Edward G. Robinson
Encyclopedia
Edward G. Robinson was a Romania
n-born American
actor. A popular star during Hollywood's Golden Age, he is best remembered for his roles as gangsters, such as Rico in his star-making film Little Caesar
and as Rocco in Key Largo
. Other memorable roles include Barton Keyes in the film noir
Double Indemnity, and as Dathan
in The Ten Commandments
. Robinson was selected for an Honorary Academy Award for his work in the film industry, which was posthumously awarded two months after the actor's death in 1973. He was included in the American Film Institute
's list of the 25 greatest male stars in American cinema
.
, he immigrated with his family to New York City
in 1903. He had his Bar Mitzvah at First Roumanian-American congregation, and attended Townsend Harris High School
and then the City College of New York
. An interest in acting led to him winning an American Academy of Dramatic Arts
scholarship, after which he changed his name to Edward G. Robinson (the G. signifying his original last name
).
debut in 1915. He made his film debut in a minor and uncredited role in 1916; in 1923 he made his named debut as E. G. Robinson in The Bright Shawl. One of many actors who saw his career flourish in the new sound film
era rather than falter, he made only three films prior to 1930 but left his stage career that year and made 14 films between 1930-1932.
Robinson was popular in the 1930s and 1940s and was able to avoid many flops during a 50-year career that included 101 films. An acclaimed performance as the gangster Caesar Enrico "Rico" Bandello in Little Caesar
(1931) led to him being typecast as a "tough guy" for much of his early career in works such as Five Star Final
(1931), Smart Money (1931; his only movie with James Cagney
), Tiger Shark (1932), Kid Galahad
(1937) with Bette Davis
and Humphrey Bogart
, and A Slight Case of Murder. Due to age, he could not qualify for military service during WWII. Instead in the 1940s, Robinson demonstrated his ability to succeed in comedic and film noir
roles, including Larceny, Inc.
(1942), Double Indemnity (1944), The Woman in the Window
(1945), Scarlet Street
(1945) and The Stranger
(1946). As a memorable tribute to his past gangster roles, he appeared for director John Huston
as 'Johnny Rocco' in Key Largo
(1948). Key Largo would be the last of five films he made with Humphrey Bogart
.
On three occasions in 1950 and 1952, he was called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee
and was threatened with blacklisting
. Robinson took steps to clear his name, such as having a representative go through his check stubs to ensure that none had been issued to subversive organizations. He also gave names of Communist sympathizers and his own name was cleared, but thereafter he received smaller roles and even those less frequently.
During this time, he appeared in numerous 'B' movies for American International Pictures
and other low-budget studios while attempting to regain his prior status as a film actor. Some of these films, such as Vice Squad (1953) proved excellent in their own right, while others, such as 1958's Tank Battalion, were critical and commercial failures. Anti-communist
director Cecil B. DeMille
cast him as Dathan
in The Ten Commandments
in 1956. Robinson's acting career was later bolstered by notable roles in 1959's A Hole in the Head
opposite Frank Sinatra
and The Cincinnati Kid
(1965), which showcased Robinson alongside Steve McQueen
.
Robinson tried to talk his way into a part in The Godfather
(which was how he had won the role of Little Caesar
40 years earlier), but Francis Ford Coppola
decided on Brando instead, over the initial objections of the studio.
Robinson's last-filmed scene of his last acting role was a euthanasia
sequence in the science fiction
cult film
Soylent Green
(1973). Immediately prior to filming the scene, Robinson told his co-star, and long-time friend Charlton Heston
, that he was dying from cancer
and had weeks to live, at best. As the actors were to play the scene together, Robinson thought that the knowledge of his impending death would affect Heston's playing of the scene, thus the on-screen tears of Heston's character in the final print of the film are genuine. Robinson died twelve days later.
Robinson built up a significant art collection
, especially of abstract modern art. In 1956, he sold it to Greek
shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos
to raise cash for his divorce settlement with Gladys Robinson; his finances had suffered due to underemployment in the early 1950s.
Edward G. Robinson died from cancer in 1973, and is buried in a crypt in the family mausoleum at Beth-El Cemetery in the Ridgewood area of the borough of Queens in New York City.
, featured in the Bugs Bunny
cartoon Racketeer Rabbit
, shared his likeness. Similar caricatures also appeared in The CooCooNut Grove, Thugs with Dirty Mugs
and Hush My Mouse. Another character based on Robinson's gangster image was The Frog from the cartoon series Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse
. The voice of B.B. Eyes in The Dick Tracy Show
was based on Robinson, with Mel Blanc
and Jerry Hausner sharing voicing duties. Voice actor Hank Azaria
has said that the voice of Simpsons
character police chief Clancy Wiggum is an impression of Robinson. This has been explicitly joked about in episodes of the show. In "The Day the Violence Died
" (1996), a character states that Chief Wiggum is clearly based on Robinson. In 2008's "Treehouse of Horror XIX
", Wiggum and Robinson's ghost each accuse the other of being rip-offs.
