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Charles Bronson 1921 - 2003

Charles Bronson was born on November 3, 1921 in Ehrenfeld, Cambria County, Pennsylvania United States to Mary (Valinski) Buchinsky and Walter P Buchinsky, and had siblings Walter P Buchinsky, Anita Buchinsky, Frank Buchinski, Roy Buchinsky, George Buchinsky, John Leonard Buchinsky, Anthony Buchinsky, Elizabeth Buchinsky, and Julie Corinne Buchinsky. He married Harriet Tendler on September 30, 1949 and they later divorced in 1967. They had children Tony Bronson and Suzanne Bronson. He would also marry Jill Ireland on October 5, 1968, and they were married until Jill's death on May 18, 1990. They had children Katrina Holden Bronson and Zuleika Bronson. Charles Bronson died at age 81 years old on August 30, 2003 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA, and was buried at Brownsville Cemetery Brownsville-Hartland Rd, in West Windsor, Windsor County, VT.
Charles Bronson
Charles Dennis Buchinsky
November 3, 1921
Ehrenfeld, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, 15956, United States
August 30, 2003
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States
Male
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Charles Bronson's History: 1921 - 2003

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  • Introduction

    Charles Bronson Born Charles Dennis Buchinsky November 3, 1921 Died August 30, 2003 (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Occupation Actor, Years active 1950–1999 Spouse(s) Harriett Tendler (m. 1949; div. 1965) Jill Ireland (m. 1968; died 1990) Kim Weeks (m. 1998) Children 4 Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; Lithuanian: Karolis Dionyzas Bučinskis; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was often cast in the role of a police officer, gunfighter, or vigilante in revenge-oriented plot lines, had long-term collaborations with film directors Michael Winner and J. Lee Thompson, and appeared in fifteen films with his second wife Jill Ireland. 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. Early life and war service Bronson was born Charles Dennis Buchinsky, the eleventh of fifteen children, into a Roman Catholic family of Lithuanian descent in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, in the coal region of the Allegheny Mountains north of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. His father, Valteris P. Bučinskis, who later adjusted his name to Walter Buchinsky to sound more "American", was from Druskininkai in southern Lithuania. Bronson's mother, Mary (née Valinsky), whose parents were from Lithuania, was born in the coal mining town of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. Bronson learned to speak English when he was a teenager; before that, he spoke Lithuanian and Russian. In a 1973 interview, Bronson said that he did not know his father very well and "I'm not even sure if I loved him or hated him." He said that all he could remember was that when his mother said that his father was coming home, the children would hide. Bronson was the first member of his family to graduate from high school. When Bronson was 10 years old, his father died and he went to work in the coal mines, first in the mining office and then in the mine. He later said he earned one dollar for each ton of coal that he mined. In another interview, he said that he had to work double shifts to earn $1 a week. Bronson later recounted that he and his brother engaged in dangerous work removing "stumps" between the mines, and that cave-ins were common. The family suffered extreme poverty during the Great Depression, and Bronson recalled going hungry many times. His mother could not afford milk for his younger sister, so she was fed warm tea instead. His family was so poor that he once had to wear his sister's dress to school for lack of clothing. He worked in the mine until he entered military service during World War II. Acting career Acting training (1946–1951) After the end of World War II, Bronson worked at many odd jobs until joining a theatrical group in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He later shared an apartment in New York City with Jack Klugman while both were aspiring to play on the stage. In 1950, he married and moved to Hollywood, where he enrolled in acting classes and began to find small roles.[citation needed] Early film roles (1951–1954) Bronson's first film role — an uncredited one — was as a sailor in You're in the Navy Now in 1951, directed by Henry Hathaway. Other early screen appearances were in The Mob (1951); The People Against O'Hara (1951), directed by John Sturges; Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952); Battle Zone (1952); Pat and Mike (1952), as a boxer and mob enforcer; Diplomatic Courier (1952), another for Hathaway; My Six Convicts (1952); The Marrying Kind (1952); and Red Skies of Montana (1952). In 1952, Bronson boxed in a ring with Roy Rogers in Rogers' show Knockout. He appeared on an episode of The Red Skelton Show as a boxer in a skit with Skelton playing "Cauliflower McPugg". He appeared with fellow guest star Lee Marvin in an episode of Biff Baker, U.S.A., an espionage series on CBS starring Alan Hale, Jr. He had small roles in Miss Sadie Thompson (1953); House of Wax (1953), directed by Andre DeToth; The Clown (1953); Torpedo Alley (1953); and Riding Shotgun, starring Randolph Scott, directed by DeToth again. Bronson had a notable support part as an Indian in Apache (1954) for director Robert Aldrich who then used him again in Vera Cruz (1954). Bronson then made a strong impact as the main villain in the Alan Ladd western Drum Beat as a murderous Modoc warrior, Captain Jack (based on a real person), who relishes wearing the tunics of soldiers he has killed. He had roles in Tennessee Champ (1954) for MGM, and Crime Wave (1954) directed by de Toth. In 1954, during the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) proceedings, he changed his surname from Buchinsky to Bronson at the suggestion of his agent, who feared that an Eastern European surname might damage his career. As "Charles Bronson" (1955–1958) As "Charles Bronson", he could be seen in Target Zero (1955), Big House, U.S.A. (1955), and Jubal (1956). Bronson had the lead role of the episode "The Apache Kid" of the syndicated crime drama Sheriff of Cochise, starring John Bromfield; Bronson was subsequently cast twice in 1959 after the series was renamed U.S. Marshal. He guest-starred in the short-lived CBS situation comedy, Hey, Jeannie! and in three episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents: "And So Died Riabouchinska" (1956), "There Was an Old Woman" (1956), and "The Woman Who Wanted to Live" (1962). In 1957, Bronson was cast in the Western series Colt .45 as an outlaw named Danny Arnold in the episode "Young Gun". He had a support role in Sam Fuller's Run of the Arrow (1957). In 1958 Bronson appeared as Butch Cassidy on the TV western Tales of Wells Fargo in the episode titled "Butch Cassidy." Leading man (1958–1960) Bronson scored the lead in his own ABC's detective series Man with a Camera (1958–1960), in which he portrayed Mike Kovac, a former combat photographer freelancing in New York City.[23] He was cast in leading man roles in some low budget films, notably, Machine-Gun Kelly (1958), a biopic of a real life gangster directed by Roger Corman. He also starred in Gang War (1958), When Hell Broke Loose (1958), and Showdown at Boot Hill (1959). On television, he played Steve Ogrodowski, a naval intelligence officer, in two episodes of the CBS military sitcom/drama, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper, and he played Rogue Donovan, an escaped murderer in Yancy Derringer (episode: "Hell and High Water"). Bronson starred alongside Elizabeth Montgomery in a Twilight Zone episode ("Two"; 1961). He appeared in five episodes of Richard Boone's Have Gun – Will Travel (1957–63). Bronson had a support role in an expensive war film, Never So Few (1959), directed by John Sturges. Bronson was cast in the 1960 episode "Zigzag" of Riverboat, starring Darren McGavin. That same year, he was cast as "Dutch Malkin" in the 1960 episode "The Generous Politician" of The Islanders. In 1960 Bronson appeared as Frank Buckley in the TV western Laramie in the episode titled "Street of Hate."
  • 11/3
    1921

