Mitchum is rated number 23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema.[1]. Despite Mitchum's legal troubles and problems without his studio, his popularity was not harmed and films released immediately after his arrest were box-office hits. The film, directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring (in order of billing) Robert Young, Mitchum and Robert Ryan, earned five Academy Award nominations.[8]. Jim got his first taste of film-making at the age of 8 with a tiny unbilled role in the sturdy western Colorado Territory (1949) with Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo and Dorothy Malone, but made his credited debut playing his father's much younger brother in Thunder Road (1958), which became a drive-in cult favorite. Robert Mitchum, the insouciant actor whose heavy-lidded eyes gazed on the world with cynical amusement as he radiated rugged strength in more than 100 movies, died in his sleep yesterday at his home in Santa Barbara, Calif. () It wasnt my choice (to become actor), at least at the start. However, Roberts rise to fame came when he acted as Lt. Walker in The Story of G.I. Mitchum starred opposite Wilford Brimley in the 1986 made-for-TV movie Thompson's Run. Born on 6 August 1917 in Connecticut, Robert Mitchum was born the first of three sons of Ann Harriet and James Thomas Mitchum. Nanarland, a French online publication about film, once interviewed 75-year-old Chris, and he shared many details from his life as the successor to an iconic star as his father Robert, who died in 1997, truly was. People think I have an interesting walk. He continued appearing in dozens of movies such as Out of the Past, The Night of the Hunter, and Cape Fear. "Full cast and crew for In Harm's Way (1965)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Mitchum&oldid=1133227106, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple parents, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 January 2023, at 20:02. [8], Mitchum continued to appear in films until the mid-1990s, such as Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man, and he narrated the Western Tombstone. He is known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. He received nominations for an Academy Award, and a BAFTA Award. At first refusing to take sides, Mitchum eventually casts his lot with insurrectionist. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for The Story of G.I. Two years later in 2014, he ran his candidacy once again for the same seat in the Congress, coming in second to Lois Capps. Such films as Young Guns of Texas (1962), Ambush Bay (1966), Trackdown (1976), Blackout (1978) and Hollywood Cop (1987) would come and go. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. As part of the movies promotion tour, Mitchum appeared in Johnny Carsons show, and was interviewed by various famous magazines. Roger Ebert called Mitchum his favorite movie star and the soul of film noir: "With his deep, laconic voice and his long face and those famous weary eyes, he was the kind of guy you'd picture in a saloon at closing time, waiting for someone to walk in through the door and break his heart. The cop (Brimley) who was transferring him, and has been the con's lifelong friend and adversary for over 30 years, vows to catch the twosome. His performance as Reverend Harry Powell is considered by many to be one of the best of his career. . Jaclyn Smith Found Love at 51 with . Throughout his long career, Mr. Mitchum pretended to regard his profession casually, repeatedly remarking in his droning baritone, ''It sure beats working.'' The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay. The reason Mitchum was being black-listed in Hollywood was his involvement with John Wayne. He gained experience in other films made by his father including The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961). ", "Part 2: The Dark Side: 100 Essential Male Film Performances. The comparison helped him as well as hurt him. Mitchum was born in Los Angeles, California, the elder son of actor Robert Mitchum (whom he closely resembles) and his wife, Dorothy Spence. He starred or had major roles in most of the foreign movies he worked in. In her 1995 memoir, ''My Lucky Stars,'' Shirley MacLaine recalled her affair with Mr. Mitchum when they starred in 1962 in ''Two for the Seesaw.'' The actor ultimately died after years of smoking, which caused him to suffer from emphysema for more than a year and as well a lung cancer. Mitchum, who claimed that he had only reluctantly agreed to the interview, then decided to "string along" the writer with even more incendiary statements.[32]. He auditioned for John Wayne and won a small role in the western Chisum (1970) as Billy the Kid's sidekick. That's it. The 1960s were marked by a number of lesser films. His grandchildren, Bentley Mitchum and Carrie Mitchum, are actors, as was his younger brother, John, who died in 2001. Mr. Mitchum helped to popularize film noir in the 1940's and was a major figure in the 1970's revival of the somber, cynical genre, with movies like ''The Friends of Eddie Coyle'' (1973) and remakes of ''Farewell, My Lovely'' (1975) and ''The Big Sleep'' (1978), in which he played Raymond Chandler's noble private eye Philip Marlowe. He rose to prominence for starring roles in several classic films noir, and his acting is generally considered a forerunner of the antiheroes prevalent in film during the 1950s and 1960s. His only child was born during his marriage to actress Wende Wagner (1941-1997). Mitchum was initially known for his work in film noir. [26], Mitchum was a Republican who campaigned for Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election,[27] and considered him to be the only honest politician. 