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Nickname:	Jason Robards / Jason Robards Jr. /
Known for:	Magnolia, Once Upon a Time in the West, All the President's Men
Birth name:	Jason NelsonRobards Jr.
Birthday:	26 July 1922, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Height:	5' 11" (1.80 m)

Recipient of 22nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime contribution to arts and culture, presented by President Bill Clinton in Wash DC, Dec. 5, 1999. Father of actor Jason Robards III. Father, with actress Lauren Bacall, of actor Sam Robards. Survivor of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor. He has 3 children with Eleanor Pitman. He has 2 children with Lois O'Connor. He won an Emmy in 1988 for Inherit the Wind. Is a Civil War buff in real life. Ironically he played President U.S. Grant in The Legend of the Lone Ranger, and was the voice of General Grant in the PBS mini-series The Civil War. Preferred working in the theater, and said once that he performed in Hollywood films so that he could "grab the money and go back to Broadway as fast as I can." In 1972, he was in a horrifying accident on a winding California road. He drove his car into the side of a mountain and nearly died. His acute drinking problem contributed to the accident. He slowly recovered after extensive surgery and facial reconstruction. On April 22, 2002, the first Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre was awarded to Christopher Plummer by the Roundabout Theatre. Jennifer Jason Leigh added the "Jason" to her stage name in tribute to Robards, a family friend. She said, "I like the way it sounds between Jennifer and Leigh." In one of his last roles, in Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia, he portrayed a man dying from lung cancer to excellent effect. Two years later he himself died from the same disease. Attended Hollywood High School in Beverly Hills and played on the football, baseball, basketball and track teams, once entertaining the idea of becoming a professional athlete. Avoided films until age 37 because he felt his acting father, Jason Robards Sr., had sold out and tarnished his own reputation by "going Hollywood". First lead role was in the 1953 off-Broadway production of "American Gothic" directed by José Quintero. Two daughters and four sons: Sarah Louise, Shannon Robards, Jason Robards III, Sam Robards, David and Jake Robards. Received all of his Oscar nominations for playing real-life people: Benjamin C. Bradlee in All the President's Men, Dashiell Hammett in Julia and Howard Hughes in Melvin and Howard. In 1988 he became the 11th performer to win the Triple Crown of acting. Oscars: Best Supporting Actor, All the President's Men and Best Supporting Actor, Julia; Tony: Best Actor-Play, 'The Disenchanted' (1959); Emmy: Best Actor - Miniseries/Special, Inherit the Wind. Nominated eight times for a Tony Award, for "Long Day's Journey Into Night" (1957), "The Disenchanted" (1959), "Toys in the Attic" (1960), "After The Fall" (1964), "Hughie" (1965), "The Country Girl" (1972), "A Moon for the Misbegotten" (1974), and "A Touch of the Poet" (1978). "The Disenchanted" in 1959 was his sole win. Won Broadway's 1959 Tony Award as Best Actor (Dramatic) for "The Disenchanted." He has been nominated seven other times: as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic) in 1957 for "Long Day's Journey into Night;" as Best Actor (Dramatic) in 1960 for "Toys in the Attic," in 1964 for "After The Fall," in 1965 for "Hughie," in 1972 for "The Country Girl" and in 1974 for "A Moon for the Misbegotten;" and as Best Actor (Play) in 1978 for "A Touch of the Poet." With eight nominations, he holds the record for being the actor nominated the most times for a Tony Award, although he only won once. Was the first winner of a Best Actor Obie Award, which recognize achievement in the Off-Broadway theater, for playing Hickey in the revival of Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh" during the 1955-56 season. He tied for the Best Actor award with George Voskovec, who was cited for "Uncle Vanya." He and Leonardo DiCaprio both received Oscar-nominations for portraying Howard Hughes. Robards was nominated for Melvin and Howard and DiCaprio for The Aviator As of 2005, he's the only actor to win consecutive "Best Supporting Actor" Oscars. Played Hickey in three different productions of Eugene O' Neill's play "The Iceman Cometh" - off-Broadway in 1955, on television in 1960, and on Broadway in 1955. He is more closely associated with the works of Eugene O'Neill than any other actor. He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1997 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.

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