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Charles Bronson filmography

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Charles Bronson at the Cannes Film Festival in the late 1980s.

Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique,"[1] he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, western, and war films; initially as a supporting player and later a leading man. A quintessential cinematic "tough guy", Bronson was cast in various roles where the plot line hinged on the authenticity of the character's toughness and brawn.[2] At the height of his fame in the early 1970s, he was the world's No. 1 box office attraction, commanding $1 million per film.

Born to a Lithuanian-American coal mining family in rural Pennsylvania, Bronson served in the United States Army Air Forces as a bomber tail gunner during World War II. He worked several odd jobs before entering the film industry in the early 1950s, playing bit and supporting roles as henchmen, thugs, and other "heavies". After playing a villain in the Western film Drum Beat, he was cast in his first leading role by B-movie auteur Roger Corman, playing the title character in the gangster picture Machine-Gun Kelly (1958). The role brought him to the attention of mainstream critics, and led to sizable co-lead parts as an Irish-Mexican gunslinger in The Magnificent Seven (1960), a claustrophobic tunneling expert in The Great Escape (1963), a small-town Southern louche in This Property Is Condemned (1966), and a prisoner-turned-commando in The Dirty Dozen (1967).

Despite his popularity with audiences and critics, Bronson was unable to find top-billed roles in major Hollywood productions. His acclaim among European filmmakers, particularly in France and Italy, led to a string of successful starring roles on the continent. He played a vengeful, Harmonica-playing gunman in Sergio Leone's epic Spaghetti Western Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), an offbeat detective in Rider on the Rain (1970), real-life Mafia turncoat Joe Valachi in The Valachi Papers (1972), and starred opposite Alain Delon in Adieu l'ami (1968) and Red Sun (1971). The success of those films proved his capability as a leading man and launched him to international stardom. In his home country, he played the architect-turned-vigilante Paul Kersey in Death Wish (1974) and its four sequels, a role that typified the rest of his career. He continued acting well into the 1980s, often in Cannon Films productions. His final role was in a trilogy of made-for-television films, Family of Cops, aired between 1995 and 1999.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes References
1951 The Mob Jack Uncredited [3]
You're in the Navy Now Wascylewski [4]
The People Against O'Hara Angelo Korvac [5]
1952 Bloodhounds of Broadway "Pittsburgh Philo" Green [6]
Battle Zone Private [7]
Pat and Mike Hank Tasling Credited as Charles Buchinski [8]
Diplomatic Courier Russian Agent Uncredited [9]
My Six Convicts Jocko Credited as Charles Buchinsky [10]
The Marrying Kind Eddie – Co-Worker at Plant Uncredited [11]
Red Skies of Montana Neff [12]
1953 Miss Sadie Thompson Private Edwards Credited as Charles Buchinsky [13]
House of Wax Igor [14]
Off Limits Russell Uncredited [15]
The Clown Eddie, Dice Player [16]
Torpedo Alley Submariner
1954 Apache Hondo Credited as Charles Buchinsky
Riding Shotgun Pinto
Tennessee Champ Sixty Jubel, the 'Biloxi Blockbuster'
Crime Wave Ben Hastings
Vera Cruz Pittsburgh
Drum Beat "Captain Jack" Kintpuash
1955 Target Zero Sergeant Vince Gaspari [17]
Big House, U.S.A. Benny Kelly [18]
1956 Jubal Reb Haislipp [19]
1957 Run of the Arrow Blue Buffalo [20]
1958 Gang War Alan Avery [21]
When Hell Broke Loose Steve Boland [22]
Machine-Gun Kelly Machine Gun Kelly [23]
Showdown at Boot Hill Luke Welsh [24]
1959 Never So Few Sergeant John Danforth [25]
1960 The Magnificent Seven Bernardo O'Reilly [26]
1961 Master of the World John Strock [27]
A Thunder of Drums Trooper Hanna [28]
1962 X-15 Lieutenant Colonel Lee Brandon
Kid Galahad Lew Nyack [29]
1963 The Great Escape Flight Lieutenant Danny Velinski, 'The Tunnel King' [30]
4 for Texas Matson [31]
1965 Guns of Diablo Linc Murdock Feature version of the final episode of The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
The Sandpiper Cos Erickson [32]
Battle of the Bulge Major Wolenski [33]
The Bull of the West Ben Justin Theatrical release combining 2 episodes of The Virginian
1966 This Property Is Condemned J.J. Nichols [34]
The Meanest Men in the West Charles S. Dubin Theatrical release combining 2 episodes of The Virginian
1967 The Dirty Dozen Joseph Wladislaw [35]
1968 Guns for San Sebastian Teclo [36]
Adieu l'ami Franz Propp
Villa Rides Rodolfo Fierro [37]
Once Upon a Time in the West Harmonica [38]
1969 You Can't Win 'Em All Josh Corey
1970 Lola Scott Wardman [39]
Rider on the Rain Colonel Harry Dobbs [40]
Violent City Jeff Heston [41]
1971 Cold Sweat Joe Martin
Someone Behind the Door The Stranger
Red Sun Link Stuart
1972 The Valachi Papers Joseph Valachi [42]
Chato's Land Pardon Chato [43]
The Mechanic Arthur Bishop [44]
1973 The Stone Killer Lou Torrey [45]
Chino Chino Valdez [46]
1974 Mr. Majestyk Vince Majestyk [47]
Death Wish Paul Kersey [48]
1975 Breakout Nick Colton [49]
Hard Times Chaney [50]
Breakheart Pass Deakin [51]
1976 From Noon till Three Graham Dorsey [52]
St. Ives Raymond St Ives [53]
1977 The White Buffalo Wild Bill Hickok [54]
1978 Telefon Major Grigori Bortsov [55]
1979 Love and Bullets Charlie Congers [56]
1980 Borderline Jeb Maynard [57]
Caboblanco Gifford Hoyt [58]
1981 Death Hunt Albert Johnson [59]
1982 Death Wish II Paul Kersey [60]
1983 10 to Midnight Leo Kessler [61]
1984 The Evil That Men Do Holland / Bart Smith [62]
1985 Death Wish 3 Paul Kersey [63]
1986 Murphy's Law Jack Murphy [64]
1987 Assassination Jay Killion [65]
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown Paul Kersey [66]
1988 Messenger of Death Garret Smith [67]
1989 Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects Lieutenant Crowe [68]
1991 The Indian Runner Mr. Roberts [69]
1994 Death Wish V: The Face of Death Paul Kersey [70]