'Dad did campaign stuff for Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan and H. W. Bush. He is survived by his wife, of Montecido, Calif.; two sons, James, of Paradise Valley, Ariz., and Christopher, of Santa Barbara, Calif.; a daughter, Petrine, of Burbank, Calif.; a brother, John, of Sonora, Calif., and two sisters, Julie Mitchum of Sonora and Carol Allen of Hendersonville, Tenn. You show up on time. [30][31] She sued him for $30million for damages. Gagliasso, Dan (March 31, 2012). In this character study they struggle with the elements, the Japanese garrison, and their growing feelings for one another. He often tried to rattle questioners with rudeness and sarcasm and sometimes vulgarity. He rose to prominence for starring roles. He faced some difficulties growing up, as his father died when he was two years old in a work-related accident. He is known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. Mitchum died in 1997 at the age of 79, while asleep in his Santa Barbara, California home. The song was included as a bonus track on a successful reissue of Calypso and helped market the film to a wider audience.[8]. ", "Robert Mitchum, 79, Dies; Actor With Rugged Dignity", "Robert Mitchum Arrested with Two Movie Actresses in Marijuana Party Raid. Yet the couple remained together for almost 60 years until his death in 1997. He moved into television in the 1980s as his film opportunities diminished, winning new fans with The Winds of War (1983) and War and Remembrance (1988). At the time of his death, Robert Mitchum was 79 years old. In 1972 he was offered a role in the Spanish movie Summertime Killer, which became popular in various European countries as well in Asia. While it did open some doors for Chris, being Robert Mitchums son was mostly a nuisance for him as an aspiring actor, who raised suspicion of nepotism among some, because of his family name. Then you remember your lines. Advertisement A STATUE FOR ROBERT In 2021, a Dublin pensioner named Maurice Colgan, 79, revealed that he wanted a bronze statue erected of Robert in Dingle, County Kerry. His older sister, Annette (known as Julie Mitchum during her acting career), was born in 1914. Chris saddled up one more time with the Duke in Big Jake (1971) before striking out on his own. Joe was nominated for four Oscars, including Mitchum's only nomination for an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actor. He played George Hazard's father-in-law in the 1985 miniseries North and South, which also aired on ABC. Charles Laughton, who directed him in The Night of the Hunter, considered Mitchum to be one of the best actors in the world and believed that he would have been the greatest Macbeth. Robert Mitchum was never faithful to his wife and had numerous affairs throughout his marriage. The Mitchum image was evident even at the start of his career, when he first generated a world-weary toughness. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1538ef3ba0bbe3 Julie persuaded him to join the local theater guild with her. He just is."[42]. [14] Mitchum's conviction was later overturned by the Los Angeles court and district attorney's office on January 31, 1951, after being exposed as a setup. In 2000 Christopher met Doreen Corkin in Santa Barbara County through a common friend. After being expelled from Haaren High School he left his sister and traveled throughout the country, hopping freight cars[7] and taking a number of jobs, including ditch-digging for the Civilian Conservation Corps and professional boxing. In 1992 he was credited as screenwriter for the movie Angel of Fury, and is author of the book Victoria Falls. Here is all you want to know, and more! Always known as a bad boy, he was expelled from school, hopped freight trains at age 14, wandered the country as a depression-era hobo, was hauled onto a chain gang for vagrancy and soon escaped. Advertisement Robert Mitchum's Lookalike Son Chris Followed in His Famous Dad's Footsteps By Pedro Marrero Jul 24, 2019 10:41 P.M. Just like his younger brother James, Christopher pursued a career as a Hollywood actor, and he went on to appear in nearly 70 films, sharing the screen on three features with the legendary John Wayne. [12] The bust was the result of a sting operation designed to capture other Hollywood partiers as well, but Mitchum and Leeds did not receive the tipoff. About this time he began to obtain small roles in films, appearing in dozens within a very brief time. I'll play Polish gays, women, midgets, anything.''. However, today, despite my own career of over 30 years and my father being dead for over ten years, I'm still referred to as Robert Mitchum's son, Chris admitted. His first on-screen credit came in 1943 as a Marine private in the Randolph Scott war film Gung Ho! Joe (1945). He starred, produced, co-wrote the screenplay, and is rumored to have directed much of the film. The country-style song became a modest hit for Mitchum, reaching number 69 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. In ''The Night of the Hunter'' (1955), which was directed by Charles Laughton, Mr. Mitchum personified evil as a crazed evangelist, a terrifying killer who had the words ''Love'' and ''Hate'' tattooed on his hands. A hard-drinking, chain-smoking man who was a colorful raconteur, Mr. Mitchum fielded interviewers' questions with yarns, usually profane and often hilarious. Legendary Hollywood actor, Robert Mitchum, has died. By inheriting his dad's sexy, sleepy eyes and taciturn good looks, it was obvious from the start that Jim would lean towards an acting career with so much going for him. Christopher recalled in an interview how big Hawks influence was over him: I will say that it wasnt until I worked with Hawks that I appreciated the profession, and began to love my work. Also in 1970, Mitchum appeared as Alturi in Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came, before landing a main role in another Hawk movie, Rio Lobo in 1971, which was the last film of the director and the second time Mitchum worked with John Wayne. They had one child. '', Admirers hailed him for infusing flimsy characters with unexpected force, credibility and dignity and for doing laconic wonders with routine phrases. [21] Mitchum also co-wrote (with Don Raye) the theme song, "The Ballad of Thunder Road. AFI's 100 Years100 Stars lists Mitchum as the 23rd-greatest male star of classic Hollywood cinema. Mainstream stardom in the 1950s and 1960s. Hollywood actor, Robert Mitchum, was full of contradictions. Robert Charles Mitchum was born in Bridgeport, Conn., on Aug. 6, 1917, to James Mitchum, a railroad worker of Irish descent, and Anne Mitchum, the daughter of a Norwegian ship captain. Christophers children except for Jenny became actors. 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