Ernest Borgnine

Ernest Borgnine ( ; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular performer, he appeared as a guest on numerous talk shows and as a panelist on several game shows.

Borgnine's film career began in 1951 and included supporting roles in China Corsair (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), Vera Cruz (1954), Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), and The Wild Bunch (1969). He played the unconventional lead in many films, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Marty (1955), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Borgnine starred as the title character in the sitcom McHale's Navy (1962–1966) and co-starred as Dominic Santini in the action series Airwolf (1984–1986).

Borgnine earned his third Primetime Emmy Award nomination at age 92 for his work on the 2009 series finale of ER. He was the voice of Mermaid Man on SpongeBob SquarePants from 1999 until his death in 2012.

Early life and education Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnino on January 24, 1917, in Hamden, Connecticut, the son of Italian immigrants. His mother, Anna (, 1894–1947) hailed from Carpi, near Modena, and his father Camillo Borgnino (1891–1975) was a native of Ottiglio near Alessandria. Borgnine's parents separated when he was two years old, and he lived with his mother in Italy for about four and a half years. By 1923, his parents had reconciled, the family name was changed from Borgnino to Borgnine, and his father changed his first name to Charles. Borgnine had a younger sister, Evelyn Borgnine Velardi. The family settled in New Haven, Connecticut, where Borgnine graduated from James Hillhouse High School. He took to sports while growing up and showed no interest in acting.

Military service

Borgnine joined the United States Navy in October 1935, after graduation from high school. He served aboard the destroyer/minesweeper and was honorably discharged from the Navy in October 1941. In January 1942, he re-enlisted in the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II, he patrolled the Atlantic Coast on an antisubmarine warfare ship, the patrol yacht . In September 1945, he was once again honorably discharged from the Navy. He served a total of almost 10 years in the Navy and obtained the grade of gunner's mate first class. His military awards include the Navy Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal with "A" Device, American Campaign Medal with " bronze star, and the World War II Victory Medal. On December 7, 2000, Borgnine was named the Veterans Foundation's Veteran of the Year.

In October 2004, Borgnine received the honorary title of chief petty officer from Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott. The ceremony for Borgnine's naval advancement was held at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, DC. He received the special honor for his naval service and support of naval personnel and their families worldwide.

Acting career 1946–1952: Theatre and television roles Borgnine returned to his parents' house in Connecticut after his Navy discharge without a job to go back to and no direction. In a British Film Institute interview about his life and career, he said:

He took a local factory job, but was unwilling to settle down to that kind of work. His mother encouraged him to pursue a more glamorous profession and suggested to him that his personality would be well suited for the stage. He surprised his mother by taking the suggestion to heart, although his father was far from enthusiastic. In 2011, Borgnine remembered,

He studied acting at the Randall School of Drama in Hartford, then moved to Virginia, where he became a member of the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. It had been named for the director's allowing audiences to barter produce for admission during the cash-lean years of the Great Depression. In 1947, Borgnine landed his first stage role in State of the Union. Although it was a short role, he won over the audience. His next role was as the Gentleman Caller in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie.

In 1949, Borgnine went to New York City, where he had his Broadway debut in the role of a nurse in the play Harvey. Borgnine made his TV debut as a character actor in Captain Video and His Video Rangers, beginning in 1951. These two episodes led to countless other television roles that Borgnine gained on Goodyear Television Playhouse, The Ford Television Theatre, Fireside Theatre, Frontier Justice, Laramie, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, and Run for Your Life. An appearance as the villain on TV's Captain Video led to Borgnine's casting in the motion picture The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951) for Columbia Pictures. In 1957, he appeared in the first episode of the TV Western series Wagon Train.

1953–1961: Film stardom

Grace Kelly presents the Oscar for Best Actor to Borgnine for his performance in Marty, 1956. Borgnine moved to Los Angeles, California, where he received his big break in a Columbia film directed by Fred Zinnemann, the romantic war drama From Here to Eternity (1953), playing the sadistic Sergeant "Fatso" Judson, who beats a stockade prisoner in his charge, Angelo Maggio (played by Frank Sinatra). The film received critical acclaim, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. The following year, he acted in four films, three of them Western dramas, Johnny Guitar starring Joan Crawford, The Bounty Hunter with Randolph Scott, Vera Cruz starring Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper, and in the Biblical drama Demetrius and the Gladiators. Borgnine built a reputation as a dependable character actor, and played villains in early films, including movies such as Johnny Guitar and Vera Cruz.

