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Robert Mitchum
Age: 79 (passed away Jul. 1st, 1997)
Height: 6' 1"
Birth Place: Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
Born: Aug. 6th, 1917
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Robert Mitchum's Main TV Roles
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at
IMDB
BIOGRAPHY: Underrated American leading man of enormous ability who sublimates his talents beneath an air of disinterest. Born to a railroad worker who died in a train accident when he was two, Robert Mitchum and his siblings (including brother John Mitchum, later also an actor) were raised by his mother and stepfather (a British army major) in Connecticut, New York, and Delaware. An early contempt for authority led to discipline problems, and Mitchum spent good portions of his teen years adventuring on the open road. On one of these trips, at the age of 14, he was charged with vagrancy and sentenced to a Georgia chain gang, from which he escaped. Working a wide variety of jobs (including ghostwriter for astrologist Carroll Righter), Mitchum discovered acting in a Long Beach, California, amateur theater company. He worked at Lockheed Aircraft, where job stress caused him to suffer temporary blindness. About this time he began to obtain small roles in films, appearing in dozens within a very brief time. In 1945, he was cast as Lt. Walker in Story of G.I. Joe (1945) and received an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor. His star ascended rapidly, and he became an icon of 1940s film noir, though equally adept at westerns and romantic dramas. His apparently lazy style and seen-it-all demeanor proved highly attractive to men and women, and by the 1950s, he was a true superstar despite a brief prison term for marijuana usage in 1949, which seemed to enhance rather than diminish his "bad boy" appeal. Though seemingly dismissive of "art," he worked in tremendously artistically thoughtful projects such as Charles Laughton's The Night of the Hunter (1955) and even co-wrote and composed an oratorio produced at the Hollywood Bowl by Orson Welles. A master of accents and seemingly unconcerned about his star image, he played in both forgettable and unforgettable films with unswerving nonchalance, leading many to overlook the prodigious talent he can bring to a project that he finds compelling. 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). His sons James Mitchum and Christopher Mitchum are actors, as is his grandson Bentley Mitchum. His last film was James Dean: Race with Destiny (1997) (TV) with Casper Van Dien as James Dean.
TRIVIA:
- He got into trouble for some anti-Semitic remarks he made in an interview promoting _"The Winds of War" (1983)_ (qv) at his home in 1983. Although these were apparently in jest, as he had close Jewish friends, he refused to apologize, undoubtedly because that would spoil his "bad boy" image.
- He was persuaded by his manager 'Antonio Consentino' (qv), a die-hard Republican, to campaign for 'George Bush (I)' (qv) in the 1992 presidential election. He also narrated a biographical film of the President for the Republican National Convention, and attended a fund-raiser at 'Bob Hope (I)' (qv)'s house in Hollywood.
- Although he had numerous affairs throughout his marriage, he remained with wife 'Dorothy Mitchum' (qv) for nearly 60 years.
- While filming _El Dorado (1966)_ (qv) Mitchum was amused by co-star 'John Wayne (I)' (qv)'s attempts to play his screen persona to the hilt in real life. He recalled that Wayne wore four-inch lifts to increase his height and had the roof of his car raised so he could drive wearing his Stetson.
- Carefully maintained a facade of indifference, always lazily insisting that he made movies just so he could get laid, score some pot, and make money, and cared nothing about art. This is surely true of some films, which he likely picked to make money, but certain directors and films seemed to secretly pique his interest, including his work with 'Charles Laughton' (qv), 'John Huston (I)' (qv), and 'Howard Hawks' (qv).
- Treated for alcoholism at the 'Betty Ford' (qv) Center in 1984.
- Turned down 'Gene Hackman' (qv)'s role as drug-busting cop Popeye Doyle in _The French Connection (1971)_ (qv) because he found the story offensive.
- The 60-year-old Mitchum impressed 'Oliver Reed (I)' (qv), Britain's legendary hellraiser, by drinking a whole bottle of gin in 55 minutes on the set of _The Big Sleep (1978)_ (qv).
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