Charles Bickford

Charles Ambrose Bickford (January 1, 1891 – November 9, 1967) He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Song of Bernadette, The Farmer's Daughter (1947) and Johnny Belinda (1948). His other roles include Whirlpool (1950), A Star Is Born (1954) and The Big Country (1958).

Early life Bickford was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during the first minute of 1891. His parents were Loretus and Mary Ellen Bickford. The fifth of seven children, he was an intelligent but very independent and unruly child. He had a particularly strong relationship with his maternal grandfather, a sea captain, who was a powerful influence during his formative years. At the age of nine, he was tried and acquitted of the attempted murder of a trolley motorman, who had callously driven over and killed his beloved dog. He attended Foster School and Everett High School.

On April 16, 1958, Bickford appeared with Roger Smith in "The Daniel Barrister Story" on Wagon Train.

Bickford continued to act in projects right up to his death. He guest-starred on The Islanders, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, and The Eleventh Hour. In his final years, Bickford played rancher John Grainger, owner of the Shiloh Ranch, on The Virginian. Bickford was well-liked by both fans and his fellow actors, including series lead James Drury. According to Drury, Bickford, who guest-starred earlier in the series in an unrelated role, wished he could have been on the series from the beginning. According to Paul Green, author of A History of Television's The Virginian, 1962-1971, Bickford's vigorous portrayal of John Grainger helped restore the quality of the show after what some considered a chaotic fourth season.

Two of the actor's late-career, big-screen roles came in the Western The Big Country (1958), as a wealthy and ruthless rancher, with Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston; and in the drama Days of Wine and Roses (1962), as the forlorn father of an alcoholic, with Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. President Dwight D. Eisenhower ran The Big Country four nights in a row in the White House when it was first released.

Personal life Bickford married actress Beatrice Ursula Allen (stage name Beatrice Loring) in Manhattan in 1916. The couple had two children, daughter Doris, known as "Bunny", and son Rex.

In 1965, Bickford published his autobiography Bulls, Balls, Bicycles, & Actors.

Death and legacy Bickford died in Los Angeles on November 9, 1967, at age 76, of pneumonia and a blood infection after being hospitalized for an extended period.

Bickford received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. His motion-picture star is located at 6780 Hollywood Boulevard, and his television star is located at 1620 Vine Street.

Filmography As actor

South Sea Rose (1929) - Capt. Briggs Dynamite (1929) - Hagon Derk Hell's Heroes (1929) - Bob Sangster Anna Christie (1930) - Matt Burke The Sea Bat (1930) - John Dennis aka Reverend Sims River's End (1930) - John Keith / Sgt. John Conniston Passion Flower (1930) - Dan Wallace East of Borneo (1931) - Dr. Allan Randolph The Squaw Man (1931) - Cash Hawkins The Pagan Lady (1931) - Dingo Mike Men in Her Life (1931) - 'Flashy' Madden Panama Flo (1932) - Dan McTeague Scandal for Sale (1932) - Jerry Strong Thunder Below (1932) - Walt The Last Man (1932) - Bannister Vanity Street (1932) - Brian Murphy No Other Woman (1933) - Jim Stanley Song of the Eagle (1933) - Joe (Nails) Anderson This Day and Age (1933) - Louis Garrett White Woman (1933) - Ballister Red Wagon (1933) - Joe Prince Little Miss Marker (1934) - Big Steve Halloway A Wicked Woman (1934) - Naylor A Notorious Gentleman (1935) - Kirk Arlen Under Pressure (1935) - Nipper Moran The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935) - Jotham Klore East of Java (1935) - Red McGovern aka Harvey Bowers Rose of the Rancho (1936) - Joe Kincaid Pride of the Marines (1936) - Steve Riley The Plainsman (1936) - John Lattimer High, Wide, and Handsome (1937) - Red Scanlon Thunder Trail (1937) - Lee Tate Night Club Scandal (1937) - Det. Capt. McKinley Daughter of Shanghai (1937) - Otto Hartman Gangs of New York (1938) - 'Rocky' Thorpe / John Franklyn Valley of the Giants (1938) - Howard Fallon The Storm (1938) - Bob 'Sparks' Roberts Stand Up and Fight (1939) - Arnold Romance of the Redwoods (1939) - Steve Blake Street of Missing Men (1939) - Cash Darwin Our Leading Citizen (1939) - Shep Muir Mutiny in the Big House (1939) - Father Joe Collins One Hour to Live (1939) - Insp. Sid Brady Of Mice and Men (1939) - Slim Thou Shalt Not Kill (1939) - Rev. Chris Saunders Girl from God's Country (1940) - Bill Bogler South to Karanga (1940) - Jeff Worthing Queen of the Yukon (1940) - Ace Rincon Riders of Death Valley (1941, Serial) - Wolf Reade Burma Convoy (1941) - Cliff Weldon Reap the Wild Wind (1942) - Master of the 'Tyfib' Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942) - Buck Rand Mr. Lucky (1943) - Hard Swede The Song of Bernadette (1943) - Father Peyramale Wing and a Prayer (1944) - Capt. Waddell Captain Eddie (1945) - William Rickenbacker Fallen Angel (1945) - Mark Judd Duel in the Sun (1946) - Sam Pierce The Farmer's Daughter (1947) - Joseph Clancy The Woman on the Beach (1947) - Tod Butler Brute Force (1947) - Gallagher The Babe Ruth Story (1948) - Brother Matthias Four Faces West (1948) - Pat Garrett Johnny Belinda (1948) - Black MacDonald Command Decision (1948) - Elmer Brockhurst Roseanna McCoy (1949) - Devil Anse Hatfield Whirlpool (1950) - Lt. James Colton Guilty of Treason (1950) - Joszef Cardinal Mindszenty Riding High (1950) - J.L. Higgins Branded (1950) - Richard Lavery Jim Thorpe – All-American (1951) - Glenn S. 'Pop' Warner The Raging Tide (1951) - Hamil Linder Elopement (1951) - Tom Reagan The Last Posse (1953) - Sampson Drune A Star Is Born (1954) - Oliver Niles Prince of Players (1955) - Dave Prescott Not as a Stranger (1955) - Dr. Dave Runkleman The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955) - Gen. Jimmy Guthrie You Can't Run Away from It (1956) - A.A. Andrews Mister Cory (1957) - Jeremiah Des Plains 'Biloxi' Caldwell The Big Country (1958) - Maj. Henry Terrill Woman on the Run (1959, TV movie) Winterset (1959, TV movie) - Judge Gaunt The 33rd (1959, TV movie) The Unforgiven (1960) - Zeb Rawlins The Gambler, the Nun and the Radio (1960, TV movie) The Farmer's Daughter (1962, TV movie) - Clancy Days of Wine and Roses (1962) - Ellis Arnesen Della (1964) - Hugh Stafford A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966) - Benson Tropp The Virginian (1966-1967) - John Grainger

As himself Screen Snapshots Series 9, No. 20 (1930, short) Screen Snapshots (1932, documentary short) Hollywood on Parade No. B-6 (1934, short) The Dark Wave (1956, documentary short) Now Is Tomorrow (1958, TV movie)