In 1955, he starred as a villain in the John Sturges neo-Western Bad Day at Black Rock starring Spencer Tracy, Lee Marvin, and Walter Brennan. He starred as Marty Piletti, the titular warmhearted butcher in Marty, the 1955 film version of the television play of the same title. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival where it received acclaim and the Palme D'Or. Borgnine won numerous accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Actor beating Frank Sinatra, James Dean (who had died by the time of the ceremony), and former Best Actor winners Spencer Tracy and James Cagney. He also received the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor, and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor.

Borgnine travelled to Australia to play the lead in a role originally intended for Burt Lancaster, the cane cutter Roo, in Summer of the Seventeenth Doll.

1962–1966: McHale's Navy

In 1962, Borgnine signed a contract with Universal Studios for the lead role as the gruff but lovable skipper, Quinton McHale, in what began as a serious one-hour 1962 episode called "Seven Against the Sea" for Alcoa Premiere, and later reworked to a comedy called McHale's Navy, a World War II sitcom, which also co-starred unfamiliar comedians Joe Flynn as Capt. Wally Binghamton and Tim Conway as Ens. Charles Parker. The insubordinate crew of PT-73 helped the show become a success during its first season, landing in the top 30 in 1963.

In 1963, he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. At the end of the fourth season, in 1966, low ratings and repetitive storylines brought McHale's Navy to an end. At the time McHale's Navy began production, Borgnine was married to actress Katy Jurado. Her death in 2002 drew Borgnine and Conway much closer; about his acting mentor's long career, Conway said: "There were no limits to Ernie. When you look at his career—Fatso Judson to Marty, that's about as varied as you get in characters and he handled both of them with equal delicacy and got the most out of those characters."

1967–1982: Continued success

Borgnine's film career flourished for the next three decades, including roles in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967) with Lee Marvin, Ice Station Zebra (1968), Willard (1971) The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Emperor of the North (1973), Convoy (1978), The Black Hole (1979), All Quiet on the Western Front (1979), Super Fuzz (1980), and Escape from New York (1981). One of his most famous roles was that of Dutch in the Western classic The Wild Bunch (1969) from director Sam Peckinpah. Of his role in The Wild Bunch, Borgnine later said, "I did [think it was a moral film]. Because to me, every picture should have some kind of a moral to it. I feel that when we used to watch old pictures, as we still do, I'm sure, the bad guys always got it in the end and the good guys always won out. Today, it's a little different. Today, it seems that the bad guys are getting the good end of it. There was always a moral in our story". It was released in 1990.

in 1995, he appeared with Jonathan Silverman in The Single Guy as doorman Manny Cordoba, which lasted two seasons. According to Silverman, Borgnine came to work with more energy and passion than all other stars combined. He was the first person to arrive on the set every day and the last to leave.

The next year, Borgnine starred in the televised fantasy/thriller film Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (partially adapted from the 1984 horror film The Devil's Gift). As narrator and storyteller, Borgnine recounts a string of related supernatural tales, his modern-day fables notably centering on an enchanted and malicious cymbal-banging monkey toy stolen from the wizard Merlin. The film was later featured in the parodical television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 and has since gained a prominent cult following. Also in 1996, Borgnine toured the United States on a bus to meet his fans and see the country. The trip was the subject of a 1997 documentary, Ernest Borgnine on the Bus. He served one year as the chairman of the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, visiting patients in many Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers.

In 1997, Borgnine appeared in the big-screen adaptation comedy film McHale's Navy, where he played Rear Admiral Quinton McHale, who was the father of Tom Arnold's character, Quinton McHale, Jr. In 1998, Borgnine appeared in the Trey Parker and Matt Stone comedy BASEketball as entrepreneur Ted Denslow. Starting in 1999, Borgnine provided his voice talent to the animated sitcom SpongeBob SquarePants as the elderly superhero Mermaid Man (where he was paired up with McHale's Navy co-star Tim Conway as the voice of Mermaid Man's sidekick Barnacle Boy). He expressed affection for this role, in no small part for its popularity among children. After his death, Nickelodeon aired again all of the episodes in which Mermaid Man appeared, in memoriam. Additionally, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water was dedicated to his memory. Borgnine appeared as himself in The Simpsons episode "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood", in addition to a number of television commercials. In 2000, he was the executive producer of Hoover, in which he was the only credited actor.