Robinson was never nominated for an Academy Award, but in 1973 he was awarded an honorary Oscar
in recognition that he had "achieved greatness as a player, a patron of the arts, and a dedicated citizen ... in sum, a Renaissance man". He died two months before the award ceremony, thus the award was collected by his widow Jane Robinson.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor. A popular star during Hollywood's Golden Age, he is best remembered for his roles as gangsters, such as Rico in his star-making film Little Caesar
Little Caesar (film)
Little Caesar is a 1931 Warner Bros. Pre-Code crime film. It tells the story of a hoodlum who ascends the ranks of organized crime until he reaches its upper echelons. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, the film stars Edward G. Robinson and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.. The story was adapted by Francis Edward...
and as Rocco in Key Largo
Key Largo (film)
Key Largo is a 1948 film noir directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore, and Claire Trevor...
. Other memorable roles include Barton Keyes in the film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
Double Indemnity, and as Dathan
Dathan
Dathan was an Israelite mentioned in the Old Testament as a participant of the Exodus.He was a son of Eliab, the son of Pallu, the son of Reuben. Together with his brother Abiram, the Levite Korah and others, he rebelled against Moses and Aaron...
in The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (1956 film)
The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American epic film that dramatized the biblical story of the Exodus, in which the Hebrew-born Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince, becomes the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. The film, released by Paramount Pictures in VistaVision on October 5, 1956, was directed by...
. Robinson was selected for an Honorary Academy Award for his work in the film industry, which was posthumously awarded two months after the actor's death in 1973. He was included in the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
's list of the 25 greatest male stars in American cinema
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars
Part of the AFI 100 Years... series, AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars is a list of the top 50 greatest screen legends of American cinema, 25 male and 25 female...
.
Early years and education
Born as Emanuel Goldenberg to a Yiddish-speaking Romanian-Jewish family in BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, he immigrated with his family to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1903. He had his Bar Mitzvah at First Roumanian-American congregation, and attended Townsend Harris High School
Townsend Harris High School
Townsend Harris High School is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the borough of Queens in New York City. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites." Townsend Harris consistently ranks as among the top 100 High Schools in the United States. It currently operates as...
and then the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
. An interest in acting led to him winning an American Academy of Dramatic Arts
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
scholarship, after which he changed his name to Edward G. Robinson (the G. signifying his original last name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
).
Career
He began his acting career in 1913 and made his BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in 1915. He made his film debut in a minor and uncredited role in 1916; in 1923 he made his named debut as E. G. Robinson in The Bright Shawl. One of many actors who saw his career flourish in the new sound film
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
era rather than falter, he made only three films prior to 1930 but left his stage career that year and made 14 films between 1930-1932.
Robinson was popular in the 1930s and 1940s and was able to avoid many flops during a 50-year career that included 101 films. An acclaimed performance as the gangster Caesar Enrico "Rico" Bandello in Little Caesar
Little Caesar (film)
Little Caesar is a 1931 Warner Bros. Pre-Code crime film. It tells the story of a hoodlum who ascends the ranks of organized crime until he reaches its upper echelons. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, the film stars Edward G. Robinson and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.. The story was adapted by Francis Edward...
(1931) led to him being typecast as a "tough guy" for much of his early career in works such as Five Star Final
Five Star Final
Five Star Final is a 1931 American film about crime and the excesses of tabloid journalism. It was written by Robert Lord and Byron Morgan from the play by Louis Weitzenkorn, and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The movie stars Edward G. Robinson and features H. B...
(1931), Smart Money (1931; his only movie with James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
), Tiger Shark (1932), Kid Galahad
Kid Galahad (1937 film)
Kid Galahad is a 1937 prizefighter film starring Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart. The movie was directed by Michael Curtiz....
(1937) with Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
and Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
, and A Slight Case of Murder. Due to age, he could not qualify for military service during WWII. Instead in the 1940s, Robinson demonstrated his ability to succeed in comedic and film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
roles, including Larceny, Inc.
Larceny, Inc.
Larceny, Inc. is an American film. Originally released on May 2, 1942 by Warner Brothers, the film is a cross between the comedy and gangster genres. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, it stars Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, Jack Carson, Anthony Quinn, and Edward Brophy.The film is based...
(1942), Double Indemnity (1944), The Woman in the Window
The Woman in the Window
The Woman in the Window is a film noir directed by Fritz Lang that tells the story of psychology professor Richard Wanley who meets and becomes enamored with a young femme fatale....
(1945), Scarlet Street
Scarlet Street
Scarlet Street is a 1945 American film noir directed by Fritz Lang and based on the French novel La Chienne by Georges de La Fouchardière, that previously had been dramatized on stage by André Mouëzy-Éon, and cinematically as La Chienne by director Jean Renoir.The principal actors Edward G...
