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55-564: Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year career in films and television series. He was a four-time nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actor (winning once), and he also won two BAFTA Awards and one Golden Globe Award for Best Lead Actor. The American Film Institute ranks Lancaster as # 19 of

110-431: A cerebral hemorrhage . Lancaster was accepted by New York University with an athletic scholarship, but dropped out. At the age of 9, Lancaster met Nick Cravat with whom he developed a lifelong partnership. Together, they learned to act in local theatre productions and circus arts at Union Settlement , one of the city's oldest settlement houses. In the 1930s, they formed the acrobat duo Lang and Cravat and soon joined

165-492: A leading role in a film released that year. The award is traditionally presented by the previous year's Best Actress winner. The Best Actor award has been presented 97 times, to 86 actors. The first winner was German actor Emil Jannings for his roles in The Last Command (1928) and The Way of All Flesh (1927). The most recent winner is Cillian Murphy for Oppenheimer (2023), who simultaneously became

220-549: A Best Actor Golden Globe nomination, and in 1957 he starred in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) with frequent co-star Kirk Douglas . During the 1950s, his production company, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster , was highly successful, with Lancaster acting in films such as: Trapeze (1956), a box office smash in which he used his acrobatic skills and for which he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor ; Sweet Smell of Success (1957),

275-572: A Giant Step (1959), about a black student; and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1960), from an Australian play, shot on location in Australia and Britain. HHL served as the production company for the 1960–61 TV series Whiplash . The Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions company dissolved in 1960 after Hill ruptured his relationship with both Hecht and Lancaster. Hill went on to produce a single additional film, The Happy Thieves , in

330-409: A Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor; and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) with Kirk Douglas, which was a huge commercial hit directed by John Sturges . Lancaster re-teamed with Tony Curtis in 1957 for Sweet Smell of Success , a co-production between Hecht-Hill-Lancaster and Curtis' own company with wife Janet Leigh , Curtleigh Productions. The movie, directed by Alexander Mackendrick ,

385-587: A US Air Force General who, opposed by a Colonel played by Douglas, tries to overthrow the President in Seven Days in May . Then, in 1966, he played an explosives expert in the western The Professionals . Although the reception of his 1968 film The Swimmer was initially lackluster upon release, in the years after it has grown in stature critically and attained a cult following . In 1970, Lancaster starred in

440-702: A company, Norma Productions, and did a deal with Universal to make a thriller about a disturbed G.I. in London, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands in 1948, with Joan Fontaine and directed by Norman Foster. It made a profit of only $ 50,000, but was critically acclaimed. Back in Hollywood, Lancaster made another film noir with Siodmak, Criss Cross , in 1949. It was originally going to be produced by Hellinger and when Hellinger died, another took over. Tony Curtis made an early appearance. Lancaster appeared in

495-539: A dark drama today considered a classic; Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), a WWII submarine drama with Clark Gable ; and Separate Tables (1958), a hotel-set drama which received seven Oscar nominations. In the early 1960s, Lancaster starred in a string of critically successful films, each in very disparate roles. Playing a charismatic biblical con-man in Elmer Gantry in 1960 won him the Academy Award and

550-456: A dialogue coach. Lancaster starred in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) for Stanley Kramer , alongside Spencer Tracy , Richard Widmark and a number of other stars. The film was both a commercial and critical success, receiving eleven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. He then did another film with Hecht and Frankenheimer (replacing Charles Crichton ), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962),

605-501: A fourth picture for Wallis, Rope of Sand , in 1949. Norma Productions signed a three-picture deal with Warner Bros. The first was 1950's The Flame and the Arrow , a swashbuckler movie, in which Lancaster drew on his circus skills. Nick Cravat had a supporting role and the film was a huge commercial success, making $ 6 million. It was Warners' most popular film of the year and established an entirely new image for Lancaster. Lancaster

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660-404: A largely fictionalized biography. In it he plays Robert Stroud , a federal prisoner incarcerated for life for two murders, who begins to collect birds and over time becomes an expert in bird diseases, even publishing a book. The film shows Stroud transferred to the maximum security Alcatraz prison where he is not allowed to keep birds and as he ages he gets married, markets bird remedies, helps stop

