Jason Robards' Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Playhouse 90 Robert Jordan

Main Movie Roles 1999 - Magnolia 1998 - Enemy of the State 1995 - Crimson Tide 1994 - Little Big League 1994 - The Paper 1993 - The Adventures of Huck Finn 1993 - Philadelphia 1990 - Quick Change 1989 - Parenthood 1989 - Dream a Little Dream 1988 - Bright Lights, Big City 1983 - Something Wicked This Way Comes 1982 - Burden of Dreams 1981 - The Legend of the Lone Ranger 1980 - Raise The Titanic 1980 - Caboblanco 1978 - Comes a Horseman 1977 - Julia 1976 - All the President's Men 1975 - A Boy and His Dog 1973 - Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid 1971 - Johnny Got His Gun 1970 - Tora! Tora! Tora! 1970 - Julius Caesar 1970 - The Ballad of Cable Hogue 1968 - Isadora 1968 - The Night They Raided Minsky's 1967 - The St. Valentine's Day Massacre 1967 - Hour of the Gun 1966 - Any Wednesday 1965 - A Thousand Clowns 1962 - Long Day's Journey Into Night

BIOGRAPHY:

Powerful and highly respected American star character actor. Son of stage and film star Jason Robards Sr., he was born in Chicago, but raised mostly in Los Angeles. A star athlete at Hollywood High School, he served in the U.S. Navy in World War II, where he saw combat as a radioman (though he is not listed in official rolls of Navy Cross winners, despite the claims some -- not he -- have made. Neither was he at Pearl Harbor during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack, his ship being at sea at the time.) Returning to civilian life, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and struggled as a small-part actor in local New York theatre, TV and radio before shooting to fame on the New York stage in Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh" as Hickey. He followed that with another masterful O'Neill portrayal, as the alcoholic Jamie Tyrone in "Long Day's Journey Into Night" on Broadway. He entered feature films in The Journey (1959) and rose rapidly to even greater fame as a film star. Robards won consecutive Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for All the President's Men (1976) and Julia (1977), in each case playing real-life people. He continued to work on the stage, winning continued acclaim in such O'Neill works as "Moon For the Misbegotten" and "Hughie." Robards died of lung cancer in 2000.


TRIVIA:

• On April 22, 2002, the first Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre was awarded to 'Christopher Plummer (I)' (qv) by the Roundabout Theatre.
• He has 3 children with Eleanor Pitman. He has 2 children with 'Lois O'Connor (I)'. He won an Emmy in 1988 for _Inherit the Wind (1988) (TV)_ (qv).
• Avoided films until age 37 because he felt his acting father, 'Jason Robards Sr.' (qv), had sold out and tarnished his own reputation by "going Hollywood".
• As of 2005, he is the only actor to win consecutive Best Supporting Actor Oscars (for _All the President's Men (1976)_qv) and _Julia (1977)_ (qv)).
• Two daughters and four sons: Sarah Louise, 'Shannon Robards' (qv), 'Jason Robards III' (qv), 'Sam Robards' (qv), David and 'Jake Robards' (qv).
• Preferred working in the theater, and said once that he performed in Hollywood films so that he could "grab the money and go back to Broadway as fast as I can."
• In one of his last roles, in 'Paul Thomas Anderson' (qv)'s _Magnolia (1999)_ (qv), he portrayed a man dying from lung cancer to excellent effect. Two years later he himself died from the same disease.
• Was the first winner of a Best Actor Obie Award, which recognize achievement in the Off-Broadway theater, for playing Hickey in the revival of 'Eugene O'Neill (I)' (qv)'s "The Iceman Cometh" during the 1955-56 season. He tied for the Best Actor award with 'George Voskovec' (qv), who was cited for "Uncle Vanya."