    Birthday

    November 3, 1921
    Birthdate
    Ehrenfeld, Cambria County, Pennsylvania 15956, United States
    Birthplace
  • Religious Beliefs

    CATHOLIC.
  • Military Service

    In 1943, Bronson enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces and served in the 760th Flexible Gunnery Training Squadron, and in 1945 as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress aerial gunner with the Guam-based 61st Bombardment Squadron within the 39th Bombardment Group, which conducted combat missions against the Japanese home islands. He flew 25 missions and received a Purple Heart for wounds received in battle.
  • Professional Career

    "I am not a Casper Milquetoast," he told "The Washington Post" in 1985, recalling the time he was visiting Rome and felt someone stick a gun in his side. "A guy in broken English asked me for money. I said, 'You give ME money.' He turned around and walked away.". John Huston once summed him up as "a grenade with the pin pulled". Was by all accounts a very quiet and introspective collaborator, often sitting in a corner for much of a shoot and listening to a director's instructions and not saying a word until cameras were rolling. Don Siegel, who directed him in Telefon (1977), and Tom Gries, who directed him in Breakheart Pass (1975), both commented on how surprised they were to discover how thoroughly and completely prepared Bronson was when he came to work, as it didn't seem to fit his "laid-back", taciturn image. He grew privately frustrated by the declining quality and range of roles over his career, being pigeonholed as a violent vigilante after the commercial success of Death Wish (1974). His own favorite of his "vigilante" movies was Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). He was considered for Jeff Bridges' role in Blown Away (1994). His father died when he was 10, and at 16 he followed his brothers into the mines to support the family. He was paid $1 per ton of coal and volunteered for perilous jobs because the pay was better. Called West Windsor, VT, his home for more than three decades (Bronson Farm), and was buried in nearby Brownsville Cemetery, near the foot of Mt. Ascutney. Appeared with Steve McQueen and James Coburn in two films, both of which were directed by John Sturges: The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Great Escape (1963). With Bronson's death on August 30, 2003, Robert Vaughn became the last surviving actor to have played one of the title characters in The Magnificent Seven (1960). Vaughn died on November 11, 2016 at the age of 83. Was introduced to his second wife, Jill Ireland, by her then-husband David McCallum during the filming of The Great Escape (1963). Sergio Leone once called him "the greatest actor I ever worked with". Leone had wanted Bronson for all three of what became known as the "Man with No Name" trilogy, but Bronson turned him down each time. He turned down the lead role in A Fistful of Dollars (1964) after describing it as the "worst script I have ever seen"; he turned down the role of Col. Douglas Mortimer in For a Few Dollars More (1965) as he wasn't interested; and he turned the role of Angel Eyes in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) because he was in England filming The Dirty Dozen (1967). Leone eventually cast him as Harmonicac in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). The term "Charles Bronson" is frequently uttered in Reservoir Dogs (1992) in reference to a "tough guy". In the latter part of his career, he worked predominantly with The Guns of Navarone (1961) director J. Lee Thompson. They made nine films together in just over a decade between 1977 and 1989: 10 to Midnight (1983), Cabo Blanco (1980), Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987), The Evil That Men Do (1984), Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989), Messenger of Death (1988), Murphy's Law (1986), St. Ives (1976) and The White Buffalo (1977).
  • Personal Life & Family

