He was already an established radio and stage actor in New York when Hollywood made him a stereotype.
Richard Widmark's very first film role, as a psychopathic hit man named Tommy Udo, who giggles as he shoves an elderly women in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs in Kiss of Death (1947), earned him a Supporting Actor Oscar nomination along with a reputation for playing demented killers that he would find it hard to shake. It worked well for him in Road House (1948) and No Way Out (1950 - Sidney Poitier's screen debut), but he still had to spend a large part of his career proving that he could also play a cop, a judge, a Secretary of State, and even the President of the United States.
He passed away on March 24, 2008, after a long illness. He was 93.
Widmark was born the day after Christmas in 1914 in Minnesota, and grew up in Princeton, Illinois. He first started acting at Lake Forest College there. He appeared on radio in 1938, in something called Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories. Broadway called in 1943 with a role in Kiss and Tell. Then he was cast as Tommy Udo and never looked back, signing a contract with 20th Century Fox in 1947. By 1949 his hand and footprints were in cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
He worked a great deal during the late 40s, 50s and 60s, eventually landing a wide variety of roles, but having his greatest impact as a tough, edgy characters in film noir and Westerns. Some of his most memorable films included Yellow Sky (1948), Down to the Sea in Ships (1949), Panic in the Streets (1950), Halls of Montezuma (1950, Pickup on South Street (1953), Broken Lance (1954), Tunnel of Love (1958) and The Alamo (1960).
In 1955 Widmark made his TV debut in The Lucy Show, and later appeared in the TV series Madigan in 1972, which was inspired by the 1968 feature film of the same name. He continued to be active in the 70s and 80s, in both theatrical films and TV-movies, but aside from some documentaries, his last film appearance was in 1991 in True Colors.
Part I: Introduction
Part II: Richard Widmark Tributes and Other Pages
Part III: Movie Reviews & Where to Find His Movies
Part IV: Books and Posters
