
Ernest Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnino on January 24, 1917 in Hamden, Connecticut. His parents were Charles who had emigrated from Ottiglio (AL), Italy and Anna who had emigrated from Carpi (MO), Italy. As an only child, Ernest enjoyed most sports, especially boxing, but took no real interest in acting. At age 18, after graduating from high school in New Haven, and undecided about his future career, he joined the United States Navy, where he stayed for ten years until leaving in 1945. After a few factory jobs, his mother suggested that his forceful personality could make him suitable for a career in acting, and Borgnine promptly enrolled at the Randall School of Drama in Hartford. After completing the course, he joined Robert Porterfield's famous Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, staying there for four years, undertaking odd jobs and playing every type of role imaginable. His big break came in 1949, when he made his acting debut on Broadway playing a male nurse in "Harvey". In 1951, Borgnine moved to Los Angeles to pursue a movie career, and made his film debut as Bill Street in The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951). His career took off in 1953 when he was cast in the role of Sergeant "Fatso" Judson in From Here to Eternity (1953). This memorable performance led to numerous supporting roles as "heavies" in a steady string of dramas and westerns. He played against type in 1955 by securing the lead role of Marty Piletti, a shy and sensitive butcher, in Marty (1955). He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, despite strong competition from Spencer Tracy, Frank Sinatra, James Dean and James Cagney. Throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Borgnine performed memorably in such films as The Catered Affair (1956), Ice Station Zebra (1968) and Emperor of the North (1973). Between 1962 and 1966, he played Lt. Commander Quinton McHale in the popular television series McHale's Navy (1962). In early 1984, he returned to television as Dominic Santini in the action series Airwolf (1984) co-starring Jan-Michael Vincent, and in 1995, he was cast in the comedy series The Single Guy (1995) as doorman Manny Cordoba. He also appeared in several made-for-TV movies. Ernest Borgnine passed away aged 95 on July 8, 2012, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, of renal failure. He is survived by his wife Tova, their children and his younger sister Evelyn.
Series | Treasure Island in Outer Space | Unknown | 2020 |
Series | Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspirational Stories Honoring Family | Unknown | 2016 |
Movie | The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez | Rex Page | 2012-04-27 |
Movie | Snatched | Big Frank Baum | 2011-01-01 |
Movie | The Lion of Judah | Slink (voice) | 2011-06-03 |
Movie | Night Club | Albert | 2011-04-11 |
Movie | Love's Christmas Journey | Nicholas | 2011-11-05 |
Movie | The Wishing Well | Big Jim | 2010-01-09 |
Movie | RED | Henry | 2010-10-13 |
Movie | The Genesis Code | Carl Taylor | 2010-08-25 |
Movie | Another Harvest Moon | Frank | 2010-10-06 |
Movie | Oliviero Rising | Bill | 2009-02-10 |
Movie | Red and White: Gone with the West | Himself / Narrator | 2008-02-01 |