In 2007, Borgnine starred in the Hallmark original film A Grandpa for Christmas. He played a man, who discovers, after his estranged daughter ends up in the hospital because of a car accident, that he has a granddaughter he never knew about. She is taken into his care, and they become great friends. Borgnine received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture made for Television for his performance. At 90, he was the oldest Golden Globe nominee ever. In 2010, he costarred in The Wishing Well. Borgnine's autobiography Ernie was published by Citadel Press in July 2008. Ernie is a loose, conversational recollection of highlights from his acting career and notable events from his personal life. On April 2, 2009, he appeared in several episodes of the final season of the long-running medical series ER. His role was that of a husband dealing with the decline of his wife, who would die in the final episode of the series. In his final scene, his character is in a hospital bed lying beside his just-deceased wife. His performance garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, his third Emmy nomination and his first in 29 years (since being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special in 1980 for All Quiet on the Western Front).

In 2009, at age 92, he starred as Frank, the main character of Another Harvest Moon, directed by Greg Swartz and also starring Piper Laurie and Anne Meara. On October 2, 2010, Borgnine appeared as himself in a "What Up with That?" sketch with Morgan Freeman on Saturday Night Live. On October 15, 2010, he appeared in Red, which was filmed earlier that year. In late 2011, Borgnine completed what became his last film, playing Rex Page in The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez.

Personal life and death

Borgnine married five times. His first marriage, from 1949 to 1958, was to Rhoda Kemins, whom he met while serving in the Navy. They had one daughter, Nancee (born May 28, 1952). He was married to actress Katy Jurado from 1959 to 1963. Borgnine's rancorous marriage to actress and singer Ethel Merman in 1964 lasted only 42 days. Merman's description of the marriage in her autobiography was a solitary blank page. Borgnine's friend Tim Conway later said: "Ernie is volatile. I mean, there's no question about that, and Ethel was a very strong lady. So you put two bombs in a room, something is going to explode, and I guess it probably did."

From 1965 to 1972, Borgnine was married to Donna Rancourt, with whom he had a son, Cristopher (1969), and two daughters, Sharon (1965) and Diana (1970). His fifth and final marriage was to Tova Traesnaes; they remained married from February 24, 1973, until his death.

In 2000, Borgnine received his 50-year pin as a Freemason at Abingdon Lodge No. 48 in Abingdon, Virginia. He joined the Scottish Rite Valley of Los Angeles in 1964, received the Knights Commander of the Court of Honor (KCCH) in 1979, was crowned a 33° Inspector General Honorary in 1983, and received the Grand Cross of the Court of Honour in 1991.

Borgnine was a heavy smoker until 1962. In a November 2008 interview, a then 91-year-old Borgnine was asked by Fox News morning host Steve Doocy to reveal the secret of his longevity, and he whispered into a live mic, "I masturbate a lot."