(1945) and The Stranger
The Stranger (1946 film)
The Stranger is an American film noir directed by Orson Welles and starring Welles, Edward G. Robinson, and Loretta Young. The film was based on an Oscar-nominated screenplay written by Victor Trivas. Sam Spiegel was the film's producer, and the film's musical score is by Bronisław Kaper...
(1946). As a memorable tribute to his past gangster roles, he appeared for director John Huston
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge...
as 'Johnny Rocco' in Key Largo
Key Largo (film)
Key Largo is a 1948 film noir directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore, and Claire Trevor...
(1948). Key Largo would be the last of five films he made with Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
.
On three occasions in 1950 and 1952, he was called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
and was threatened with blacklisting
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
. Robinson took steps to clear his name, such as having a representative go through his check stubs to ensure that none had been issued to subversive organizations. He also gave names of Communist sympathizers and his own name was cleared, but thereafter he received smaller roles and even those less frequently.
During this time, he appeared in numerous 'B' movies for American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
and other low-budget studios while attempting to regain his prior status as a film actor. Some of these films, such as Vice Squad (1953) proved excellent in their own right, while others, such as 1958's Tank Battalion, were critical and commercial failures. Anti-communist
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
director Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
cast him as Dathan
Dathan
Dathan was an Israelite mentioned in the Old Testament as a participant of the Exodus.He was a son of Eliab, the son of Pallu, the son of Reuben. Together with his brother Abiram, the Levite Korah and others, he rebelled against Moses and Aaron...
in The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (1956 film)
The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American epic film that dramatized the biblical story of the Exodus, in which the Hebrew-born Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince, becomes the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. The film, released by Paramount Pictures in VistaVision on October 5, 1956, was directed by...
in 1956. Robinson's acting career was later bolstered by notable roles in 1959's A Hole in the Head
A Hole in the Head
A Hole in the Head is a comedy film released by United Artists. It was directed by Frank Capra and featured Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Eleanor Parker, Keenan Wynn, Carolyn Jones, Thelma Ritter, Dub Taylor and Joi Lansing. The film introduced the song "High Hopes", a Sinatra standard used...
opposite Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and The Cincinnati Kid
The Cincinnati Kid
The Cincinnati Kid is a 1965 American drama film. It tells the story of Eric "The Kid" Stoner, a young Depression-era poker player, as he seeks to establish his reputation as the best...
(1965), which showcased Robinson alongside Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
.
Robinson tried to talk his way into a part in The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
(which was how he had won the role of Little Caesar
Little Caesar (film)
Little Caesar is a 1931 Warner Bros. Pre-Code crime film. It tells the story of a hoodlum who ascends the ranks of organized crime until he reaches its upper echelons. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, the film stars Edward G. Robinson and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.. The story was adapted by Francis Edward...
40 years earlier), but Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
decided on Brando instead, over the initial objections of the studio.
Robinson's last-filmed scene of his last acting role was a euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
sequence in the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
cult film
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
Soylent Green
Soylent Green
Soylent Green is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by Richard Fleischer. Starring Charlton Heston, the film overlays the police procedural and science fiction genres as it depicts the investigation into the murder of a wealthy businessman in a dystopian future suffering from pollution,...
(1973). Immediately prior to filming the scene, Robinson told his co-star, and long-time friend Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
, that he was dying from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and had weeks to live, at best. As the actors were to play the scene together, Robinson thought that the knowledge of his impending death would affect Heston's playing of the scene, thus the on-screen tears of Heston's character in the final print of the film are genuine. Robinson died twelve days later.
Personal life
Robinson married his first wife, stage actress Gladys Lloyd, in 1927; born Gladys Lloyd Cassell, she was the former wife of Ralph L. Vestervelt and the daughter of Clement C. Cassell, an architect, sculptor, and artist. The couple had one son, Edward Goldenberg Robinson, Jr. (a.k.a Manny Robinson, 1933–1974), as well as a daughter from Gladys Robinson's first marriage. He could speak seven languages and his chief pastime was collecting records of the world's leading concerts. An inveterate cigar smoker, Robinson smoked cigars in many of his movie roles to accentuate his character.Robinson built up a significant art collection
Collection (museum)
A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, replaceable and less exhibition oriented...
, especially of abstract modern art. In 1956, he sold it to Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos
Stavros Niarchos
Stavros Spyros Niarchos was a Greek shipping tycoon, sometimes known as "The Golden Greek." In 1952, Stavros Niarchos built the first supertankers capable of transporting large quantities of oil, and subsequently earned millions of dollars as global demand for his ships increased.- Early life :He...
to raise cash for his divorce settlement with Gladys Robinson; his finances had suffered due to underemployment in the early 1950s.
Edward G. Robinson died from cancer in 1973, and is buried in a crypt in the family mausoleum at Beth-El Cemetery in the Ridgewood area of the borough of Queens in New York City.