Movie | Frozen Stupid | Frank Norgard | 2008-08-01 |
Movie | Strange Wilderness | Milas | 2008-02-01 |
Movie | Aces 'N' Eights | Thurmond Prescott | 2008-03-15 |
Movie | A Grandpa for Christmas | Bert O'Riley | 2007-11-24 |
Movie | Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project | Himself | 2007-10-13 |
Movie | Armed and Deadly: The Making of 'The Dirty Dozen' | Himself | 2006-01-01 |
Movie | La cura del gorilla | Jerry | 2006-02-02 |
Movie | 3 Below | Grandpa | 2005-01-10 |
Movie | Barn Red | Michael Bolini | 2004-01-01 |
Movie | The Trail to Hope Rose | Eugene | 2004-01-01 |
Movie | Blueberry | Rolling Star | 2004-02-09 |
Movie | The Long Ride Home | Lucas Moat | 2003-03-27 |
Movie | Time Machine: When Cowboys Were King | Himself | 2003-01-01 |
Movie | 11'09''01 - September 11 | Old Man (USA) | 2002-09-04 |
Movie | Castle Rock | Nate | 2000-01-01 |
Movie | The Kiss Of Debt | Godfather Mariano | 2000-01-01 |
Series | The District | Unknown | 2000-10-07 |
Movie | Hoover | J. Edgar Hoover | 2000-12-25 |
Movie | The Last Great Ride | Franklin Lyle | 1999-01-01 |
Series | Family Law | Unknown | 1999-09-20 |
Movie | The Lost Treasure of Sawtooth Island | 1999-12-01 | |
Movie | Small Soldiers | Kip Killagin | 1998-07-10 |
Movie | BASEketball | Ted Denslow | 1998-07-28 |
Movie | Everyone Loves Mel | Grandpa | 1998-10-10 |
Movie | An All Dogs Christmas Carol | Carface | 1998-11-17 |
Movie | McHale's Navy | Admiral Quinton McHale Sr. | 1997-04-18 |
Movie | Gattaca | Caesar | 1997-09-07 |
Movie | Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders | 1996-01-01 | |
Movie | All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 | Carface (voice) | 1996-03-29 |
Series | 7th Heaven | Unknown | 1996-08-26 |
Series | All Dogs Go To Heaven: The Series | 1996-09-21 | |
Series | Early Edition | Unknown | 1996-09-28 |
Movie | Captiva Island | Arty | 1995-01-01 |
Series | Pinky and the Brain | Unknown | 1995-09-09 |
Series | The Single Guy | 1995-09-21 | |
Movie | Veterinarian Christine II: The Temptation | Dr. Gustav Gruber | 1995-10-12 |
Series | JAG | Unknown | 1995-09-23 |
Movie | Outlaws: The Legend of O.B. Taggart | 1994-01-01 | |
Movie | Der blaue Diamant | Hans Kroger | 1993-01-01 |
Movie | Veterinarian Christine | Dr. Gustav Gruber | 1993-11-21 |
Series | Walker, Texas Ranger | Unknown | 1993-04-21 |
Series | MGM: When the Lion Roars | 1992-03-22 | |
Movie | Mistress | Himself | 1992-07-24 |
Series | The Commish | Unknown | 1991-09-28 |
Series | Home Improvement | Unknown | 1991-09-17 |
Movie | The Last Match | Coach | 1990-02-01 |
Movie | Hoodwinked | Sal Piccolo | 1989-01-01 |
Movie | Real Men Don't Eat Gummi Bears | Bischof | 1989-08-17 |
Movie | Laser Mission | Prof. Braun | 1989-11-01 |
Series | Oceano | Pedro El Triste | 1989-08-20 |
Series | The Simpsons | Unknown | 1989-12-17 |
Movie | Moving Target | Captain Morrison | 1988-01-01 |
Movie | The Big Turnaround | Father Lopez | 1988-01-01 |
Movie | The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission | Gen. Sam Worden | 1988-02-14 |
Movie | Spike of Bensonhurst | Baldo Cacetti | 1988-11-11 |
Movie | Bloodfight | Victor | 1988-07-08 |
Movie | Skeleton Coast | Colonel Smith | 1988-04-14 |
