Earnest Borgnine has died

[Fred588]

Earnest Borgnine died today at age 95. I remember him best for McHale's navy but he did a LOT of good work in movies and television, and won an Oscar for "Marty."

[Robert]

Rest well Ernie.. and Thanks

Robert

[PM2K]

One of the last of the Hollywood "real men..." who are more missed than ever considering all the pretty boys that pass for movie "stars" these days...

Ernie and his peers Lee Marvin, William Holden, Robert Mitchem and company would have mopped the floors with them all... they didn't need teams of publicists to manage them.... they were content to say "accept us as is, or go to hell..."

Real men.

Damn.... I need to see The Wild Bunch again... Ernie's finest hour, in my opinion...

RIP, Mr. Borgnine...

[BSink42]

RIP.

[Lomax]

I need to see The Wild Bunch again... Ernie's finest hour, in my opinion...

Or Marty? Not that it really matters - his work was his career and not one particular film. I rank him with people like Karl Malden, Harry Morgan and George Kennedy - actors who never topped the credits, but were always there and always reliable; and capable of putting in a good performance in a bad film (Poseidon Adventure...).

Such actors still exist today - but are often not truly appreciated until they're gone.

Oh; and I was surprised to learn that Ernest Borgnine was still working in his nineties - providing voice work for Spongebob Squarepants - a favourite with my kids.

[water_bug_62208]

Sad news again. We're losing all the good ones... first Andy, now Ernest.

I've found over the years that if Ernest Borgnine was starring in a movie or TV show, it would be a good one.

PM2K put it quite well...

One of the last of the Hollywood "real men..." who are more missed than ever considering all the pretty boys that pass for movie "stars" these days...

Ernie and his peers Lee Marvin, William Holden, Robert Mitchem and company would have mopped the floors with them all... they didn't need teams of publicists to manage them.... they were content to say "accept us as is, or go to hell..."

Real men.

And, that's what you got from Ernest Borgnine... a real man giving it his heart and soul as he performed upon the big screen or the TV. There was power and passion in his acting. You could see it in his expression and the tone of his voice. He gave it his all... he did not disappoint!

Best wishes to you, Mr. Borgnine, as you begin your new adventure! And, best wishes to your family and friends!

[dlodoski]

.... I rank him with people like Karl Malden, Harry Morgan and George Kennedy - actors who never topped the credits, but were always there and always reliable; and capable of putting in a good performance in a bad film (Poseidon Adventure...).

Such actors still exist today - but are often not truly appreciated until they're gone....

Agreed.

I think of guys like Gene Hackman as well. I think he fits squarely in that category.

And yea, I did like Ernest Borgnine. But after Poseidon Adventure, I always thought of him as a candidate for a deodorant commercial... For such an otherwise sexy bad movie, he did stand out. And, funny enough, who played the preacher?

[jadokast98]

Oh; and I was surprised to learn that Ernest Borgnine was still working in his nineties - providing voice work for Spongebob Squarepants - a favourite with my kids.

Yea, Surprised as well to find out this when Star Wars Eppisode II came out. Earnest did the voice for the Caf Shop Lobster Guy. Dex I believe his name was. Obi Wan went to the Caf shop to ask if Dex had ever seen the dart that Obi Wan had. "That's a Kaminoooo Saberrr Dart." Great moment too as there was a implied back-story. (Star Was is nothing but Back-Stories, lol.)
Another "great" film was "Escape From New York" where Earnest played the Cab Driver. I loved that film when if first came out on HBO. I had the hots for Adriene Barbo. But again he played the part great. Again implying a back-story; "Snake Plisken?!?! I heard you were dead."




Here's to Real Men.

[bbjohn]

There's a name for performers like Ernest Borgnine: character actor. He wasn't a leading man, but he could play almost any role and play it well. Those of you who described him as being like Karl Malden or Gene Hackman hit the nail right on the head. He was one of those actors who was always around and turned in a great performance even if he wasn't in the lead role. A good character actor can make the leading man look good.

When called to do a leading role, as in "Marty," we saw how good an actor he really was.

He was also an outstanding straight man for comedy. In "McHale's Navy," he played opposite two of the funniest people then in the business: Tim Conway and Joe Flynn. Like all great straight men (Bud Abbott, Dean Martin, and Dan Rowan come to mind), he knew how to play it straight to make it funny. Just as a good character actor can make the leading man look good, so can a good straight man make the funny people even funnier.

Of course, the times Borgnine was called on to be funny, we could see just how hilarious he could be. His voice work on Spongebob Squarepants was hysterical. By the way, his Mermaid Man character was often playing off Barnacle Boy, who was voiced by none other than Tim Conway.

Sadly, actors like Borgnine often aren't really appreciated until late in their lives. That may be because their work is so steady and so reliable, they really don't stand out and may get taken for granted. It takes a while to come to the realization of how good they really are.

So long, Ernie. I'm glad to see people did come to appreciate you. You've likely made a bigger impact than all those "movie stars" who have come and gone during the time you've been around. You will be missed.

Big Bad John