Legacy
Robinson has been the inspiration for a number of television characters. Firstly, an early version of the gangster character RockyRocky and Mugsy
Rocky and Mugsy are animated cartoon characters in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. They were created by Friz Freleng.-Character Biography:...
, featured in the Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
cartoon Racketeer Rabbit
Racketeer Rabbit
Racketeer Rabbit is a 1946 animated short film in the Looney Tunes series produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. It stars Bugs Bunny, who duels with a pair of racketeers or gangsters, Rocky and Hugo forerunners who resemble Edward G. Robinson and Peter Lorre...
, shared his likeness. Similar caricatures also appeared in The CooCooNut Grove, Thugs with Dirty Mugs
Thugs with Dirty Mugs
Thugs with Dirty Mugs is a 1939 Warner Bros. cartoon in the Merrie Melodies series.-Synopsis:Its subject matter is a parody of Warner's famous cycle of crime films starring such actors as James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, George Raft, and Edward G. Robinson...
and Hush My Mouse. Another character based on Robinson's gangster image was The Frog from the cartoon series Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse
Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse
Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse is a children's cartoon television show that was produced by Trans-Artists Productions and syndicated by Tele Features Inc. in 1960. The characters were created by Bob Kane as a parody of his earlier works Batman and Robin and in many ways predict the more campy...
. The voice of B.B. Eyes in The Dick Tracy Show
The Dick Tracy Show
The Dick Tracy Show is an American animated television series based on Chester Gould's comic strip crime fighter. The series was produced from 1961 to 1962 by UPA.-Summary:...
was based on Robinson, with Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
and Jerry Hausner sharing voicing duties. Voice actor Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
has said that the voice of Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
character police chief Clancy Wiggum is an impression of Robinson. This has been explicitly joked about in episodes of the show. In "The Day the Violence Died
The Day the Violence Died
"The Day the Violence Died" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons seventh season and originally aired on March 17, 1996. It was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Wesley Archer. Kirk Douglas guest stars as Chester J...
" (1996), a character states that Chief Wiggum is clearly based on Robinson. In 2008's "Treehouse of Horror XIX
Treehouse of Horror XIX
"Treehouse of Horror XIX" is the fourth episode of the twentieth season of The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 2, 2008...
", Wiggum and Robinson's ghost each accuse the other of being rip-offs.
Robinson was never nominated for an Academy Award, but in 1973 he was awarded an honorary Oscar
Academy Honorary Award
The Academy Honorary Award, instituted in 1948 for the 21st Academy Awards , is given by the discretion of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to celebrate motion picture achievements that are not covered by existing Academy Awards, although prior winners of...
in recognition that he had "achieved greatness as a player, a patron of the arts, and a dedicated citizen ... in sum, a Renaissance man". He died two months before the award ceremony, thus the award was collected by his widow Jane Robinson.
Filmography
- Arms and the Woman (1916)
- The Bright ShawlThe Bright ShawlThe Bright Shawl is a 1923 silent historical drama produced by and starring Richard Barthelmess. This film had several days of filming on location in Cuba...
(1923) - The Hole in the Wall (1929)
- An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Brothers Silver Jubilee (1930) (short subject)
- Night Ride (1930)
- A Lady to Love (1930)
- Outside the LawOutside the Law (1930 film)Outside the Law is a crime film directed by Tod Browning and starring Edward G. Robinson. It is a remake of the 1920 film of the same name, also directed by Browning.-Cast:* Edward G...
(1930) - East Is West (1930)
- The Widow from Chicago (1930)
- How I Play Golf by Bobby Jones No. 10: Trouble Shots (1931) (short subject)
- Little CaesarLittle Caesar (film)Little Caesar is a 1931 Warner Bros. Pre-Code crime film. It tells the story of a hoodlum who ascends the ranks of organized crime until he reaches its upper echelons. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, the film stars Edward G. Robinson and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.. The story was adapted by Francis Edward...
(1931) - The Stolen JoolsThe Stolen JoolsThe Stolen Jools is a short comedy film produced by the Masquers Club of Hollywood, featuring many cameo appearances by the film stars of the day...
(1931) (short subject) - Smart Money (1931)
- Five Star FinalFive Star FinalFive Star Final is a 1931 American film about crime and the excesses of tabloid journalism. It was written by Robert Lord and Byron Morgan from the play by Louis Weitzenkorn, and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The movie stars Edward G. Robinson and features H. B...
(1931) - The Hatchet ManThe Hatchet ManThe Hatchet Man is a Pre-Code film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Edward G. Robinson. Warner Bros. had purchased the David Belasco/Achmed Abdullah play The Honorable Mr. Wong about the Tong gang wars...