Television (partial list)

Year Title Role Format Episode Reference
1955 Cavalcade of America John Stanizewski Television series Season 4 episode 6: "A Chain of Hearts" [71]
1956, 1962 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Detective Krovitch; Frank Bramwell; Ray Bardon Season 1 episode 20: "And So Died Riabouchinska"; season 1 episode 25: "There Was an Old Woman"; season 7 episode 18: "The Woman Who Wanted to Live"
1958 Gunsmoke Ben Tipple Season 1 episode 25: "Lost Rifle"
1958-1960 Man with a Camera Mike Kovac 29 episodes [72][73]
1959 Yancy Derringer Donavan Season 1 episode 20: "Hell and High Water" [74]
1963–64 The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters Linc Murdock 26 episodes
1967 The Fugitive Ralph Schuyler Season 4 episode 17: "The One That Got Away" [75]
1977 Raid on Entebbe Brigadier General Dan Shomron Television film [76]
1986 Act of Vengeance Joseph Yablonski [77]
1991 Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus Francis Pharcellus Church [78]
1993 The Sea Wolf Captain Wolf Larsen [79]
Donato and Daughter Sergeant Mike Donato [80]
1995 Family of Cops Commisioner Paul Fein [81]
1997 Breach of Faith: A Family of Cops 2 [82]
1999 Family of Cops 3 [83]

References

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