Edward G. Robinson
| Edward G. Robinson | ||
 Robinson in 1948 | ||
| Background information | ||
| Born as: | Emanuel Goldenberg | |
| Born | Dec 12, 1893 Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania | |
| Died | Jan 26, 1973 - age 80 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Bladder cancer | |
| Spouse(s): | Gladys Lloyd (1927 - 1956) div Jane Robinson | |
| Children: | Edward G. Robinson Jr. | |
| Occupation: | Actor | |
| Years active | 1913–1973 | |
| Nationality: | Romanian-American | |
Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; ✦December 12, 1893 – †January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films during a 50-year career and is best remembered for his tough-guy roles as gangsters in such films as Little Caesar and Key Largo. During his career, Robinson received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in House of Strangers.
During the 1930s and 1940s, he was an outspoken public critic of fascism and Nazism, which were growing in strength in Europe in the years which led up to World War II. His activism included contributing over $250,000 to more than 850 organizations that were involved in war relief, along with contributions to cultural, educational, and religious groups. During the 1950s, he was called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Red Scare. Still, he was cleared of any deliberate Communist involvement when he claimed that he was "duped" by several people whom he named (including screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, according to the official Congressional record, "Communist infiltration of the Hollywood motion-picture industry"). As a result of being investigated, he found himself on Hollywood’s graylist, people who were on the Hollywood blacklist maintained by the major studios but could find work at minor film studios on what was called Poverty Row.
Robinson's roles included an insurance investigator in the film noir Double Indemnity, Dathan (the adversary of Moses) in The Ten Commandments, and his final performance in the science-fiction story Soylent Green. Robinson received an Academy Honorary Award for his work in the film industry, which was awarded two months after he died in 1973. He is ranked number 24 in the American Film Institute's list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classic American cinema. In 2009, The Guardian named him one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.
Early years and education
Robinson's original name was Emanuel Goldenberg. He was born into a Yiddish-speaking Romanian Jewish family in Bucharest, the son of Sarah (née Guttman) and Morris Goldenberg, a builder.
After one of his brothers was attacked by an anti-semitic mob, the family decided to emigrate to the United States. Robinson arrived in New York City on February 21, 1904. "At Ellis Island I was born again," he wrote. "Life for me began when I was 10 years old." He grew up on the Lower East Side,: 91 and had his Bar Mitzvah at First Roumanian-American Congregation. He attended Townsend Harris High School and then the City College of New York, planning to become a criminal attorney. An interest in acting and performing in front of people led to him winning an American Academy of Dramatic Arts scholarship, after which he changed his name to Edward G. Robinson (the G. standing for his original surname).
He served in the United States Navy during World War I, but was never sent overseas.
Personal life
Robinson was married twice, first to stage actress Gladys Lloyd, born Gladys Lloyd Cassell, in 1927; she was the former wife of Ralph L. Vestervelt and the daughter of Clement C. Cassell, an architect, sculptor and artist. The couple had one son, Edward G. Robinson, Jr. (a.k.a. Manny Robinson, 1933–1974), as well as a daughter from Gladys Robinson's first marriage. In 1956, the couple divorced. In 1958, he married Jane Bodenheimer, a dress designer professionally known as Jane Arden. Thereafter he also maintained a home in Palm Springs, California.
In noticeable contrast to many of his onscreen characters, Robinson was a sensitive, soft-spoken and cultured man who spoke seven languages. Remaining a liberal Democrat, he attended the 1960 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles, California. He was a passionate art collector, eventually building up a significant private collection. In 1956, however, he was forced to sell his collection to pay for his divorce settlement with Gladys Robinson; his finances had also suffered due to underemployment in the early 1950s.
Death
Robinson died of bladder cancer at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on January 26, 1973. Services were held at Temple Israel in Los Angeles where Charlton Heston delivered the eulogy. Over 1,500 friends of Robinson attended with another 500 crowded outside. His body was then flown to New York where it was entombed in a crypt in the family mausoleum at Beth-El Cemetery in Brooklyn. Among his pallbearers were Jack L. Warner, Hal B. Wallis, Mervyn LeRoy, George Burns, Sam Jaffe, and Frank Sinatra.
Filmography
- Wikipedia article: Edward G. Robinson filmography
External links
- Edward G. Robinson. (2022, September 22). In Wikipedia.
- Edward G. Robinson at the Internet Movie Database
- Edward G. Robinson at the Turner Classic Movie Database
- Edward G. Robinson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Edward G. Robinson @ Find A Grave
- Photographs and literature
- Wikipedia article: Edward G. Robinson
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Note: Edward G. Robinson was a volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen |
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