Widmark, Richard 1914-2008

PERSONAL

Born December 26, 1914, in Sunrise, MN; died of complications from a fall, March 24, 2008, in Roxbury, CT. Actor and producer. Widmark's portrayal of a psychotic gangster in his screen debut, the 1947 thriller Kiss of Death, made him an instant star. Growing up in Illinois, Widmark attended Lake Forest College with every intention of becoming a lawyer. After winning the lead role in a college production, however, he changed course and stayed with the drama department. After graduating in 1936, Widmark became the assistant director of speech and drama at Lake Forest, quitting in 1938 to move to New York. He was soon cast in a variety of radio roles, including Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories, Stella Dallas, Inner Sanctum, and Life Can Be Beautiful. Widmark made his Broadway debut as an army lieutenant in the 1943 production Kiss and Tell. He continued to act on Broadway until 1947, when Twentieth Century-Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck insisted that Widmark be cast as the psychopath in the gangster film Kiss of Death. With a sadistic laugh and a menacing stare, Widmark's portrayal of the killer Tommy Udo scared movie audiences across the country. His performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor and a Golden Globe Award for most promising male newcomer. He was soon typecast, playing psychotics in The Street with No Name and Road House, and acting as the villain opposite Gregory Peck in the Western Yellow Sky. Director Elia Kazan cast Widmark to star with Jack Palance in the bubonic plague thriller Panic in the Streets. In a role reversal, Marilyn Monroe played the psychopath to Widmark's hapless airline pilot in the 1952 production Don't Bother to Knock. When his contract with Twentieth Century-Fox was not renewed, Widmark went independent, forming his own production company, Heath Productions. With a strong screen presence, Widmark took on more varied roles, including the Dauphin in the Joan of Arc film Saint Joan, Jim Bowie in John Wayne's The Alamo, an American army colonel in Judgment in Nuremburg, and the sympathetic cavalry Captain Thomas in John Ford's Western Cheyenne Autumn. In 1968 Widmark was cast as the amoral Detective Sergeant Daniel Madigan in Madigan. Widmark's character was so popular that he went on to star in the television series of the same name during the 1972-73 season. He continued to work in both movies and television, accepting more television roles as he grew older and winning an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of the president of the United States in the television movie Vanished. Widmark's last role was in the 1991 political drama True Colors, after which he retired from acting.

PERIODICALS

New York Times, March 26, 2008.