715-556: A majority of the Court agrees to strike down the "separate but equal" laws; however, it is important to him that the Court be unanimous. He writes an opinion and takes copies to all of the dissenting justices trying to convince each one of the significance of unanimity. They finally all agree. Warren reads his opinion which states that segregation "has no place" in American society. Even opposing counsel, John W. Davis, privately agrees it

770-668: A new production company, Hillworth Productions, co-owned with his wife Rita Hayworth . Lancaster played the title role in Elmer Gantry (1960), written and directed by Richard Brooks for United Artists. The film received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor. Lancaster won the 1960 Academy Award for Best Actor, a Golden Globe Award, and the New York Film Critics Award for his performance. Hecht and Lancaster worked together on The Young Savages (1961), directed by John Frankenheimer and produced by Hecht. Sydney Pollack worked as

825-501: A political thriller with Douglas, and The Train (1964), a World War Two action film (Lancaster had Frankenheimer replace Arthur Penn several days into filming). Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in

880-495: A prison drama written by Richard Brooks and directed by Jules Dassin . It was also well received. Wallis released his films through Paramount, and so Lancaster and other Wallis contractees made cameos in Variety Girl in 1947. Lancaster's next film was a thriller for Wallis in 1947, I Walk Alone , co-starring Lizabeth Scott and a young Kirk Douglas , who was also under contract to Wallis. Variety listed it as one of

935-584: A prison rebellion, and writes a book on the history of the U.S. penal system, but never gets paroled. The sympathetic performance earned Lancaster a Best Actor Oscar nomination, a BAFTA Award for Best Actor, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Dramatic Role. Hecht went on to produce five films without Lancaster's assistance, through his company Harold Hecht Films Productions between 1961 and 1967, including another Academy Award winner, Cat Ballou , starring Lee Marvin and Jane Fonda . Lancaster made A Child Is Waiting (1963) with Judy Garland . It

990-574: A stroke in 1990 forced him to retire; four years later he died from a heart attack. His final film role was in the Oscar-nominated Field of Dreams . Lancaster was born on November 2, 1913, in New York City, at his parents' home at 209 East 106th Street, the son of Elizabeth ( née Roberts) and mailman James Lancaster. Both of his parents were Protestants of working-class origin. All four of his grandparents were emigrants from

1045-460: A two-picture deal, the first of which was to be 1954's Apache , starring Lancaster as a Native American. They followed it with another Western in 1954, Vera Cruz , co-starring Gary Cooper and produced by Hill. Both films were directed by Robert Aldrich and were hugely popular. United Artists signed Hecht-Lancaster to a multi-picture contract, to make seven films over two years. These included films in which Lancaster did not act. Their first

1100-480: A win —albeit in 2003, he was an Honorary Oscar recipient . Nominees are currently determined by single transferable vote within the actors branch of AMPAS; winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire eligible voting members of the Academy. In the first three years of the awards, actors and actresses were nominated as the best individuals in their categories. At that time, all of their work during

1155-597: Is time for society to change. The epilogue acknowledges Thurgood Marshall's own ascent to the Supreme Court in 1967 and explains that the plaintiff in the companion case, a black student named Briggs, never attended an integrated school. John Leonard called the film "splendid" and "a triumph" in New York Magazine . While generally praising the film, Richard Zoglin in Time Magazine called

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1210-485: The 9th Academy Awards , held in 1937, the category was limited to a maximum five nominations per year. In the following table, the years are listed as per Academy convention, and generally correspond to the year of film release in Los Angeles County ; the ceremonies are always held the following year. For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period spanned twelve months, from August 1 to July 31. For

1265-506: The first Irish-born actor to win this award. Italian actor Roberto Benigni gave the first non-English winning performance in Life Is Beautiful (1997) in this category. The record for most wins is three, held by Daniel Day-Lewis , while nine other actors have won twice. The record for most nominations is nine, jointly held by Spencer Tracy and Laurence Olivier . James Dean , with two consecutive nominations, remains

