His father was an actor, his sons are actors, and by God Jason Robards, Jr. was an actor. He was an actor's actor, in fact, who thrived in strong supporting roles and was often the high point of otherwise unmemorable films. He could do anything from light comedy to heavy drama.

Born in Chicago in 1922, he was a decorated Navy veteran who was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed. After the war, he embarked on a stage acting career, debuted on Broadway in Stalag 17 in 1951, and found fame in The Iceman Cometh in 1956, the first of many Eugene O'Neill plays to which he would lend his talents, both on stage and on screen. The next year he won a New York Drama Critics Award for his performance in O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night, a role he reprised in the 1962 screen adaptation.

Jason Robards first appeared on film in The Journey (1959). He went on to appear in almost 100 films and TV movies, and won consecutive Supporting Actor Oscars, for All the President's Men (1976) and Julia (1977). He was also nominated for Melvin and Howard (1980), and received two Emmy and five Golden Globe nominations during his career.

Robards is survived by his wife, Lois O’Connor. He was married three previous times, first to Eleanor Pittman from 1948 to 1958, to Rachel Taylor from 1959 to 1961, and to Lauren Bacall from 1961 to 1969.

Jason Robards Pages

• All-Movie Guide
  
  
• Biography.com
  
  
• Internet Movie Database

Selected Reviews of Jason Robards' Best Films

• The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993) - Review by Roger Ebert.
  
  
• The Adventures of Huck Finn - Review by James Berardinelli.
  
  
• Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970) - From DVDLaser.com.
  
  
• Bright Lights, Big City (1988) - Review by Roger Ebert.
  
  
• Bright Lights, Big City - Review by Kevin Romano.
  
  
• Julia (1977) - Review by Seth Bookey.
  
  
• Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962) - From Classic Hollywood's Katharine Hepburn site.
  
  
• Magnolia (1999) - Review by Roger Ebert.
  
  
• Melvin and Howard (1980) - Review from Apollo Guide.
  
  
• "Melvin and Howard - Review by Pam Grady from Reel.com.
  
  
• Once Upon a Time in the West (1969) - From the TV Guide Movie Database.
  
  
• Parenthood (1989) - Review by Roger Ebert.
  
  
• Philadelphia (1993) - Review by Roger Ebert.
  
  
• Philadelphia - Review by James Berardinelli.
  
  
• Reunion (1989) - Review by Rita Kempley, "Washington Post".
  
  
• Storyville (1992) - Review by Roger Ebert.
  
  
• Storyville - Review by Hal Hinson, "Washington Post".
  
  
• A Thousand Acres (1997) - From MovieWeb.
  
  
• A Thousand Acres - Review by James Berardinelli.
  
  
• A Thousand Acres - Review by Roger Ebert.
  
  
• A Thousand Clowns (1965) - From DVDLaser.com.
  
  
• A Thousand Clowns - From the Slacker Film Guide.

Where To Find Or See Jason Robards Films

• Movies Unlimited
  
  
• TVNow Monthly TV Schedule

Jason Robards Movie Posters On The Web

From Tim Dirks' Greatest Films Site

• All the President's Men
• Once Upon a Time in the West