At the age of 95, Borgnine died of renal failure on July 8, 2012, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He had undergone surgery a month prior to his death and had been to the hospital days before it for a medical checkup. He was cremated and given a military funeral.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1951 China Corsair Hu Chang The Whistle at Eaton Falls Bill Street The Mob Joe Castro 1953 Treasure of the Golden Condor Bit part The Stranger Wore a Gun Bull Slager From Here to Eternity Staff Sergeant James R. "Fatso" Judson 1954 Johnny Guitar Bart Lonergan Demetrius and the Gladiators Strabo Bill Rachin Vera Cruz Donnegan 1955 Bad Day at Black Rock Coley Trimble Violent Saturday Stadt, Amish Farmer Marty Marty Piletti Run for Cover Morgan Mike Radin The Square Jungle Bernie Browne 1956 Jubal Shep Horgan Tom Hurley Lew Brown Three Brave Men Bernard F. "Bernie" Goldsmith 1958 Ragnar John "Mac" McBain Torpedo Run Lt. Commander Archer "Archie" Sloan 1959 The Rabbit Trap Eddie Colt Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Roo Webber 1960 Man on a String Boris Mitrov Pay or Die Police Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino 1961 Go Naked in the World Pete Stratton Black City Peppino Navarra Pickpocket The Italian Brigands Sante Carbone Barabbas Lucius 1964 McHale's Navy Lt. Commander Quinton McHale, Sr Spin-off of the series of the same name 1965 Trucker Cobb 1966 Barney Yale 1967 Chuka Sergeant Otto Hansbach Major General Sam Worden 1968 Himself Documentary short film Barney Sheean Bert Clinger Ice Station Zebra Boris Vaslov 1969 Dutch Engstrom Don Pedro Sandoval 1970 Fat Cat Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? Sheriff Harve 1971 Sam Hill: Who Killed Mr. Foster? Deputy Sam Hill Willard Al Martin Bunny O'Hare Bill Green / William Gruenwald Hannie Caulder Emmett Clemens The Trackers Sam Paxton Rain for a Dusty Summer The General 1972 Himself Documentary Film Portrait Ripped Off Captain Perkins Hoop Det. Lt. Mike Rogo 1973 Emperor of the North Pole Shack Chief Diver Don MacKay Legend in Granite Vince Lombardi 1974 Twice in a Lifetime Vince Boselli Law and Disorder Cy Sunday in the Country Adam Smith 1975 Jonathan "John" Corbis Hustle Santuro 1976 Holiday Hookers Max Shoot Lou 1977 Angelo Dundee Crossed Swords John Canty 1978 Cops and Robin Joe Cleaver Convoy Sheriff Lyle 'Cottonmouth' 1979 Ravagers Rann Mr. Firat All Quiet on the Western Front Stanislaus "Kat" Katczinsky Harry Booth 1980 When Time Ran Out Detective Sergeant Tom Conti Super Fuzz Sergeant Willy Dunlop 1981 High Risk Clint Escape from New York Cabbie Deadly Blessing Isaiah Schmidt 1983 Young Warriors Lieutenant Bob Carrigan Carpool Mickey Doyle 1984 Code Name: Wild Geese Fletcher Love Leads the Way: A True Story Senator Brighton Man Hunt Ben Robeson 1988 Skeleton Coast Colonel Smith The Opponent Victor Spike of Bensonhurst Baldo Cacetti Father Lopez Moving Target Captain Morrison 1989 Gummibärchen küßt man nicht Bischof Laser Mission Professor Braun Jake Spanner, Private Eye Sal Piccolo 1990 Any Man's Death Herr Gantz Appearances Emil Danzig Tides of War Doctor 1991 Coach Mountain of Diamonds Ernie 1992 Mistress Himself Cameo 1993 Tierärztin Christine Dr. Gustav Gruber Hans Kroger 1994 Outlaws: The Legend of O.B. Taggart Sheriff Laughton 1995 Tierärztin Christine II: The Temptation Dr. Gustav Gruber Captiva Island Arty 1996 The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage Himself Voice; Documentary All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 Carface Carruthers Voice Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders Grandfather 1997 Ernest Borgnine on the Bus Himself Documentary McHale's Navy Admiral Quinton McHale Sr. Based on the series of the same name Gattaca Caesar 1998 Small Soldiers Kip Killigan Voice BASEketball Ted Denslow 12 Bucks Lucky Mel Grandpa An All Dogs Christmas Carol Carface Carruthers Voice 1999 Abilene Hotis Brown Ben Quinn Franklin Lyle 2000 Castle Rock Nate Hoover J. Edgar Hoover Also executive producer Godfather Mariano 2002 11'09"01 September 11 Pensioner Segment: "United States of America" Whiplash Judge DuPont 2003 Narrator Documentary The Long Ride Home Lucas Moat 2004 Blueberry Rolling Star Barn Red Michael Bolini Eugene Faerie King 2005 That One Summer Otis Garner 3 Below Grandpa Rail Kings Steamtrain 2006 The Bodyguard's Cure Jerry Warden 2007 Oliviero Rising Bill Bert O'Riley 2008 Strange Wilderness Milas Judge Holliday Frozen Stupid Frank Norgard 2010 Enemy Mind Command Voice Carl Taylor Red Henry Britton / Recordskeeper Another Harvest Moon Frank 2011 Night Club Albert Slink Voice Love's Christmas Journey Nicolas Snatched Big Frank Baum 2012 The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez Rex Page final role