(1932) - Two SecondsTwo SecondsTwo Seconds is a 1932 Pre-Code film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Edward G. Robinson with Vivienne Osborne and Preston Foster. It was based on a successful Broadway play of the same name by Elliott Lester. The title refers to the two seconds it takes the condemned person to die in the...
(1932) - Tiger SharkTiger Shark (film)Tiger Shark is a 1932 film directed by Howard Hawks. The movie was made the same year as Scarface, which is widely acknowledged to be the director's best film of the early sound era...
(1932) - Silver Dollar (1932)
- The Little GiantThe Little GiantThe Little Giant is an album by jazz saxophonist Johnny Griffin and his all-star sextet, released on the Riverside label in 1959. It was Griffin's third album on Riverside.-Track listing:#"Olive Refractions" - 4:17...
(1933) - I Loved a Woman (1933)
- Dark Hazard (1934)
- The Man with Two FacesThe Man with Two Faces (1934 film)The Man with Two Faces is a Warner Bros. film directed by Archie Mayo, and starring Edward G. Robinson, Mary Astor, Ricardo Cortez, Louis Calhern, Mae Clarke, and David Landau. The story was adapted by Tom Reed and Niven Busch from the play The Dark Tower by George S...
(1934) - The Whole Town's TalkingThe Whole Town's TalkingThe Whole Town's Talking is a 1935 comedy film starring Edward G. Robinson as a law-abiding man who bears a striking resemblance to a killer, with Jean Arthur as his love interest. It was directed by John Ford from a screenplay by Jo Swerling and Robert Riskin based on a story by W.R...
(1935) - Barbary CoastBarbary Coast (film)Barbary Coast is a period film directed by Howard Hawks. Shot in black-and-white and set in San Francisco during the Gold Rush era, the film combines elements of crime, Western, melodrama and adventure genres, features a wide range of actors, from good-guy Joel McCrea to bad-boy Edward G...
(1935) - Bullets or BallotsBullets or BallotsBullets or Ballots is a 1936 gangster film starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell, Barton MacLane and Humphrey Bogart. Robinson plays a police detective who infiltrates a crime gang.-Cast:*Edward G...
(1936) - Thunder in the CityThunder in the CityThunder in the City is a 1937 British drama film directed by Marion Gering and starring Edward G. Robinson, Luli Deste, Nigel Bruce and Ralph Richardson.- Plot summary :...
(1937) - Kid GalahadKid Galahad (1937 film)Kid Galahad is a 1937 prizefighter film starring Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart. The movie was directed by Michael Curtiz....
(1937) - The Last GangsterThe Last GangsterThe Last Gangster is a 1937 crime drama film, directed by Edward Ludwig and starring Edward G. Robinson, James Stewart and Rose Stradner.-Plot:...
(1937) - A Slight Case of MurderA Slight Case of MurderA Slight Case of Murder is a 1938 comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film is based on a play by Damon Runyon and Howard Lindsay. The offbeat comedy stars Edward G...
(1938) - The Amazing Dr. ClitterhouseThe Amazing Dr. ClitterhouseThe Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse is a 1938 American crime film starring Edward G. Robinson, Claire Trevor and Humphrey Bogart. It was directed by Anatole Litvak for Warner Bros. and written by John Wexley and John Huston, based on the first play written by short-story writer Barré Lyndon, which ran for...
(1938) - I Am the LawI Am the Law (1938 film)-Plot:New York City law professor John Lindsay is asked by Eugene Ferguson, a member of the governor's Civic Committee, to become a special prosecuter to fight racketeers and corruption in the city, but unknown to Lindsay, Ferguson is in association with the racketeers.-Cast:* Edward G...
(1938) - Verdensberømtheder i København (1939) (documentary)
- A Day at Santa Anita (1939) (short subject)
- Confessions of a Nazi SpyConfessions of a Nazi SpyConfessions of a Nazi Spy is a 1939 American spy thriller film and the first blatantly anti-Nazi film produced by a major Hollywood studio prior to World War II. The film stars Edward G. Robinson, Francis Lederer, George Sanders, and a large cast of German actors, including some who had emigrated...
(1939) - BlackmailBlackmail (1939 film)Blackmail is a 1939 crime drama film starring Edward G. Robinson. The black-and-white film was directed by H.C. Potter.-Plot:Edward G. Robinson plays John Ingram, a very successful oil-field firefighter with a young family. All is going so well, he's even bought his own oil well in hope of...
(1939) - Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940)
- Brother OrchidBrother OrchidBrother Orchid is a 1940 crime/comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon. It stars Edward G. Robinson, Ann Sothern and Humphrey Bogart, with featured performances by Donald Crisp, Ralph Bellamy and Allen Jenkins...
(1940) - A Dispatch from Reuter's (1940)
- The Sea WolfThe Sea Wolf (1941 film)The Sea Wolf is a 1941 black-and-white film adaptation of Jack London's novel The Sea Wolf with Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, and John Garfield. The film was written by Robert Rossen and directed by Michael Curtiz....