1320-512: The greatest male stars of classic Hollywood cinema. Lancaster performed as a circus acrobat in the 1930s. At the age of 32, and after serving in World War II , he landed a role in a Broadway play and drew the attention of a Hollywood agent. His breakthrough role was in the film noir The Killers in 1946 alongside Ava Gardner . A critical success, it launched both of their careers. In 1948 Lancaster starred alongside Barbara Stanwyck in

1375-483: The 14th Amendment when it was passed. Taking the case under advisement, the stalemated justices agree to allow Marshall and Davis an opportunity to reargue their respective cases as to whether the equal protection clause specifically extends to the desegregation of schools. In the interim, Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson dies and is replaced by a non-jurist, Governor Earl Warren of California. Meanwhile, Marshall and his staff are fruitless in finding any research showing

1430-461: The 6th ceremony held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932, to December 31, 1933. Since the 7th ceremony held in 1935, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31. The following individuals received two or more Best Actor awards: The following individuals received three or more Best Actor nominations: Winners are in bold . The following were nominated for their portrayals of

1485-526: The Amendment, which directly states segregation is constitutionally and morally wrong. They place it at the front of their brief. Marshall's argument is compelling. As the case is taken under advisement a second time, new Chief Justice Warren is taken on a tour of Gettysburg Battlefield by his black chauffeur. He also realizes that his chauffeur must sleep in the car because there are no lodging places available for him because of his race. Warren discovers

1540-561: The Civil-War era crafters of the 14th Amendment in 1866 intended for schools to be desegregated. On the other hand, Davis and his Ivy League-educated staff find several examples of segregated schools having existed ever since the passage of the equal protection clause. Finally, the NAACP staffers discover a quote by Thaddeus Stevens delivered on the floor of the Senate during the debate over

1595-649: The Golden Globe for Best Actor. He played a Nazi war criminal in 1961 in the all-star, war-crime-trial film, Judgment at Nuremberg . Playing a bird expert prisoner in Birdman of Alcatraz in 1962, he earned the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor and his third Oscar nomination. In 1963, Lancaster traveled to Italy to star as an Italian prince in Visconti's epic period drama The Leopard . In 1964, he played

1650-717: The Kay Brothers circus. However, in 1939, an injury forced Lancaster to give up the profession, with great regret. He then found temporary work, first as a salesman for Marshall Fields and then as a singing waiter in various restaurants. After the United States entered World War II , Lancaster joined the United States Army in January 1943 and performed with the Army's 21st Special Services Division, one of

1705-646: The Norma-Warners contract was that Lancaster had to appear in some non-Norma films, of which this was one. In 1954, for his own company, Lancaster produced and starred in His Majesty O'Keefe , a South Sea island tale shot in Fiji. It was co-written by James Hill, who would soon become a part of the Hecht-Lancaster partnership. Hecht and Lancaster left Warners for United Artists , for what began as

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1760-501: The United States Supreme Court is whether the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution mandates the individual states to desegregate public schools; that is, whether the nation's "separate but equal" policy heretofore upheld under the law, is unconstitutional. The issue is placed before the Court by Brown v. Board of Education and its companion case, Briggs v. Elliott . Many of

1815-524: The box-office hit, air-disaster drama Airport . In 1974 he again starred in a Visconti film, Conversation Piece . He experienced a career resurgence in 1980 with the crime-romance Atlantic City , winning the BAFTA for Best Actor and landing his fourth Oscar nomination. Starting in the late 1970s, he also appeared in television mini-series, including the award-winning Separate but Equal with Sidney Poitier . He continued acting into his late 70s, until

1870-528: The commercially and critically acclaimed film Sorry, Wrong Number , where he portrayed the husband to her bedridden invalid character. In 1953 Lancaster played the illicit lover of Deborah Kerr in the military drama From Here to Eternity . A box office smash, it won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and landed a Best Actor nomination for Lancaster. Later in the 1950s, he starred in The Rainmaker (1956), with Katharine Hepburn , earning

