Charles Bronson

Background

Charles Dennis Buchinsky, better known as Charles Bronson, was born on November 3, 1921, in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, to a Roman Catholic family of Lithuanian heritage in the coal region of the Allegheny Mountains north of Johnstown. His parents were Lithuanian Mary Valinsky, the mother of Lipka Tatar, and Latvian Valteris P. Buinskis. When Bronson was 10 years old, he lost his father, so he decided to work in the coal mines, first at the mining office and subsequently in the mine. Later, he claimed that each ton of coal extracted was worth one dollar. Bronson revealed in another interview that he had to work two shifts to make $1 weekly. Later, Bronson remembers working physically to remove stumps between mines with his brother and learning that cave-ins were frequent.

Bronson worked in the mine until 1943 when he enrolled in the United States Army Air Force during World War II. He served in the 760th Flexible Gunnery Training Squadron and, in 1945, as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress aerial gunner with the Guam-based 61st Bombardment Squadron of the 39th Bombardment Group, which operated combat missions against the Japanese home islands. He flew 25 missions and received the Purple Heart for combat injuries. Following his service in World War II, Bronson worked at various odd jobs before joining a theatrical group. After a brief stay in New York, he relocated to Hollywood in 1950, where he registered in acting classes. Bronson’s first screen performance was as an uncredited sailor in the 1951 film “You’re in the Navy Now.” Following that, he appeared in a few motion pictures, such as “Pat and Mike,” “Miss Sadie Thompson,” and “House of Wax.” In 1952, he made his television debut in Rogers’ show “Knockout,” as well as an episode of “The Red Skelton Show.” His performance in “Drum Beat” as Modoc warrior Captain Jack propelled his acting talent to the forefront. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he appeared on several television programs, including “Biff Baker, U.S.A.,” “Sheriff of Cochise,” “U.S. Marshal,” “Hey, Jeannie!” and “And So Died Riabouchinska.” His growing popularity and refined acting skills landed him repeated roles in television shows like “Have Gun, Will Travel” and “Hennesey.”

Bronson’s first leading role was in Roger Corman’s 1958 film “Machine-Gun Kelly.” The same year, he got cast as Mike Kovac in the detective series “Man with a Camera,” which aired until 1960. In 1960, he appeared in several T.V. series, including “Riverboat” and “The Islanders.” But his portrayal of Bernardo O’Reilly in John Sturges’ movie “The Magnificent Seven” gave him his first taste of genuine fame. The film established him as a rising Hollywood star. Three years later, Bronson got chosen to play the claustrophobic Polish exile Danny Velinski in “The Great Escape,” another Sturges picture with a large budget and post-World War II setting. He had appearances in several television programs from 1963 to 1967, including “Empire,” “The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters,” “The Legend of Jesse James,” and “Combat!” His tough-guy reputation managed to land him leading roles in movies such as “The Dirty Dozen,” starring Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine. In 1974, Bronson’s magnum opus “Death Wish” was released.

In the film “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus,” he played a compassionate newspaper editor, a departure from his usual violent roles. In 1994, “Death Wish V: The Face of Death,” the last of the “Death Wish” franchise, was released, which marked his final theatrical release as well. Following that, Bronson appeared in several T.V. movies, including “Family of Cops” (1995), “Breach of Faith: A Family of Cops II” (1997), and “Family of Cops III: Under Suspicion” (1999).
In the film “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus,” he played a compassionate newspaper editor, a departure from his usual violent roles. “