenant/Lieutenant Commander Archer "Archie" Sloan | |
| 1959 | Summer of the Seventeenth Doll | Roo Webber | |
| 1959 | Eddie Colt | Locarno International Film Festival Locarno International Film Festival The Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history... Award for Best Actor |
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| 1960 | Man on a String | Boris Mitrov | |
| 1960 | Pay or Die Pay or Die Pay or Die is a 1960 film starring Ernest Borgnine, Zohra Lampert, Howard Caine, Alan Austin, and Robert F. Simon. It is a dramatization of the career of crusading New York City police officer Joseph Petrosino, a pioneer in the fight against organized crime in America... |
Police Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino | Nominated—Golden Laurel Laurel Awards The Laurel Awards were cinema awards to honor pictures, actors, actresses, directors and composers. This award was created by Motion Picture Exhibitor magazine, and ran from 1958 to 1968, then 1970 and 1971.... |
| 1961 | Black City | Peppino Navarra | |
| 1961 | Sante Carbone | ||
| 1961 | Go Naked in the World Go Naked in the World Go Naked in the World is a 1961 American drama film starring Gina Lollobrigida, Ernest Borgnine and Anthony Franciosa.The son of a wealthy Greek immigrant Nick Stratton is attempting to find his own way in the world... |
Pete Stratton | |
| 1961 | Pickpocket | ||
| 1961 | Barabbas | Lucius | |
| 1964 | McHale's Navy | Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale | Spin-off Spin-off (media) In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work... of the series of the same name McHale's Navy McHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962... |
| 1965 | Trucker Cobb | ||
| 1966 | Barney Yale | ||
| 1967 | Major General Worden | ||
| 1967 | Chuka Chuka (film) Chuka is a 1967 American western film starring Rod Taylor who also produced and worked on the screenplay. The film began a series of tough guy roles for Taylor. A story of honor, debt, and personal redemption, it was directed by Gordon Douglas and is based on 1961 novel by Richard Jessup, who... |
Sergeant Otto Hansbach | |
| 1968 | Himself | Documentary short film | |
| 1968 | Barney Sheean | ||
| 1968 | Ice Station Zebra Ice Station Zebra (film) Ice Station Zebra is a 1968 action film directed by John Sturges, starring Rock Hudson, Patrick McGoohan, Ernest Borgnine, and Jim Brown. The screenplay by Alistair MacLean, Douglas Heyes, Harry Julian Fink, and W.R. Burnett is loosely based upon MacLean's 1963 novel of the same name. Both have... |
Boris Vaslov | |
| 1968 | Bert Clinger | ||
| 1969 | Dutch Engstrom | ||
| 1969 | Don Pedro Sandoval | ||
| 1970 | Fat Cat | ||
| 1970 | Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? | Sheriff Harve | |
| 1971 | Rain for a Dusty Summer | The General | |
| 1971 | Willard Willard (1971 film) Willard is a 1971 horror film starring Bruce Davison and Ernest Borgnine, directed by Daniel Mann. The movie is based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert, and was nominated for an Edgar Award for best picture... |
Al Martin | |
| 1971 | Bunny O'Hare Bunny O'Hare Bunny O'Hare is a 1971 American comedy film directed by Gerd Oswald, starring Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine. The screenplay by Coslough Johnson and Stanley Z... |
Bill Green / William Gruenwald | |
| 1971 | Hannie Caulder Hannie Caulder Hannie Caulder is a 1971 British Western film directed by Burt Kennedy and starring Raquel Welch, Robert Culp and Ernest Borgnine.-Plot:Hannie Caulder is a frontier wife whose husband is murdered by the Clemens brothers, a trio of rather inept outlaw brothers .After a disastrous bank raid, the... |
Emmett Clemens | |
| 1972 | Himself | Documentary | |
| 1972 | Film Portrait Film Portrait Film Portrait is a full-length autobiographical movie directed by, and about, the life of Minnesotan film-maker and artist, Jerome Hill... |
Himself | Documentary |
| 1972 | Hoop | ||
| 1972 | Detective Lieutenant Mike Rogo | ||
| 1972 | Ripped Off Ripped Off Ripped Off is a 1972 Italian crime film directed by Franco Prosperi and starring Robert Blake and Ernest Borgnine.... |
Captain Perkins | |