Movie | The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission | Gen. Sam Worden | 1987-03-01 |
Series | Jake and the Fatman | Unknown | 1987-09-26 |
Series | Treasure Island in Outer Space | Billy Bones | 1987-11-19 |
Movie | The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn | 1986-03-09 | |
Series | Alice in Wonderland | 1985-12-09 | |
Movie | The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission | Gen. Worden | 1985-02-04 |
Series | The Last Days of Pompeii | Marcus | 1984-05-06 |
Series | Highway to Heaven | Unknown | 1984-09-19 |
Series | Airwolf | Dominic « Dom » Santini | 1984-01-22 |
Movie | Airwolf: The Movie | Dominic Santini | 1984-01-22 |
Series | Murder, She Wrote | Unknown | 1984-09-30 |
Movie | The Manhunt | Ben Robeson | 1984-12-09 |
Movie | Love Leads the Way: A True Story | Sen. Brighton | 1984-10-07 |
Movie | Code Name: Wild Geese | Frank Fletcher | 1984-10-05 |
Movie | Young Warriors | Lt. Bob Carrigan | 1983-08-28 |
Movie | James Bond: The First 21 Years | Himself | 1983-05-27 |
Movie | Carpool | Mickey Doyle | 1983-10-05 |
Series | Masquerade | Jerry | 1983-12-15 |
Series | Matt Houston | Unknown | 1982-09-26 |
Movie | High Risk | Clint | 1981-01-01 |
Movie | Escape from New York | Cabbie | 1981-05-22 |
Movie | Deadly Blessing | Isaiah Schmidt | 1981-08-14 |
Movie | When Time Ran Out... | Det. Sgt. Tom Conti | 1980-03-28 |
Series | Magnum, P.I. | Unknown | 1980-12-11 |
Movie | Super Fuzz | Willy Dunlop | 1980-09-18 |
Movie | Ravagers | Rann | 1979-05-01 |
Movie | The Double McGuffin | Firat | 1979-06-01 |
Movie | All Quiet on the Western Front | Stanislaus Katczinsky | 1979-11-14 |
Movie | The Black Hole | Harry Booth | 1979-12-18 |
Movie | The Ghost of Flight 401 | Dom Cimoli | 1978-02-18 |
Movie | Convoy | Sheriff Lyle 'Cottonmouth' Wallace | 1978-06-27 |
Series | Jesus of Nazareth | The Centurion | 1977-01-06 |
Series | Future Cop | 1977-03-05 | |
Movie | Fire! | Sam Brisbane | 1977-05-08 |
Movie | The Greatest | Angelo Dundee | 1977-05-17 |
Movie | The Prince and the Pauper | John Canty | 1977-06-03 |
Movie | Shoot | Lou | 1976-05-28 |
Movie | Holiday Hookers | Max | 1976-01-01 |
Movie | The Devil's Rain | Jonathan Corbis | 1975-07-01 |
Movie | Hustle | Santuro | 1975-12-25 |
Series | Little House on the Prairie | Unknown | 1974-09-11 |
Movie | Law and Disorder | Cy | 1974-10-09 |
Movie | Sunday in the Country | Adam Smith | 1974-11-22 |
Series | The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts | Unknown | 1974-10-31 |
Movie | Emperor of the North | Shack | 1973-05-23 |
Movie | The Neptune Factor | Chief Diver Don MacKay | 1973-08-03 |
Movie | The Boxer | Captain Perkins | 1972-02-02 |
Movie | The Revengers | Hoop | 1972-06-21 |
Movie | The Poseidon Adventure | Mike Rogo | 1972-12-01 |
Movie | The Trackers | Sam Paxton | 1971-12-15 |
Movie | Rain for a Dusty Summer | The General | 1971-01-01 |
Movie | Bunny O'Hare | Bill Green - Gruenwald | 1971-10-18 |
Movie | Hannie Caulder | Emmett Clemens | 1971-11-08 |
Movie | Willard | Al Martin | 1971-07-30 |
Movie | Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? | Sheriff Harve | 1970-09-11 |
Movie | The Adventurers | Fat Cat | 1970-03-25 |
Movie | The Wild Bunch | Dutch Engstrom | 1969-06-17 |
