Burt Lancaster was one of five children born to a New York City postal worker. He was a tough street kid who took an early interest in gymnastics. He joined the circus as an acrobat and worked there until he was injured. It was in the Army during WW II that he was introduced to the USO and acting. His first film was The Killers, and that made him a star. He was a self-taught actor who learned the business as he went along. He set up his own production company in 1948 with Harold Hecht and James Hill to direct his career. He played many different roles in pictures as varied as The Crimson Pirate, From Here to Eternity, Elmer Gantry and Atlantic City.

His production company, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, produced the such films as Paddy Chayefsky's Marty (Oscar winner 1955) and The Catered Affair. In the 1980s he appeared as a supporting player in a number of movies, such as Local Hero and Field of Dreams. However, it will be the sound of his voice, the way that he laugh, and the larger-than-life characters he played that will always be remembered.


Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977): $750,000
The Hallelujah Trail (1965): $150,000
The Train (1964): $150,000
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962): $150,000
The Young Savages (1961): $150,000
From Here to Eternity (1953): $120,000
Desert Fury (1947): $1,250/week
Brute Force (1947): $45,000
The Killers (1946): $20,000

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#100). [1995] Ranked #85 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Father of actor/writer Bill Lancaster. Suffered a severe stroke while visiting actor Dana Andrews, who was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Lancaster remained hospitalized until February 1991, and incapacitated and unable to speak until his death. [November 1990] One of his favorite drinks was Aquavit. He also enjoyed martinis. Son Jimmy was diagnosed as schizophrenic. Descended from Irish Protestants from Ulster who emigrated to the United States in the 1880s. In 1947 he was offered the role of Stanley Kowalski in the original Broadway production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" after first choice John Garfield was rejected due to his demands for a ownership percentage of the play. He turned down the role that went to Marlon Brando and made him a legend. One of his demands was that he have a high bar set up on sets and locations so he could perform acrobatics and stay in shape. He was an infamous ladies man in Hollywood, which eventually irritated his wife, Norma, enough for her to leave him. Felt intimidated by co-star Montgomery Clift on the set of From Here to Eternity (1953) due to Clift's great talent. Robert Altman wanted Lancaster for the role of Ned Buntline in Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976) because he had the "stature" of a great movie star but was "able to play that as a kind of bullshitter", which was what Altman conceived the character to be: "He understood totally the bullshit factor and what he was playing." Buntline, a real-life writer of nickel Westerns, had invented Buffalo Bill Cody as a western hero; Altman knew that Lancaster had invented himself as a star, a new kind of star that had revolutionized the movies in the 1950s. Came up with $150,000 of his own money to complete Go Tell the Spartans (1978) after the production ran out of money with five days left to shoot. The shooting schedule already had been pared from 40 to 31 days to save money. Allegedly showed up at a Hollywood Oscar party in the late 1950s wearing a G-string and spray-painted gold, resembling an Academy Award statuette. In January 1980, he almost died during a routine operation to remove his gallbladder, when the operation, which should have lasted five hours, turned into an 11-hour ordeal. After the organ was removed, a team of doctors worked to repair an unusually small channel from the gallbladder to the intestines, although Lancaster later told a friend that a doctor had accidentally cut into a valve. A doctor reportedly got down on the floor to pray for the actor's life. Lancaster was in intensive care for 48-hours after the operation. Told Bruce Davison, his co-star in Ulzana's Raid (1972), of a practical joke he played on Kirk Douglas, who was several inches shorter than Lancaster: "I'll never forget the time we were getting ready for our big two-shot and I hid his lifts on him. He was so pissed!" A self-described atheist, Lancaster had turned down the role in the remake of Ben-Hur (1959) played by Charlton Heston, but followed in Heston's footsteps when he played the title role in "Moses the Lawgiver" (1974), the $5-million TV epic produced by Britain's ATV-ITC and Italy's RAI Television. When a reporter asked him if he was following in Heston's sandal-clad steps, Lancaster replied, "If Charlton was trapped in Biblical films, it was his own fault - he accepted the limitation." Though Lancaster claimed he was an atheist, some of his friends doubted him. An unabashed political liberal, chairman of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and an active campaigner for George McGovern in the 1972 Presidential election, Lancaster was one of the 575 people named on President Richard Nixon's 1973 "Enemies List," along with fellow actors Gene Hackman and Paul Newman, "Playboy" magazine publisher Hugh M. Hefner and TV producer Norman Lear. Was cast in Old Gringo (1989) but was informed by Columbia when he arrived in Mexico City for rehearsals in December 1988 that he was being replaced with Gregory Peck, as the insurance for him was too high. He