| 1973 | Emperor of the North Pole Emperor of the North Pole Emperor of the North Pole is a 1973 American film starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, and Keith Carradine. It was re-released under the shorter title Emperor of the North, and is better known under the latter name.... |
Shack | |
| 1973 | Chief Diver Don MacKay | ||
| 1974 | Law and Disorder Law and Disorder (1974 film) Law and Disorder is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Ivan Passer, starring Carroll O'Connor, Ernest Borgnine, Ann Wedgeworth and Karen Black.... |
Cy | |
| 1974 | Vengeance Is Mine | Adam Smith | |
| 1975 | Jonathan "John" Corbis | ||
| 1975 | Hustle Hustle (1975 film) Hustle is a 1975 American neo-noir crime film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Burt Reynolds, Catherine Deneuve, Ben Johnson, Paul Winfield, Eileen Brennan, Eddie Albert and Ernest Borgnine, which was released in 1975.-Cast:... |
Santuro | |
| 1976 | Shoot Shoot (film) Shoot is a Canadian film directed by Harvey Hart. The screenplay was written by Richard Berg and based on the novel of the same name by Douglas Fairbairn.... |
Lou | |
| 1977 | Angelo Dundee | ||
| 1978 | Crossed Swords Crossed Swords (film) Crossed Swords is a 1977 action adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer, based on The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain... |
John Canty | |
| 1978 | Convoy | Sheriff Lyle "Cottonmouth" Wallace | |
| 1979 | Ravagers Ravagers (1979 film) Ravagers is a 1979 film directed by Richard Compton and based on the novel by Robert Edmond Alter. In the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust survivors do what they can to protect themselves against ravagers, a mutated group of vicious marauders who terrorize the few remaining civilized... |
Rann | |
| 1979 | Firat | ||
| 1979 | Harry Booth | ||
| 1980 | When Time Ran Out When Time Ran Out When Time Ran Out... is a disaster film released in 1980, starring Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, William Holden, James Franciscus, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Burgess Meredith, Valentina Cortese, Veronica Hamel, Pat Morita, Edward Albert, and Barbara Carrera.Produced by the "Master of... |
Detective Sergeant Tom Conti | |
| 1980 | Super Fuzz Super Fuzz Super Fuzz or Poliziotto superpiù is an Italian film about Dave Speed, a bumbling Miami police officer who gains super powers through accidental nuclear exposure... |
Sergeant Willy Dunlop | |
| 1981 | Escape from New York Escape from New York Escape from New York is a 1981 American science fiction action film directed and scored by John Carpenter. He co-wrote the screenplay with Nick Castle. The film is set in the near future in a crime-ridden United States that has converted Manhattan Island in New York City into a maximum security... |
Cabbie | |
| 1981 | Deadly Blessing Deadly Blessing Deadly Blessing is a horror movie directed by Wes Craven, released in the United States on August 14, 1981.-Synopsis:Martha and Tom Schmidt live in an isolated farm named 'Our Blessing', where most of it's population are of the Hittite religion. Jim used to be a Hittite himsef but left the... |
Isaiah Schmidt | Nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor |
| 1981 | High Risk High Risk (1981 film) High Risk is a 1981 American/Mexican/UK adventure/heist film directed by Stewart Raffill.Plot SummaryFour unemployed American’s land in a South American jungle ready to steal $5m from a drug lord’s villa... |
Clint | |
| 1983 | Lieutenant Bob Carrigan | ||
| 1984 | Code Name: Wild Geese Code Name: Wild Geese Code Name: Wild Geese is a 1984 Italian "macaroni combat" war film directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring Lewis Collins.- Plot :In Hong Kong, DEA man Fletcher heads up an operation to cut off the supply of opium to the west; to fund this operation Fletcher has found himself allied with... |
Fletcher | |
| 1985 | Man Hunt Man Hunt (1985 film) Man Hunt is a 1985 Western drama film directed by Fabrizio De Angelis and starring Ethan Wayne, Henry Silva, Bo Svenson, and Ernest Borgnine.-Plot:... |
Ben Robeson | |
| 1987 | Skeleton Coast | Colonel Smith | |
| 1987 | Victor | ||
| 1988 | Father Lopez | ||
| 1988 | Moving Target | Captain Morrison | |
| 1988 | Any Man's Death | Herr Gantz | |
