|
Borgnine is the son
of Carlo Borgnino and Anna Boselli, who immigrated to
the U.S. from
Modena,
Italy. His parents divorced when he was two years
old and he and his mother went to live in Italy, but
five years later they returned to Hamden,
Connecticut, where he attended public schools.
Borgnine joined the
United States Navy in 1935 after high school. He was
discharged in 1941, but he 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. In
2004, Borgnine received the honorary rank of Chief Petty
Officer from the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Terry D. Scott -- the Navy's highest ranking enlisted
sailor at the time -- for Borgnine's support of the Navy
and Navy families worldwide.
After a few years of drifting,
Borgnine attended the Randall School of Drama in
Hartford, Connecticut. Following graduation, he went
to the famous Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. In
1949, he debuted on Broadway in the role of a nurse in
the hit play Harvey.
In 1951, he moved to
Los Angeles, California, where he received his big
break in
From Here to (1953), playing the cruel
Sergeant "Fatso" Judson, in charge of the stockade, who
taunts fellow soldier Angelo Maggio (played by
Frank Sinatra). After Maggio ends up in the stockade
for being drunk on duty, Fatso beats him to death.
However, Fatso meets his own end in a knife fight with
Maggio's best friend, Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt
(Montgomery Clift) as payback for Maggio's death.
He built a reputation of a dependable character actor
and appeared in such films as
Johnny Guitar (1954) and
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955).
In 1955, Borgnine starred in the film version of the
television play
Marty, which gained him an Academy Award for Best
Actor. He subsequently appeared in many movies,
sometimes in lead roles, but more often as a supporting
major star.
Later film roles include
The Vikings (1958); The Flight of the Phoenix
(1965);
The Dirty Dozen (1967);
The Wild Bunch (1969) and
The Black Hole (1979).
From 1962 through 1966, he starred in the popular
situation comedy television series
McHale's Navy, for which he received an Emmy Award
nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy
Series, in 1963. Borgnine later starred in the 1964 film
version of the series.
Borgnine's later television work included a co-starring
role (with
Jan-Michael Vincent) as veteran helicopter pilot
Dominic Santini in the action/espionage series
Airwolf. The series ran from 1984 to 1986.
He was the first center square in the original version
of the television game show Hollywood Squares, with host
Peter Marshall.
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.
Also in 1996, Borgnine toured the U.S. in 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
Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers.
Since 1999, Borgnine has provided his voice talent to
the 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, who voices Mermaid Man's sidekick
Barnacle Boy). Borgnine has also appeared on an episode
of
The Simpsons as himself. He has also recently
appeared in television commercials. |
|
McHale's Navy (1962-1966)
Sam Hill: Who Killed Mr. Foster? (1971)
The Trackers (1971)
Legend in Granite (1973)
Twice in a Lifetime (1974)
Holiday Hookers (1976)
Future Cop (1976) (pilot for series)
Jesus of Nazareth (1977) (miniseries)
Fire! (1977)
Future Cop (1977) (canceled after 7 episodes)
Little House on the Prairie (the "Jonathan's
Mountain" episode)
The Ghost of Flight 401 (1978)
Cops and Robin (1978)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1979)
Blood Feud (1983)
Carpool (1983)
Masquerade (1983) (pilot for series)
Love Leads the Way: A True Story (1984)
The Last Days of Pompeii (1984) (miniseries)
Airwolf (1984-1986)
The Dirty Dozen: The Next Mission (1985) |
Alice in Wonderland (1985)
Space Island (1987) (miniseries)
The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission (1987)
The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission (1988)
Ocean (1989) (miniseries)
Jake Spanner, Private Eye (1989)
Appearances (1990)
Home Improvement (1991)
Mountain of Diamonds (1991)
Tierarztin Christine (1993)
Hunt for the Blue Diamond (1993)
The Simpsons (voice) (1993)
Tierarztin Christine II: The Temptation (1995)
The Single Guy (1995-1997)
All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series (1996-1999) (voice)
SpongeBob SquarePants (voice, Mermaid Man)
(1999-present)
The Blue Light (2004)
The Trail to Hope Rose (2004)
Bert & Becca (2007) |