(1941) - ManpowerManpower (1941 film)Manpower is a 1941 film about power company linemen starring Edward G. Robinson, Marlene Dietrich, and George Raft. The memorable posters for the movie proclaimed, "Robinson - He's mad about Dietrich. Dietrich - She's mad about Raft...
(1941) - Polo with the Stars (1941) (short subject)
- Unholy PartnersUnholy PartnersUnholy Partners is a black-and-white film starring Edward G. Robinson, Laraine Day, Edward Arnold, and Marsha Hunt. The newspaper story was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-Synopsis:...
(1941) - Larceny, Inc.Larceny, Inc.Larceny, Inc. is an American film. Originally released on May 2, 1942 by Warner Brothers, the film is a cross between the comedy and gangster genres. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, it stars Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, Jack Carson, Anthony Quinn, and Edward Brophy.The film is based...
(1942) - Tales of ManhattanTales of ManhattanTales of Manhattan is a 1942 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier. Thirteen writers, including Ben Hecht, Alan Campbell, Ferenc Molnár, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Donald Ogden Stewart worked on the six stories in this film.-Cast:...
(1942) - Moscow Strikes BackMoscow Strikes BackMoscow Strikes Back is a Soviet war documentary about Battle of Moscow made in October 1941 – January 1942 directed by Leonid Varlamov and Ilya Kopalin.In USSR film was awarded the Stalin Prize....
(1942) (documentary) (narrator) - Magic Bullets (1943) (short subject) (narrator)
- DestroyerDestroyer (1943 film)Destroyer is a 1943 war film starring Edward G. Robinson and Glenn Ford as U.S. Navy sailors in World War II.-Plot:Steve "Boley" Boleslavski helps build the destroyer John Paul Jones, the namesake of the ship he served on in World War I...
(1943) - Flesh and FantasyFlesh and FantasyFlesh and Fantasy is a 1943 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier, starring Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer and Barbara Stanwyck. The making of this film was inspired by the success of Duvivier's previous anthology film, the 1942 Tales of Manhattan.Flesh and Fantasy tells three...
(1943) - TampicoTampico (1944 film)Tampico was a 1944 drama/war film directed by Lothar Mendes and released by 20th Century Fox. It starred Edward G. Robinson, Lynn Bari, Victor McLaglen, Marc Lawrence, and Mona Maris.-Plot:...
(1944) - Mr. Winkle Goes to WarMr. Winkle Goes to WarMr. Winkle Goes to War is a 1944 war comedy film starring Edward G. Robinson and Ruth Warrick, based on a novel by Theodore Pratt.-Plot:On June 1, 1942, after fourteen years, mild-mannered 44-year-old Wilbert G. Winkle quits his boring bank job to follow his dream, to open a repair shop...
(1944) - Double Indemnity (1944)
- The Woman in the WindowThe Woman in the WindowThe Woman in the Window is a film noir directed by Fritz Lang that tells the story of psychology professor Richard Wanley who meets and becomes enamored with a young femme fatale....
(1945)
- Our Vines Have Tender GrapesOur Vines Have Tender GrapesOur Vines Have Tender Grapes is an American drama film released in 1945, directed by Roy Rowland and starring Edward G. Robinson and Margaret O'Brien.-Background:...
(1945) - Scarlet StreetScarlet StreetScarlet Street is a 1945 American film noir directed by Fritz Lang and based on the French novel La Chienne by Georges de La Fouchardière, that previously had been dramatized on stage by André Mouëzy-Éon, and cinematically as La Chienne by director Jean Renoir.The principal actors Edward G...
(1945) - American Creed (1946) (short subject)
- Journey Together (1946)
- The StrangerThe Stranger (1946 film)The Stranger is an American film noir directed by Orson Welles and starring Welles, Edward G. Robinson, and Loretta Young. The film was based on an Oscar-nominated screenplay written by Victor Trivas. Sam Spiegel was the film's producer, and the film's musical score is by Bronisław Kaper...
(1946) - The Red HouseThe Red House (1947 film)The Red House is a 1947 psychological thriller starring Edward G. Robinson. It is adapted from the novel The Red House by George Agnew Chamberlain, published in 1943 by Popular Library...
(1947) - All My SonsAll My Sons (film)All My Sons is a 1948 drama film based on Arthur Miller's play of the same name. It stars Edward G. Robinson as a defense contractor whose dark secret is revealed.-Cast:*Edward G...
(1948) - Key LargoKey Largo (film)Key Largo is a 1948 film noir directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore, and Claire Trevor...
(1948) - Night Has a Thousand EyesNight Has a Thousand EyesNight Has a Thousand Eyes is a 1948 film noir, starring Edward G. Robinson and directed by John Farrow. The screenplay was written by Barré Lyndon and Jonathan Latimer. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Cornell Woolrich.- Plot :...
