Biography

Burt Lancaster

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Burt Lancaster, one of five children, was born in Manhattan, to Elizabeth (Roberts) and James Henry Lancaster, a postal worker. All his grandparents were immigrants from the north of Ireland. He was a tough street kid who took an early interest in gymnastics. He joined the circus as an acrobat and worked there until he was injured. In the Army during WWII he was introduced to the USO and to acting. His first film was The Killers (1946), and that made him a star. He was a self-taught actor who learned the business as he went along. He set up his own production company in 1948 with Harold Hecht and James Hill to direct his career. He played many different roles in pictures as varied as The Crimson Pirate (1952), From Here to Eternity (1953), Elmer Gantry (1960) and Atlantic City (1980).

His production company, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, produced such films as Paddy Chayefsky's Marty (1955) (Oscar winner 1955) and The Catered Affair (1956). In the 1980s he appeared as a supporting player in a number of movies, such as Local Hero (1983) and Field of Dreams (1989). However, it will be the sound of his voice, the way that he laughed, and the larger-than-life characters he played that will always be remembered.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>

A killer smile, which he called "The Grin"
A great physique, of which director John Frankenheimer said, "Nobody ever looked like Burt Lancaster in The Crimson Pirate (1952) ."
His movies often reflected his very liberal political beliefs
Roles in westerns
Very distinctive, clipped manner of speaking

In November 1990 suffered a severe stroke while visiting Dana Andrews, who was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Lancaster remained hospitalized until February 1991 and was incapacitated and unable to speak until his death in October 1994.
His was the first star placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which now numbers in the thousands.
Helped pay for the defense of Pvt. Billy Dean Smith, an African-American soldier accused of 'fragging' two officers in Vietnam in 1971. Lancaster gave $3,000 to his defense attorneys to hire ballistics experts to testify at Smith's court-martial. Smith was acquitted.
Joined Gregory Peck, James Stewart, Liza Minnelli, and Orson Welles in testifying against the colorization of old movies by Ted Turner in the mid-'80s.
He was not close friends with Kirk Douglas, as was often perceived. Their "friendship" was largely fabricated by the publicity-wise Douglas; in reality, they were very competitive with each other and sometimes privately expressed a mutual personal disdain despite mutual respect for the other's acting talents.

Most people seem to think I'm the kind of guy who shaves with a blowtorch. Actually I'm bookish and worrisome.
[on being a director] It's the best job in the picture business because when you're a director, you're God. And you know that's the best job in town.
Life is to be lived within the limits of your knowledge and within the concept of what you would like to see yourself to be.
[speaking in 1983] Tits and sand - that's what we used to call sex and violence in Hollywood.
I don't know why Airport (1970) was nominated for any Oscars - it's the biggest piece of junk ever.