Lee Marvin

Lee Marvin (February 19, 1924 – August 29, 1987), was an American actor.

Lee Marvin
Born	(1924-02-19)February 19, 1924 New York City, U.S.
Died	August 29, 1987(1987-08-29) (aged 63) Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Cause of death	Heart attack
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1950–1986

Career

Marvin was born in New York City, United States. He began his career with small roles in western movies such as Cave of Outlaws (1951), The Duel at Silver Creek (1952), with Audie Murphy, and Seminole (1953), with Rock Hudson. He was also in The Caine Mutiny (1954) with Humphrey Bogart.

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Marvin continued to act in small roles in westerns, including: Seven Men from Now (1956), with Randolph Scott, The Comancheros (1961), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), with John Wayne.

In 1965 Marvin won an Academy Award for the Western Comedy movie, Cat Ballou (1965). He played a nice drunken cowboy.

He acted with Burt Lancaster in The Professionals (1966), by Richard Brooks.

He became well known after playing the role of Major Reisman, in the Robert Aldrich movie The Dirty Dozen (1967). That same year, he starred in Point Blank.

At the end of the decade from 1960 Marvin had popular movies including Hell in the Pacific (1968) and Paint Your Wagon (1969), with Clint Eastwood.

In 1973 he had one of his best performances in Emperor of the North Pole (1973). He plays a drifter who often stows away on trains. In 1974 he played a sheriff, who must deal with racism in The Klansman by Terence Young.

In his later years, he worked with Chuck Norris in The Delta Force (1986).

Television

Marvin also had a successful career in television. He was in the television series M Squad (1957–1960), as Detective Lt. Frank Ballinger. He was in 117 episodes in this series.

He was a guest star on many series. These include Wagon Train, Ben Casey, Bonanza, The Virginian, The Untouchables, The Twilight Zone and Dr. Kildare. He also played the role of Maj. John Reisman, in the TV movie The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission (1985).

References

• Lee Marvin on IMDb
• Profile of Marvin in Film Comment
• Lee Marvin at Find a Grave
• Lessons From Lee Marvin article