| 1988 | Spike of Bensonhurst Spike of Bensonhurst Spike of Bensonhurst is a 1988 comedy-drama and mafia film directed by Paul Morrissey and starring Sasha Mitchell. The film also features Ernest Borgnine, Maria Pitillo, Dave Bettge, and Talisa Soto.-Plot:... |
Baldo Cacetti | Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male |
| 1989 | Real Men Don't Eat Gummi Bears | Bischof | |
| 1990 | Coach | ||
| 1990 | Tides of War | Doctor | |
| 1990 | Laser Mission Laser Mission Laser Mission is a 1989 action movie starring Brandon Lee and Ernest Borgnine. The film was also released under the title Soldier of Fortune.-Plot:The plot concerns a mercenary named Michael Gold who is sent to convince Dr... |
Professor Braun | |
| 1992 | Mistress | Himself | Cameo |
| 1994 | Unknown | ||
| 1995 | Captiva Island | Arty | |
| 1996 | The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage is a 1996 short documentary film directed by Paul Seydor. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.-Cast:* Walon Green - Himself * Newell Alexander - Cliff Coleman, William Holden... |
Himself | Voice; Documentary |
| 1996 | Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders is a 1996 fantasy/horror film directed by Kenneth J. Berton. The film stars Ernest Borgnine, who plays a grandfather telling his grandson a story about the wizard Merlin opening up a store in modern-day America... |
Grandfather | |
| 1996 | All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 is a 1996 American animated family film, and a sequel to United Artists' 1989 animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven. It is directed by Larry Leker and Paul Sabella... |
Carface Carruthers | Voice |
| 1997 | Ernest Borgnine on the Bus | Himself | Documentary |
| 1997 | McHale's Navy McHale's Navy (1997 film) McHale's Navy is a 1997 military comedy film starring Tom Arnold as the son of Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale , known by the same name. The movie is based on the television series that starred Ernest Borgnine.-Plot:... |
Admiral Quinton McHale, Sr. (a.k.a. Cobra) | Based on the series of the same name McHale's Navy McHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962... |
| 1997 | Gattaca Gattaca Gattaca is a 1997 science fiction film written and directed by Andrew Niccol. It stars Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law with supporting roles played by Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal and Alan Arkin.... |
Caesar | |
| 1998 | 12 Bucks | Lucky | |
| 1998 | Small Soldiers Small Soldiers Small Soldiers is a 1998 American action/science fiction film directed by Joe Dante starring Gregory Smith and Kirsten Dunst. The film revolves around two teenagers , who get caught in the middle of a war between two factions of sentient action figures, the Gorgonites and the Commando... |
Kip Killigan | Voice |
| 1998 | BASEketball BASEketball BASEketball is a 1998 American David Zucker comedy starring South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Dian Bachar, Robert Vaughn, Ernest Borgnine, Yasmine Bleeth, and Jenny McCarthy... |
Ted Denslow | |
| 1998 | Mel Mel (film) Mel is a 1998 film directed by Joey Travolta, starring Ernest Borgnine, Julie Hagerty and Greg Evigan.-Plot Synopsis:Bonnie and Peter are working on their marriage while dealing with a difficult teen-aged son. Her father takes the boys in for the summer at his farm... |
Grandpa | |
| 1999 | Franklin Lyle | ||
| 1999 | Abilene | Hotis Brown | |
| 1999 | Ben Quinn | ||
| 2000 | Godfather Mariano | ||
| 2000 | Castle Rock | Nate | |
| 2000 | Hoover | J. Edgar Hoover J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972... |
Also executive producer |
| 2002 | Whiplash | Judge DuPont | |
| 2002 | 11'09"01 September 11 | Pensioner | Segment "United States of America" |
| 2003 | Barn Red | Michael Bolini | |
| 2003 | Narrator | Documentary | |
| 2003 | Lucas Moat | ||
| 2004 | Blueberry Blueberry (film) Blueberry is a 2004 French film directed by Jan Kounen. It is an adaptation of the Franco-Belgian comic book series Blueberry, illustrated by Jean Giraud and scripted by Jean-Michel Charlier. The film starred Vincent Cassel as the title character along with Michael Madsen and Juliette Lewis... |
Rolling Star | |
| 2005 | That One Summer | Otis Garner | |