    He was very active in raising funds for the John Wayne Cancer Institute. Capable of essaying a variety of types, from Russian to American Indian, from homicidal villain to tight-lipped hero, Bronson suddenly became a star at the age of 53. Following the success of Death Wish (1974) he repeated, with little variation, his role as a vengeful urban vigilante. Was introduced to his second wife, Jill Ireland, by her then-husband David McCallum during the filming of The Great Escape (1963). Spoke fluent Russian, Lithuanian and Greek. Owned homes in Europe, including Lithuania and Greece.
  • 08/30
    2003

    Death

    August 30, 2003
    Death date
    Unknown
    Cause of death
    Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States
    Death location
  • Gravesite & Burial

    mm/dd/yyyy
    Funeral date
    Brownsville Cemetery Brownsville-Hartland Rd, in West Windsor, Windsor County, Vermont 05089, United States
    Burial location
  • Obituary

    Charles Bronson Famous memorial ORIGINAL NAME Charles Buchinski BIRTH 3 Nov 1921 Ehrenfeld, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, USA DEATH 30 Aug 2003 (aged 81) Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA BURIAL Brownsville Cemetery West Windsor, Windsor County, Vermont, USA Show Map MEMORIAL ID 7811840 · View Source MEMORIAL PHOTOS 6 FLOWERS 4K+ Actor. Best remembered for his roles in the movies, "The Great Escape" (1963), "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), and the "Death Wish" series of movies. Born Charles Buchinski in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, to a family of Lithuanian immigrant coal miners, he followed his father and brothers into the coal mines after high school, until World War II, when he joined the Army Air Force, serving as a tail gunner in B-29 bombers in the Pacific. He flew 25 missions and was wounded in action, receiving the Purple Heart Medal. When the war ended, he used the G.I. Bill to study art in Philadelphia, and while working as a set designer, he discovered he had a flair for acting, and began to study acting in Pasadena. He obtained bit parts in many B movies, mostly playing tough guys and mobsters, and later, … Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson Inscription Cherished Husband and Father Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not here, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond's glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the autumn's gentle rain. When you awaken in the morning's hush. I am the swift uplifting rush. Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not here, I did not die. Family Members Parents Walter Buchinsky Walter P. Buchinsky 1883–1933 Mary Buchinsky Mary Valinski Buchinsky 1890–1968 Spouse Jill Ireland Jill Ireland 1936–1990 (m. 1968) Siblings Anita Hurley Anita Buchinsky Hurley 1908–1984 Frank Buchinski Frank Buchinski 1910–1910 Roy Buchinsky Roy Buchinsky 1911–1979 George Buchinsky George Buchinsky 1912–1937 John Buchinsky John Leonard Buchinsky 1916–1986 Anthony Buchinsky Anthony Buchinsky 1918–1932 Walter Buchinsky Walter P. Buchinsky 1924–1999 Elizabeth Bosca Elizabeth Buchinsky Bosca 1926–2008 Julie Engert Julie Corinne Buchinsky Engert 1930–2019 Flowers • 4419 Plant Memorial Trees Awarded Purple Heart, thank you for your service. Left by Mary Lou Bordwell on 13 Jul 2022 Left by Camp on 11 Jul 2022 See more Bronson memorials in: Brownsville Cemetery West Windsor Windsor County Vermont USA Find a Grave Records on Ancestry Charles Bronson U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 Charles Bronson U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 Charles Bronson California, U.S., Marriage Index, 1960-1985 Charles Bronson Pennsylvania, U.S., Veteran Compensation Application Files, WWII, 1950-1966 Charles Bronson Canada, Obituary Collection, 1898-Current Sponsored by Ancestry Memorials Region North America USA Vermont Windsor County West Windsor Brownsville Cemetery Charles Bronson Maintained by: Find a Grave Originally Created by: Noni Added: 31 Aug 2003 Find a Grave Memorial ID: 7811840 Charles Bronson, born Charles Dennis Buchinsky, - Nationality USA. - Ranking WW II U.S, Air Force, Tail gunner and actor. - Born 03-11-1921, Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania. - Died 30-08-2003, pneumonia, age 81, Los Angeles, California. - Buried West Windser, Vermont USA. Brownsville Cemetery. - Medals (many) United States Airforce Actor Bronson, born Charles Dennis Buchinsky, Charles, born 03-11-1921 in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, was an American actor but also participated in World