1925-510: The company's name to Hecht-Lancaster Productions. The first film under the new name was another swashbuckler: 1952's The Crimson Pirate , directed by Siodmak. Co-starring Cravat, it was extremely popular. Lancaster changed pace once more by doing a straight dramatic part in 1952's Come Back, Little Sheba , based on a Broadway hit, with Shirley Booth , produced by Wallis and directed by Daniel Mann . Alternating with adventure films, he went into South Sea Woman in 1952 at Warners. Part of

1980-425: The justices personally believe segregation is morally unacceptable, but have difficulty justifying the idea legally under the 14th Amendment. Marshall and Davis argue their respective cases. Marshall argues the equal protection clause extends far enough to the states to prohibit segregated schools. Davis counters that control of public schools is a " states' rights " issue that Congress never intended to be covered by

2035-536: The military groups organized to follow the troops on the ground and provide USO entertainment to keep up morale. He served in the Fifth Army in Italy under General Mark Clark from 1943 to 1945. He was discharged October 1945 and was an entertainment specialist with the rank of technician fifth grade . Lancaster returned to New York after his Army service. Although initially unenthusiastic about acting, Lancaster

2090-674: The music industry with the music publishing companies Leigh Music , Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music , Calyork Music and Colby Music and the record labels Calyork Records and Maine Records . The HHL team impressed Hollywood with its success; as Life wrote in 1957, "[a]fter the independent production of a baker's dozen of pictures, it has yet to have its first flop ... (They were also good pictures.)." In late 1957, they announced they would make ten films worth $ 14 million in 1958. Lancaster made two films for Wallis to complete his eight-film commitment for that contract: The Rainmaker (1956) with Katharine Hepburn , which earned Lancaster

2145-457: The only actor to have been posthumously nominated for this award more than once. Meanwhile, Peter Finch remains the only posthumous winner in this category, for Network (1976). At the 5th Academy Awards , Fredric March finished one vote ahead of Wallace Beery ; under the rules of the time, this meant both actors were awarded, in this category's only tie. Peter O'Toole holds the record in this category for most nominations (eight) without

2200-422: The opportunity to produce their own movies within five years of hitting Hollywood. Through Hecht, Lancaster was brought to the attention of producer Hal B. Wallis . Lancaster left New York and moved to Los Angeles. Wallis signed him to a non-exclusive eight-movie contract. Lancaster's first filmed movie was Desert Fury for Wallis in 1947, where Lancaster was billed after John Hodiak and Lizabeth Scott . It

2255-539: The province of Ulster , Ireland. His maternal side was from Belfast , the descendants of English dissenters who had colonized Ireland as part of the Plantation of Ulster . Lancaster grew up in East Harlem , New York City. He developed a great interest and skill in gymnastics while attending DeWitt Clinton High School , where he was a basketball star. Before he graduated from DeWitt Clinton, his mother died of

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2310-432: The qualifying period (as many as three films, in some cases) was listed after the award. Despite this, at the 3rd Academy Awards , held in 1930, only one film was cited in each winner's award regardless of how many they were eligible to be considered for during that span. The current system, in which an actor is nominated for a specific performance in a single film, was introduced for the 4th Academy Awards . Starting with

2365-504: The same fictional or non-fictional character in separate films (including variations of the original). Winners are in bold . Separate but Equal (film) In 1991, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences rewarded the film with the Outstanding Miniseries award. The film received 8 nominations for Emmy Awards in 1991 and won 2, and received 3 nominations for Golden Globe Awards in 1992. The issue before

2420-402: The time. Marty star Borgnine was under contract to Hecht-Lancaster and was unhappy about his lack of upcoming roles, especially after only receiving some seven lines in 1957's Sweet Smell of Success and half of his normal pay for Marty . He eventually sued for breach of contract to gain back some of this money in 1957. Without Hill, Hecht and Lancaster produced The Kentuckian in 1955. It

2475-409: The top grossers of the year, taking in more than $ 2 million. In 1948, Lancaster had a change of pace with the film adaptation of Arthur Miller 's All My Sons , made at Universal Pictures with Edward G. Robinson . His third film for Wallis was an adaptation of Sorry, Wrong Number in 1948, with Barbara Stanwyck . Hecht kept to his promise to Lancaster to turn producer. The two of them formed