| 2005 | 3 Below | Grandpa | |
| 2005 | Rail Kings | Steamtrain | |
| 2006 | Jerry Warden | ||
| 2006 | Frozen Stupid Frozen Stupid Frozen Stupid is a 2006 comedy film starring Ernest Borgnine, Joey Albright, and Kimberly Guerrero, with Michelle Mountain, Randall Godwin, and Will David Young.The film was Directed, Written, and Produced by Richard Brauer.-Plot:... |
Frank Norgard | |
| 2007 | Oliviero Rising Oliviero Rising -Plot:A man in a mining town in the United States has a problem with priapism and goes to Italy to deal with it and his sick uncle.-Principal cast:... |
Bill | |
| 2008 | Strange Wilderness Strange Wilderness Strange Wilderness is a 2008 comedy-adventure film produced by Adam Sandler's production company, Happy Madison Productions for Paramount Pictures, and starring Steve Zahn, Allen Covert, Justin Long, Kevin Heffernan, and Jonah Hill.-Cast:... |
Milas | |
| 2008 | I Am Somebody: No Chance in Hell | Judge Holliday | |
| 2009 | Another Harvest Moon Another Harvest Moon Another Harvest Moon is a 2009 American drama film directed by Greg Swartz about four elderly citizens coping with life in a nursing home. The film stars Ernest Borgnine, Piper Laurie, Anne Meara and Doris Roberts.-Cast:* Ernest Borgnine as Frank... |
Frank | |
| 2010 | Carl Taylor | ||
| 2010 | Red Red (2010 film) RED is a 2010 American action comedy film loosely inspired by the three-issue comic book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage... |
Henry, The Records Keeper | |
| 2011 | Night Club | Albert | |
| 2011 | Slink | ||
| 2011 | Snatched | Big Frank Baum |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Unknown | Episode "The Blue Leaders" | |
| 1962–66 | McHale's Navy McHale's Navy McHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962... |
Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale | |
| 1971 | Sam Hill: Who Killed Mr. Foster? | Deputy Sam Hill | Television film |
| 1971 | Sam Paxton | Television film | |
| 1973 | Legend in Granite | Vince Lombardi Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and... |
Television film |
| 1974 | Twice in a Lifetime | Vince Boselli | Television film |
| 1974 | Little House on the Prairie Little House on the Prairie (TV series) Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books... |
Jonathan | Episode "The Lord is my Shepherd" |
| 1976–77 | Future Cop Future Cop (TV series) Future Cop is an American science fiction television series which starred Ernest Borgnine and Michael Shannon. It was based on the TV movie of the same name and predated RoboCop by ten years. The series was aired on ABC in 1976 and was re-piloted as "Cops and Robin" on NBC in 1978... |
Cleaver | |
| 1977 | Jesus of Nazareth | The Roman Centurion | Miniseries |
| 1977 | Fire! | Sam Brisbane | Television film |
| 1978 | Dom Cimoli | Television film | |
| 1978 | Cops and Robin | Joe Cleaver | Television film |
| 1979 | All Quiet on the Western Front All Quiet on the Western Front (1979 film) All Quiet on the Western Front is a television movie produced by ITC Entertainment, released on November 14, 1979, starring actors Richard Thomas from The Waltons fame as Paul Baumer, and Ernest Borgnine as Katczinsky... |
Stanislaus Katczinsky | Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie |
| 1979 | Holiday Hookers | Max | Television film |
| 1982 | Magnum, P.I. Magnum, P.I. Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network.... |
Earl Gianelli (a.k.a. Mr. White Death) | Episode "Mr. White Death" |
| 1983 | Blood Feud Blood Feud (1983 film) Blood Feud is a 1983 television miniseries surrounding around the conflict between Jimmy Hoffa and Robert F. Kennedy in a 11-year span from 1957 until Kennedy's assassination in 1968. The 210-minute film was directed by Mike Newell and written by Robert Boris... |
J. Edgar Hoover J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972... |
Miniseries Miniseries A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term... |
| 1983 | Carpool | Mickey Doyle | Television film |
| 1983 | Masquerade Masquerade (TV series) Masquerade is an American espionage television series that aired for a few months on ABC in the spring of 1983.-Synopsis:Considered an amalgam of Mission: Impossible and The Love Boat, the tongue-in-cheek series starred Rod Taylor as Mr... |