(1948) - House of StrangersHouse of StrangersHouse of Strangers is a film noir, and is the first of three film versions of Jerome Weidman's novel I'll Never Go There Anymore, each scripted by Phillip Yordan...
(1949) - It's a Great FeelingIt's a Great FeelingIt's a Great Feeling is a Warner Bros. feature film starring Doris Day, Jack Carson, and Dennis Morgan in a spoof of what goes on behind-the-scenes in Hollywood movie-making. The screenplay by Jack Rose and Melville Shavelson was based upon a story by I.A.L. Diamond. The film was directed by...
(1949) (cameo) - Operation X (1950)
- Actor's and SinActor's and SinActor's and Sin is a 1952 American black-and-white comedy drama film directed by Lee Garmes and Ben Hecht for Sid Kuller Productions. The film marks Edward G. Robinson's second film with actress Marsha Hunt...
(1952) - Vice SquadVice Squad (1953 film)Vice Squad is a 1953 police procedural film starring Edward G. Robinson as a police captain with the Los Angeles Police Department and Paulette Goddard as one of his informants. The movie was directed by Arnold Laven....
(1953) - Big LeaguerBig LeaguerBig Leaguer is a 1953 film. It starred Edward G. Robinson and was the first film directed by Robert Aldrich.Although this story is fiction, Robinson's character in it, Hans Lobert, was an actual baseball player who played for five Major League Baseball teams and managed the Philadelphia Phillies.-...
(1953) - The Glass WebThe Glass Web-Plot:"The ice-cold diva Paula ruthlessly exploits theguys she dates. While blackmailing the marriedDon with a recent one-night-stand, she has a secretaffair with Henry, who works as researcher forthe weekly authentic TV show "Crime of the Week",...
(1953) - What's My Line?What's My Line?What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
(as October 11, 1953 mystery guest) - Black Tuesday (1954)
- Hell on Frisco BayHell on Frisco BayHell on Frisco Bay is a 1955 film starring Alan Ladd and Edward G. Robinson. Directed by Frank Tuttle, The supporting cast includes Joanne Dru, William Demarest, and Fay Wray. It was made for Ladd's own production company, Jaguar....
(1955) - The Violent MenThe Violent MenThe Violent Men is a CinemaScope Western film drama from 1955. It was directed by Rudolph Maté, and starred Glenn Ford along with Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson as a bickering married couple at odds with cattlemen in their small town. Brian Keith and Diane Foster co-starred...
(1955) - Tight SpotTight SpotTight Spot is an American film noir directed by Phil Karlson and written by William Bowers, based on the play Dead Pigeon, by Leonard Kantor. It stars Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith, Lorne Greene, and Eve McVeagh...
(1955) - A Bullet for JoeyA Bullet for JoeyA Bullet for Joey is a 1955 film noir starring Edward G. Robinson and George Raft-Critical Response:In his book, Film Noir, Detective and Mystery Movies on DVD, John Howard Reid considered the movie dull. Slow pace, one-dimensional characters, and an unconvincing climax plague the film....
(1955) - Illegal (1955)
- NightmareNightmare (1956 film)Nightmare is a 1956 psychological thriller starring Edward G. Robinson. The story is based on a novel by William Irish . The novel was also made into a film in 1947 titled Fear in the Night. The film was directed by long-time movie writer Maxwell Shane, later the producer of the classic horror...
(1956) - The Ten CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments (1956 film)The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American epic film that dramatized the biblical story of the Exodus, in which the Hebrew-born Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince, becomes the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. The film, released by Paramount Pictures in VistaVision on October 5, 1956, was directed by...
(1956) - The Heart of Show Business (1957) (short subject) (narrator)
- A Hole in the HeadA Hole in the HeadA Hole in the Head is a comedy film released by United Artists. It was directed by Frank Capra and featured Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Eleanor Parker, Keenan Wynn, Carolyn Jones, Thelma Ritter, Dub Taylor and Joi Lansing. The film introduced the song "High Hopes", a Sinatra standard used...
(1959) - Seven ThievesSeven ThievesSeven Thieves is a 1960 20th Century Fox film noir crime drama motion picture. It stars Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger and Joan Collins.Directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Sydney Boehm, it was adapted for the screen by Sydney Boehm, based on the novel The Lions At The Kill by Max Catto...
(1960) - PepePepe (film)Pepe is a 1960 film starring Mario "Cantinflas" Moreno in the title role, directed by George Sidney. A multitude of cameo appearances attempted to replicate the success of Mario Moreno's American debut, notably Around the World in Eighty Days, produced by Mike Todd in 1956.The film failed to...
(1960) (cameo) - My GeishaMy GeishaMy Geisha is a 1962 American comedy film directed by Jack Cardiff, starring Yves Montand, Shirley MacLaine, and Edward G. Robinson, and released by Paramount Pictures...
