A unique blend of character actor and superstar, Edward G. Robinson (1893-1973) may have lacked the physical stature and good looks of a leading man, but he more than compensated with the passion and authority of his acting. Forever identified with the snarling gangster of Little Caesar (1930), Robinson was in reality a cultured gentleman and a versatile performer whose 50-year film career encompassed a wide range of roles.
Born Emanuel Goldenberg in Bucharest, Romania, he came to the U.S. at age 10 and grew up on New York's Lower East Side. Success on Broadway led to his film debut in 1923, but it was his triumph in Little Caesar that made Robinson a household name. He expertly switched to comedy in The Whole Town's Talking (1935) in the double role of milquetoast clerk and look-alike killer; and gave one of his most distinguished dramatic performances in Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940) as the scientist who found a cure for syphilis. Other outstanding roles of the 1940s include the sadistic captain of The Sea Wolf (1941), the small-time crook of Larceny, Inc. (1942) and the suspicious claims adjuster of Double Indemnity (1944). Eventually Robinson moved into supporting parts such as the aging poker champion of The Cincinnati Kid (1965).
In his final film, the futuristic Soylent Green (1973), he is splendid as always as an old man who remembers the Earth in its natural splendour before the environment became toxic. Amazingly, Robinson was never even nominated for an Academy Award. However, in 1973, shortly after his death, he was honored with a special Oscar®.
by Roger Fristoe
Family
FATHER: Morris Goldenberg.
MOTHER: Sarah Goldenberg. Died 1947.
SON: Edward Robinson Jr. Died in 1974 at age 40.
GRANDDAUGHTER: Francesca Robinson.
Companion
WIFE: Gladys Lloyd. Actor. Married for nearly 30 years before divorce; diagnosed as a manic depressive; died in 1971 after suffering a stroke.
WIFE: Jane Adler. Garment wholesaler. Survived him; later married director George Sidney.
Milestone
1904: Immigrated to USA at age 10
1913: Began appearing in stock productions
1915: Broadway debut
1923: First film appearance in "The Bright Shawl"
1927: Appeared on Broadway in "The Racket", playing a character modeled on Al Capone; production also performed in Los Angeles
1929: Began making regular film appearances; first film "A Hole in the Wall"
1930: Top stardom clinched with his appearance in the landmark Warner Brothers gangster film, "Little Caesar"
Wrote, hosted and acted in radio show "Big Town"
1942: Left Warner Brothers; next film for the studio would not be until "Key Largo" (1948)
Named before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC); dark greylisted from 1948-52
1952: Testified before HUAC; film career revived, first in "B" movies
1956 - 1959: Worked in theater among other venues, starring on Broadway in "Middle of the Night"
1963: Made first TV commercial, for Maxwell House Coffee
1966: Involved in near fatal automobile accident
1973: Last film, "Soylent Green"
Education
Townsend Hall High School - New York , New York
City College of New York - New York , New York - Bachelors of Arts, B.A. - attended on scholarship; member of Elizabethean Society
Columbia University - New York , New York - Masters of Arts, M.A.
American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York , New York - attended on scholarship
Bibliography
"My Father, My Son" Edward G. Robinson Jr. and William Duffy
"All My Yesterdays" Edward G. Robinson and Leonard Spigelgass
"Little Caesar: A Biography of Edward G. Robinson" Alan L. Gansberg 1983
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