Television Year Title Role Notes 1951 Captain Video and His Video Rangers Nargola 3 episodes Goodyear Playhouse Sgt. Lenahan Episode: "The Copper" 1951, 1952 The Philco Television Playhouse Mathew O'Rourke 2 episodes 1954 The Lone Wolf Saks Episode: "The Avalanche Story (a.k.a. The Reno Story)" The Danny Thomas Show Cop Episode: "Rusty Runs Away" Ford Theatre Gus White Episode: "Night Visitor" Waterfront Jack Bannion 2 episodes 1957 Navy Log Host Episode: "Human Bomb" 1957–61 Wagon Train Willy Moran / Earl Packer / Estaban Zamora 4 episodes 1957, 1960 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Willie / Big Jim Morrison 2 episodes 1959, 1960 Laramie Boone Caudie / Major Prescott 1961 Unknown Episode: "The Blue Leaders" 1962–1966 McHale's Navy Lt. Commander Quinton McHale 4 seasons; 138 episodes 1966 Run for Your Life Harry Martin Episode: "Time and a Half on Christmas Eve" 1967 Get Smart Guard, TV Viewer 2 episodes 1971 The Trackers Sam Paxton Television film 1973 Legend in Granite Vince Lombardi 1974 Little House on the Prairie Jonathan Episode: "The Lord is my Shepherd" Twice in a Lifetime Vince Lombardi Television film 1976–1977 Future Cop Cleaver 7 episodes 1977 Jesus of Nazareth Roman Centurion Miniseries Fire Sam Brisbane Television film 1978 The Ghost of Flight 401 Dom Cimoli 1979 All Quiet on the Western Front Stanislaus Katczinsky 1982 Magnum, P.I. Earl "Mr. White Death" Gianelli Episode: "Mr. White Death" The Love Boat Dominic Rosselli Episode: "The Italian Cruise" 1983 Blood Feud J. Edgar Hoover Television film Masquerade Jerry Episode: "Pilot" Carpool Mickey Doyle Television film 1984 Marcus Miniseries Love Leads the Way: A True Story Senator Brighton Television film 1984–1986 Airwolf Dominic Santini Main role (seasons 1–3)1985Alice in WonderlandThe LionMiniseries Major General Sam Worden Television film 1986 Highway to Heaven Guido Liggio Episode: "Another Kind of War, Another Kind of Peace" 1987 Treasure Island in Outer Space Billy Bones Major General Sam Worden Television film Murder, She Wrote Cosmo Ponzini Episode: "Death Takes a Dive" 1988 The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission Major General Sam Worden Television film 1989 Ocean Pedro El Triste Miniseries Jake Spanner, Private Eye Sal Piccolo Television film Jake and the Fatman Col. Tom Cody Episode: "My Shining Hour" 1992 Home Improvement Eddie Phillips Episode: "Birds of a Feather Flock to Taylor" 1993 Himself Voice, episode: "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood" 1993–1994 The Commish Frank Nardino 2 episodes 1995–1997 Manny 43 episodes 1996–1998 All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series Carface Caruthers Voice, 6 episodes 1998 JAG Artemus Sullivan Episode: "Yesterday's Heroes" Pinky and the Brain Father Voice, episode: "The Third Mouse/The Visit" 1999 Early Edition Antonio Birelli Episode: "The Last Untouchable" 1999–2012 SpongeBob SquarePants Mermaid Man Voice, 17 episodes 2000 Walker, Texas Ranger Eddie Ryan Episode: "The Avenging Angel" 2002 Touched by an Angel Max Blandish Episode: "The Blue Angel" 7th Heaven Joe Episode: "The Known Soldier" Family Law Frank Collero Episode: "Alienation of Affection" 2003 Uncle Mike Murphy Episode: "Last Waltz" 2004 The Trail to Hope Rose Eugene Television film 2007 A Grandpa for Christmas Bert O'Riley 2009 ER Paul Manning Episodes: "Old Times" and "And in the End..." Aces 'N' Eights Thurmond Prescott Television film The Wishing Well Big Jim 2010 Saturday Night Live Himself Episode: "Bryan Cranston/Kanye West", "What Up with That?" sketch 2011 Love's Christmas Journey Nicholas Television film

Theatre Year Title Role Playwright Venue Ref. 1952 Mrs. McThing Nelson Mary Chase Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway

Video games Year Title Role