sued Columbia for his $1.5-million fee, and made an out-of-court settlement. Turned down a $1-million offer to appear in the remake of Ben-Hur (1959). If he had accepted the offer, he would have beaten both Elizabeth Taylor (Cleopatra (1963)) as the first female star and Marlon Brando (The Fugitive Kind (1959)) as the first male star, to breach that million-dollar threshold. Was named the #19 greatest actor on the 50 Greatest Screen Legends by the American Film Institute He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. He and Kirk Douglas acted together in 7 movies: Victory at Entebbe (1976) (TV), Tough Guys (1986), Seven Days in May (1964), The List of Adrian Messenger (1963), I Walk Alone (1948), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) and The Devil's Disciple (1959) He was not as good of a friend with Kirk Douglas as was often perceived. The closeness of their friendship was largely fabricated by the publicity-wise Douglas, while, in reality, Lancaster was often cruel and dismissive to Douglas. Was considered for the role of Jason Colby in "The Colbys" (1985). Shared a birthday with Luchino Visconti, who directed him in Il gattopardo (1963) and Gruppo di famiglia in un interno (1974). His performance as J.J. Hunsecker in Sweet Smell of Success (1957) is ranked #76 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006). Attended Visconti's funeral in Rome in March 1976. Lancaster stood 6' 1" at his peak, as can be seen in Vera Cruz (1954) where he is clearly two inches shorter than his 6' 3" co-star Gary Cooper. Gave two of his revolvers to Ringo Starr when The Beatles stayed in Hollywood in August 1964. A lifelong Democrat and liberal activist, Lancaster appeared prominently on President Richard Nixon's "List of Enemies" due to his support for Senator George McGovern in the 1972 presidential election. Campaigned for Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election. Shortly before his massive stroke in November 1990 Lancaster had discussed starring in a sequel to Il gattopardo (1963). Some of his friends had told him he would be making a big mistake. He could not attend the funeral of close friend Telly Savalas as he was so ill. Eagerly sought the role of a dying composer who discovers his homosexuality in Luchino Visconti's masterpiece Morte a Venezia (1971). Although the role went to Dirk Bogarde, Lancaster later played a reclusive professor who is brought face to face with his latent homosexuality in Visconti's Gruppo di famiglia in un interno (1974). Participated in the March on Washington for Civil Rights on 28 August 1963, along with Charlton Heston, Marlon Brando and Bob Dylan. He would frequently turn down lifetime achievement awards during the 1980s, saying half-jokingly, "Give them to my good friend Kirk", since he knew Douglas would be happier in the limelight. On the set of Ulzana's Raid (1972) Lancaster told actor Bruce Davison that he had undergone so much plastic surgery over the years that at the age of 58 the most real thing about him were his eyes. He also advised Davison not to become too publicly involved in the anti-Vietnam movement until he was more established in Hollywood. Joined Gregory Peck, James Stewart and Orson Welles in testifying against the colorization of old movies in the early 1980s. Supported Tom Bradley's unsuccessful campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles in 1969. Jane Fonda admitted she was devastated to lose Lancaster from Old Gringo (1989), because she admired him very greatly. Attended Elizabeth Taylor's "Commitment to Life" fundraiser on 19 September 1985, despite being warned his appearance would resurrect the longtime rumors about his sexuality. At the event Lancaster read out Rock Hudson's letter admitting that he had AIDS. In 1961 he announced his intention to produce a biopic of Michelangelo, in which he would play the title role and show the truth about the painter's homosexuality. However, he was forced to shelve this project due to the five-month filming schedule on Il gattopardo (1963). Later, Charlton Heston starred as Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) and denied that the painter had been gay, despite all evidence to the contrary. Teamed up with director John Huston to make The Unforgiven (1960) as a left-wing response to John Ford's epic western The Searchers (1956). Turned down Clint Eastwood's role as Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry (1971). The plot some called fascist of the lawman who goes beyond the limits of the law to kill a marginalized criminal contradicted his belief in a collective responsibility for criminal and social justice and the protection of individual rights. Voted "Man of the Year" by Aid for AIDS in 1987 for his extensive work on their behalf, including allowing his photograph to be used on their annual Christmas card. Starred in five films directed by John Frankenheimer. In order to get his passport renewed in January 1954, he was forced to send a letter to the State Department in which he wrote, "I am not now a Communist. I never been a Communist and I am not in sympathy with the Communist movement.". His son, Bill Lancaster, wrote the screenplay for The Bad News Bears (1976). His daughter Sighle's name is pronounced Sheila. Son Billy was named after Lancaster's dead brother. His daughter Susan Elizabeth was named after his mother, Lizzie. One of his first acting roles, if not his first professional role, was a part in the non-musical Broadway play "A Sound of Hunting" (1945) playing character "Sgt. Joseph Mooney". He co-starred in his first movie the next year (The Killers (1946)).