Movie | A Bullet for Sandoval | Don Pedro Sandoval | 1969-08-19 |
Series | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In | Unknown | 1968-01-22 |
Movie | Ice Station Zebra | Boris Vaslov | 1968-10-23 |
Movie | The Split | Bert Clinger | 1968-11-04 |
Movie | The Legend of Lylah Clare | Barney Sheean | 1968-08-21 |
Movie | The Dirty Dozen | Maj. Gen. Worden | 1967-06-15 |
Movie | Chuka | Sgt. Otto Hahnsbach | 1967-07-23 |
Movie | The Oscar | Barney Yale | 1966-03-04 |
Series | Run for Your Life | Unknown | 1965-09-13 |
Movie | The Flight of the Phoenix | Trucker Cobb | 1965-12-15 |
Series | Get Smart | Unknown | 1965-09-18 |
Series | The Dean Martin Show | Unknown | 1965-09-16 |
Movie | McHale's Navy | Lt. Commander Quinton McHale | 1964-06-25 |
Series | McHale's Navy | Quinton McHale | 1962-10-11 |
Series | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | Unknown | 1962-10-01 |
Movie | Go Naked In The World | Pete Stratton | 1961-03-10 |
Movie | Black City | Peppino Navarra | 1961-09-16 |
Movie | The Last Judgment | Pickpocket | 1961-10-26 |
Movie | Seduction Of The South | Sante Carbone | 1961-12-16 |
Movie | Barabbas | Lucius | 1961-12-23 |
Movie | Pay or Die! | Police Lt. Joseph Petrosino | 1960-07-27 |
Movie | Man on a String | Boris Mitrov | 1960-05-20 |
Movie | The Rabbit Trap | Eddie Colt | 1959-06-01 |
Series | Laramie | Unknown | 1959-09-15 |
Movie | Summer of the Seventeenth Doll | Roo | 1959-12-01 |
Movie | The Vikings | Ragnar | 1958-06-28 |
Movie | Torpedo Run | Lt. Archer 'Archie' Sloan | 1958-10-24 |
Movie | The Badlanders | John McBain | 1958-09-03 |
Movie | Jubal | Shep Horgan | 1956-04-06 |
Movie | The Catered Affair | Tom Hurley | 1956-06-14 |
Series | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater | Unknown | 1956-10-05 |
Movie | The Best Things In Life Are Free | Lew Brown | 1956-09-28 |
Movie | Three Brave Men | Bernard F. Goldsmith | 1956-12-01 |
Movie | Bad Day at Black Rock | Coley Trimble | 1955-01-07 |
Movie | The Square Jungle | Bernie Browne | 1955-01-01 |
Movie | Marty | Marty Piletti | 1955-04-11 |
Movie | The Last Command | Mike Radin | 1955-08-03 |
Movie | Violent Saturday | Stadt, Amish Farmer | 1955-04-01 |
Movie | Run for Cover | Morgan | 1955-04-29 |
Series | The Lone Wolf | Unknown | 1954-01-01 |
Movie | Johnny Guitar | Bart Lonergan | 1954-05-26 |
Movie | Demetrius and the Gladiators | Strabo | 1954-06-16 |
Movie | Vera Cruz | Donnegan | 1954-12-25 |
Movie | The Bounty Hunter | Bill Rachin | 1954-09-25 |
Series | The Academy Awards | Unknown | 1953-03-18 |
Series | General Electric Theater | Unknown | 1953-02-01 |
Movie | The Stranger Wore a Gun | Bull Slager | 1953-07-30 |
Movie | From Here to Eternity | Sgt. James R. 'Fatso' Judson | 1953-08-28 |
Series | This Is Your Life | Unknown | 1952-10-01 |
Movie | China Corsair | Hu Chang | 1951-06-12 |
Movie | The Whistle at Eaton Falls | Bill Street | 1951-08-02 |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Unknown | 1951-12-24 |
Movie | The Mob | Joe Castro | 1951-09-07 |
Series | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Unknown | 1951-10-05 |
Series | The Ed Sullivan Show | Unknown | 1948-06-20 |
Series | Ford Theatre | Unknown | 1948-10-17 |
Series | The Philco Television Playhouse | Unknown | 1948-10-03 |