2530-552: Was Marty in 1955, based on Paddy Chayefsky 's TV play starring Ernest Borgnine and directed by Delbert Mann . It won both the Best Picture Oscar and the Palme d'Or award at Cannes and Borgnine an Best Actor Oscar . It also earned $ 2 million on a budget of $ 350,000. Vera Cruz had been a huge success, but Marty secured Hecht-Lancaster as one of the most successful independent production companies in Hollywood at

2585-571: Was a critical success but a commercial disappointment. Over the years it has come to be regarded as one of Lancaster's greatest films. HHL produced seven additional films in the late 1950s. Four starred Lancaster: Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), a Robert Wise directed war film with Clark Gable , which was mildly popular; Separate Tables (1958) a hotel-set drama with Kerr and Rita Hayworth (who married James Hill), which received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and Oscar awards for lead actor David Niven and supporting actress Wendy Hiller , and

2640-471: Was a member of the French Foreign Legion . Robert Aldrich worked on the movie as a production manager. The second was 1952's The First Time , a comedy which was the directorial debut of Frank Tashlin . It was meant to star Lancaster but he wound up not appearing in the film – the first of their productions in which he did not act. In 1951, the actor/producer duo changed

2695-424: Was borrowed by 20th Century Fox for Mister 880 in 1950, a comedy with Edmund Gwenn . MGM put him in a popular Western, Vengeance Valley in 1951, then he went to Warners to play the title role in the biopic Jim Thorpe – All-American , also in 1951. Norma signed a deal with Columbia Pictures to make two films through a Norma subsidiary, Halburt. The first film was 1951's Ten Tall Men , where Lancaster

2750-542: Was both a critical and commercial success; The Devil's Disciple (1959), with Douglas and Laurence Olivier , which lost money (and saw Lancaster fire Mackendrick during shooting); and the Western The Unforgiven (1960), with Audrey Hepburn , which was a critical and commercial disappointment. Three were made without Lancaster, all of which lost money: The Bachelor Party (1957), from another TV play by Chayefsky, and directed by Delbert Mann; Take

2805-420: Was directed by Lewis Allen . Then producer Mark Hellinger approached him to star in 1946's The Killers , which was completed and released prior to Desert Fury . Directed by Robert Siodmak , it was a great commercial and critical success and launched Lancaster and his co-star Ava Gardner to stardom. It has since come to be regarded as a classic. Hellinger used Lancaster again on Brute Force in 1947,

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2860-426: Was directed by Lancaster in his directorial debut, and he also played a lead role. Lancaster disliked directing and only did it once more, on 1974's The Midnight Man . Lancaster still had commitments with Wallis, and made The Rose Tattoo for him in 1955, starring with Anna Magnani and Daniel Mann directing. It was very popular at the box office and critically acclaimed, winning Magnani an Oscar. In 1955, Hill

2915-460: Was encouraged to audition for a Broadway play by a producer who saw him in an elevator while he was visiting his then-girlfriend at work. The audition was successful and Lancaster was cast in Harry Brown 's A Sound of Hunting (1945). The show only ran three weeks, but his performance attracted the interest of a Hollywood agent, Harold Hecht . Lancaster had other offers but Hecht promised him

2970-468: Was made an equal partner in Hecht-Lancaster, with his name added to the production company. Hecht-Hill-Lancaster (HHL) released their first film Trapeze in 1956, with Lancaster performing many of his own stunts. The film, co-starring Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida , went on to become the production company's top box office success, and United Artists expanded its deal with HHL. In 1956, Lancaster and Hecht partnered with Loring Buzzell and entered

3025-753: Was produced by Kramer and directed by John Cassavetes . He went to Italy to star in The Leopard (1963) for Luchino Visconti , co-starring Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale . It was one of Lancaster's favorite films and was a big hit in France but failed in the US (though the version released was much truncated). He had a small role in The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) for producer/star Kirk Douglas, and then did two for Frankenheimer: Seven Days in May (1964),

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