(1962) - Two Weeks in Another TownTwo Weeks in Another TownTwo Weeks in Another Town is a 1962 drama film based on a novel by Irwin Shaw, directed by Vincente Minnelli, and starring Kirk Douglas, Edward G. Robinson, Cyd Charisse, Claire Trevor, Daliah Lavi, George Hamilton, and Rosanna Schiaffino....
(1962) - Sammy Going SouthSammy Going SouthSammy Going South, retitled A Boy Ten Feet Tall for its later US release, is a 1963 British adventure film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, photographed by Erwin Hillier, and starring Edward G. Robinson, Fergus McClelland and Constance Cummings. The film was based on a novel by W.H. Canaway and...
(1963) (a.k.a. A Boy Ten Feet Tall) - The Prize (1963)
- Robin and the 7 HoodsRobin and the 7 HoodsRobin and the 7 Hoods is a 1964 American musical film that transplants the Robin Hood legend to a 1930s Chicago gangster setting. Directed by Gordon Douglas and produced by Frank Sinatra, with a screenplay by David R. Schwartz, the movie stars members of the Rat Pack as well as Bing Crosby, Peter...
(1964) (cameo) - Good Neighbor SamGood Neighbor SamGood Neighbor Sam is a 1964 American comedy movie co-written and directed by David Swift and starring Jack Lemmon and Romy Schneider.It was based on the novel by Jack Finney. The screenplay was the motion picture debut of James Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, who had written many American...
(1964) - Cheyenne AutumnCheyenne AutumnCheyenne Autumn is a 1964 western starring Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, James Stewart, and Edward G. Robinson. Regarded as an epic film it tells the story of a factual event, the Northern Cheyenne Exodus of 1878-9, although it is told in 'Hollywood style' using a great degree of artistic license...
(1964) - The OutrageThe OutrageThe Outrage is a remake of the 1950 Japanese film Rashomon, reformulated as a Western. Like the original Akira Kurosawa film, four people give contradictory accounts of a rape and murder. Kurosawa is credited with the screenplay. It was directed by Martin Ritt and is based on stories by Ryūnosuke...
(1964) - The Cincinnati KidThe Cincinnati KidThe Cincinnati Kid is a 1965 American drama film. It tells the story of Eric "The Kid" Stoner, a young Depression-era poker player, as he seeks to establish his reputation as the best...
(1965) - All About People (1967) (short subject) (narrator)
- Grand Slam (1967)
- The Blonde from Peking (1967)
- Operation St. Peter's (1967)
- The Biggest Bundle of Them AllThe Biggest Bundle of Them AllThe Biggest Bundle of Them All is a 1968 American crime film set in Naples, Italy. The story is about a mobster and a novice gang of crooks who team up to steal $5 million worth of platinum ingots from a train...
(1968) - Never a Dull Moment (1968)
- It's Your MoveIt's Your Move (1969 film)It's Your Move is a 1969 Italian comedy film directed by Robert Fiz and starring Edward G. Robinson and Terry-Thomas.-Cast:* Edward G. Robinson - Sir George McDowell* Adolfo Celi* Maria Grazia Buccella - Monique* George Rigaud* Manuel Zarzo...
(1969) - Mackenna's GoldMackenna's GoldMackenna's Gold is a 1969 western film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Camilla Sparv, and Julie Newmar...
(1969) - U.M.C. aka Operation Heartbeat (1969 TV movie; pilot for Medical CenterMedical Center (TV series)Medical Center is a medical drama series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.-Synopsis:The show starred James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner and Chad Everett as Dr. Joe Gannon, surgeons working in an otherwise unnamed university hospital in Los Angeles. The show focused both on the lives of the doctors...
) - Song of NorwaySong of Norway (film)Song of Norway is a 1970 film adaptation of the successful operetta of the same name, directed by Andrew L. Stone.Like the play from which it derived, the film tells of the early struggles of composer Edvard Grieg and his attempts to develop an authentic Norwegian national music...
(1970) - The Old Man Who Cried Wolf (1970)
- Mooch Goes to HollywoodMooch Goes to HollywoodMooch Goes to Hollywood is a 1971 television movie about an ambitious dog and her attempts to become a canine star after befriending Zsa Zsa Gabor, who provides the pooch with the skinny on the INs and OUTs of achieving Hollywood fame...
(1971) (cameo) - Neither by Day Nor by NightNeither by Day Nor by NightNeither by Day Nor by Night is a 1972 Israeli-American drama film directed by Steven Hilliard Stern. It was entered into the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Haim Anitar - Akira* Misha Asherov - Doctor* Miriam Bernstein-Cohen - Sokolova...
(1972) - Soylent GreenSoylent GreenSoylent Green is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by Richard Fleischer. Starring Charlton Heston, the film overlays the police procedural and science fiction genres as it depicts the investigation into the murder of a wealthy businessman in a dystopian future suffering from pollution,...
(1973)