Jerry | Pilot episode |
| 1984 | Love Leads the Way: A True Story | Senator Brighton | Television film |
| 1984 | Marcus | Miniseries | |
| 1984–86 | Airwolf Airwolf Airwolf is an American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. The program centers on a high-tech military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme.... |
Dominic Santini Dominic Santini Dominic Santini is a fictional character on the U.S. television series Airwolf, which ran from 1984 to 1987. Veteran actor Ernest Borgnine portrayed the character during the series' first three seasons.... |
|
| 1985 | Major General Worden | Sequel to The Dirty Dozen The Dirty Dozen The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M... |
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| 1985 | Alice in Wonderland Alice in Wonderland (1985 film) Alice in Wonderland is a two-part film adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice books. An Irwin Allen production, it was a special made for television and used a huge all-star cast of notable actors and actresses. The title role was played by 10-year-old Natalie Gregory, who wore a blonde wig for this... |
The Lion The Lion and the Unicorn The Lion and the Unicorn are symbols of the United Kingdom. They are, properly speaking, heraldic supporters appearing in the full Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. The lion stands for England and the unicorn for Scotland... |
Television film |
| 1987 | Space Island | Billy Bones | Miniseries |
| 1987 | Major General Worden | Sequel to The Dirty Dozen The Dirty Dozen The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M... |
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| 1988 | The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission is 1988 made-for-TV film and is the third sequel to the original The Dirty Dozen. It features an all-new 'dirty dozen,' with the exception of the returning Joe Stern, under the leadership of Major Wright .-Plot:Twelve top Nazis are ordered to the Middle East,... |
Major General Worden | Sequel to The Dirty Dozen The Dirty Dozen The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M... |
| 1989 | Ocean | Pedro El Triste | Miniseries |
| 1989 | Jake Spanner, Private Eye | Sal | Television film |
| 1990 | Appearances | Emil Danzig | Television film |
| 1991 | Home Improvement | Eddie Phillips | Episode "Birds of a Feather Flock to Taylor" |
| 1991 | Mountain of Diamonds | Ernie | Television film |
| 1993 | Tierärztin Christine | Dr. Gustav Gruber | Television film |
| 1993 | Hunt for the Blue Diamond | Hans Kroger | Television film |
| 1993 | Himself | Voice; Episode "Boy-Scoutz n the Hood Boy-Scoutz N the Hood "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 18, 1993. In the episode, Bart, intoxicated from a squishee, mistakenly joins the Junior Campers, a Boy Scout-style organization... " |
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| 1995 | Tierärztin Christine II: The Temptation | Dr. Gustav Gruber | Television film |
| 1995–97 | Doorman | ||
| 1996–99 | All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series is an animated television series which aired from 1996 to 1998 in syndication and on the Fox Family Channel from 1998 to 1999, with 41 half-hour episodes produced in total. It was produced by MGM Animation and was distributed by Claster Television... |
Carface Caruthers | Voice |
| 1998 | JAG JAG (TV series) JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions... |
Artemus Sullivan | Episode "Yesterday's Heroes" |
| 1999–present | SpongeBob SquarePants SpongeBob SquarePants SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"... |
Mermaid Man | Voice |
| 2000 | Walker, Texas Ranger Walker, Texas Ranger Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full... |
Eddie Ryan | Episode "The Avenging Angel" |
| 2002 | 7th Heaven 7th Heaven 7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007... |
Joe | Episode "The Known Soldier" |
| 2003 | ' | Uncle Mike Murphy | Episode "Last Waltz" |
| 2004 | Faerie King | Television film | |
| 2004 | Eugene | Television film | |
| 2007 | Bert O'Riley | Television film Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television |
|
| 2008 | Aces 'n Eights | Thurmond Prescott | Television film |
