Ernest Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnino on January 24, 1917 in
Hamden, Connecticut. His parents were Anna (Boselli), who had emigrated
from Carpi (MO), Italy, and Camillo Borgnino, who had emigrated from
Ottiglio (AL), Italy. As an only child, Ernest enjoyed most sports,
especially boxing, but took no real interest in acting. At age 18,
after graduating from high school in New Haven, and undecided about his
future career, he joined the United States Navy, where he stayed for
ten years until leaving in 1945. After a few factory jobs, his mother
suggested that his forceful personality could make him suitable for a
career in acting, and Borgnine promptly enrolled at the Randall School
of Drama in Hartford. After completing the course, he joined
Robert Porterfield's famous Barter
Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, staying there for four years,
undertaking odd jobs and playing every type of role imaginable. His big
break came in 1949, when he made his acting debut on Broadway playing a
male nurse in "Harvey".
In 1951, Borgnine moved to Los Angeles to pursue a movie career, and
made his film debut as Bill Street in
The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951).
His career took off in 1953 when he was cast in the role of Sergeant
"Fatso" Judson in
Verdammt in alle Ewigkeit (1953).
This memorable performance led to numerous supporting roles as
"heavies" in a steady string of dramas and westerns. He played against
type in 1955 by securing the lead role of Marty Piletti, a shy and
sensitive butcher, in Marty (1955). He won
an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, despite strong
competition from Spencer Tracy,
Frank Sinatra,
James Dean and
James Cagney. Throughout the 1950s,
1960s and 1970s, Borgnine performed memorably in such films as
Mädchen ohne Mitgift (1956),
Eisstation Zebra (1968) and
Ein Zug für zwei Halunken (1973).
Between 1962 and 1966, he played Lt. Commander Quinton McHale in the
popular television series
McHale's Navy (1962). In early
1984, he returned to television as Dominic Santini in the action series
Airwolf (1984) co-starring
Jan-Michael Vincent, and in 1995, he
was cast in the comedy series
Ein Single kommt immer allein (1995) as
doorman Manny Cordoba. He also appeared in several made-for-TV movies.
Ernest Borgnine has often stated that acting was his greatest passion. His amazing 61-year career (1951 - 2012) included appearances in well over 100 feature films and
as a regular in three television series, as well as voice-overs in
animated films such as
Charlie - Ein himmlischer Held (1996),
Small Soldiers (1998), and a
continued role in the series
SpongeBob Schwammkopf (1999).
Between 1973 until his death, Ernest was married to Tova Traesnaes, who
heads her own cosmetics company. They lived in Beverly Hills,
California, where Ernest assisted his wife between film projects. When
not acting, Ernest actively supported numerous charities and spoke
tirelessly at benefits throughout the country. He has been awarded
several honorary doctorates from colleges across the United States as
well as numerous Lifetime Achievement Awards. In 1996, Ernest purchased
a bus and traveled across the United States to see the country and meet
his many fans. On December 17, 1999, he presented the University of
North Alabama with a collection of scripts from his film and television
career, due to his long friendship with North Alabama alumnus and actor
George Lindsey (died May 6, 2012), who
was an artist in residence at North Alabama.
Ernest Borgnine passed away aged 95 on July 8, 2012, at Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, of renal failure. He is
survived by his wife Tova, their children and his younger sister Evelyn
(1926-2013)