War II as an aerial gunner. Bronson was born Charles Dennis Buchinsky and was one of 15 children born to a Lithuanian immigrant. He worked in as coal mine until he entered military service during World War II. Bronson earned $1 per ton in the coal mine and his family, father died when he was 10, was so poor that, at one time, he reportedly had to wear his sister’s dress to school because he had nothing else to wear. In 1943, Bronson enlisted in the and served as an aerial gunner in the 760th Flexible Gunnery Training Squadron, and in 1945 as a B-29 Super fortress crewman with the 39th Bombardment Group 200px-819th_Bombardment_Squadron_emblem based on Guam. Its final bombing mission was at Iwo Jima on 19-02-1945, the same day three Marine divisions invaded the island. Bronson was awarded a Purple Heart Purple_heart for wounds received during his service. After the end of World War II Bronson, nicknamed Leatherface, worked at many odd jobs until joining a theatrical group in Philadelphia. Bronson’s first film role was as a sailor in You’re in the Navy Now, in 1951. He married Harriett Tendler, she was an 18-year-old virgin when she met the 26-year-old Charlie Buchinsky at a Philadelphia acting school in 1947. Two years later, with the grudging consent of her father, a successful, Jewish dairy farmer, she wed the Catholic Lithuanian and former coal miner; supporting them both while Charlie pursued their acting dream. They had two children before divorcing in 1965. Harriett Bronson tells the story of her marriage and a high-profile divorce with much raw emotion but it’s not an angry, gossipy, or bitter account. Harriett was wise enough to recognize that it wasn’t just Jill Ireland that led to the unraveling of their marriage, but the way her husband dealt with his fame. It was Harriett who had ironed his shirts, raised their children, and offered moral support to the actor as he slowly worked his way through the Hollywood ranks. But it was Jill who ended up co-starring with Charles Bronson in 15 hit films, not because of any great acting ability, but because it was she who was married to the world’s biggest movie star, a man who got what he wanted, and he wanted her there. Thus Bronson then married British actress Jill Ireland from 05-10-1968 until her death from breast cancer at age 54 in 1990. He had met her in 1962 when she was married to Scottish actor David McCallum. Bronson lived in a grand Bel Air mansion in Los Angeles with seven children: two by his previous marriage, three by hers, one of whom was adopted, and two of their own, another one of whom was adopted. In December 1998, Bronson was married a third time to Kim Weeks, a former employee of Dove Audio who helped record Ireland in the production of her audiobooks. They were married for five years until Bronson’s death. After they married, she often played his leading lady, and they starred in 14 movies together. He became one of the great actors and in The Dirty Dozen, Bronson played an Army death row convict conscripted into a suicide mission. Death and burial ground of Bronson, born Charles Dennis Buchinsky, Charles. Bronson’s health deteriorated in his later years, and he retired from acting after undergoing hip replacement surgery in August 1998. He suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in his final years. Bronson died of pneumonia at the age of 81, on 30-08-2003, in Los Angeles. He is buried on the Brownsville cemetery near his Vermont farm, in West Windser, Vermont.
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12 Memories, Stories & Photos about Charles

Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
A Montage by Robert Dockery.
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Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen and Robert Vaughn playing cards on the set of the film "The Magnificent Seven"
Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen and Robert Vaughn playing cards on the set of the film "The Magnificent Seven"
1960.
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Charles Bronson Relative
Charles Bronson Relative
This is a photo of Charles Bronson added by Amanda S. Stevenson on April 22, 2020.
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Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
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Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
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Charles Bronson
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Jack Warden and Charles Bronson
Jack Warden and Charles Bronson
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