| 2009 | ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television... |
Paul Manning | Episodes "Old Times" and "And in the End..." Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series |
| 2010 | Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture... |
Himself | Celebrity cameo in "What Up With That What Up With That What Up With That is a recurring sketch on the NBC television series Saturday Night Live which first aired in 2009. It stars Kenan Thompson as DeAndre Cole, host of a talk show on BET... " sketch |
| 2011 | Love's Christmas Journey | Nicolas | Television Film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge is the first SpongeBob's game for console and a SpongeBob SquarePants platform video game developed by Climax Group and published by THQ. It was released on November 5, 2001 for PlayStation and Game Boy Advance... |
Mermaid Man | Based on SpongeBob SquarePants SpongeBob SquarePants SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"... |
Quotes
- Ernest: "Spencer TracySpencer TracySpencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
was the first actor I've seen who could just look down into the dirt and command a scene. He played a set-up with Robert RyanRobert RyanRobert Bushnell Ryan was an American actor who often played hardened cops and ruthless villains.-Early life and career:...
that way. He's looking down at the road and then he looks at Ryan at just the precise, right minute. I tell you, Rob could've stood on his head and zipped open his fly and the scene would've still been Mr Tracy's."
- Ernest: "The trick is not to become somebody else. You become somebody else when you're in front of a camera or when you're on stage. There are some people who carry it all the time. That, to me, is not acting. What you've gotta do is find out what the writer wrote about and put it into your mind. This is acting. Not going out and researching what the writer has already written. This is crazy!"
- Ernest: "Everything I do has a moral to it. Yes, I've been in films that have had shootings. I made The Wild BunchThe Wild BunchThe Wild Bunch is a 1969 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah about an aging outlaw gang on the Texas-Mexico border, trying to exist in the changing "modern" world of 1913...
(1969), which was the beginning of the splattering of blood and everything else. But there was a moral behind it. The moral was that, by golly, bad guys got it. That was it. Yeah."
- Ernest: "Ever since they opened the floodgates with Clark GableClark GableWilliam Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
saying, 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn,' somebody's ears pricked up and said, 'Oh boy, here we go!'. Writers used to make such wonderful pictures without all that swearing, all that cursing. And now it seems that you can't say three words without cursing. And I don't think that's right."
- Ernest on drugsDRUGSDestroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
: "No, I've never done anything. At least, not to my knowledge. I once took a bunch of goofballs by accident. They looked like candy. They were in a little bowl at a party. I grabbed a handful and went to town. That was some New Years Eve. I didn't have a coherent thought till February."
- Ernest on his marriage to Ethel MermanEthel MermanEthel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
: "Biggest mistake of my life. I thought I was marrying Rosemary ClooneyRosemary ClooneyRosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
."
- Ernest on his $5,000 salary for playing the eponymous lead in MartyMarty (film)Marty is a 1955 American film directed by Delbert Mann. The screenplay was written by Paddy Chayefsky, expanding upon his 1953 teleplay of the same name. The film stars Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. The film enjoyed international success, winning the 1955 Academy Award for Best Picture and...
(1955), which won him a Best Actor Oscar: "...I would have done it for nothing."
- Ernest on Women's Rights: "They tried it the wrong way. You can't expect anyone to take you seriously if you burn your undies and tell me I'm a pig. That's why it failed. Too many ugly broads telling me that they don't want to sleep with me. Who wanted you anyway?"