Lee Marvin
“A white-haired tough guy whose menace and dry wit made him an unlikely leading man.”
After years of menacing supporting roles, Marvin won the 1965 Best Actor Oscar for his comic dual performance as a drunken gunslinger and his villainous twin in 'Cat Ballou.' The surprise hit transformed the longtime heavy into a top-billed leading man.
Marine to Movies
Born in New York City, Marvin served as a Marine scout-sniper in the Pacific and was wounded at Saipan. After the war he stumbled into acting at an upstate community theater and studied at the American Theatre Wing on the G.I. Bill.
Hollywood's Heavy
Tall, prematurely gray, and gravel-voiced, he spent the 1950s playing memorable villains and brutes, most chillingly in 'The Big Heat.' Television's 'M Squad' broadened his audience as a no-nonsense detective.
Oscar and Stardom
His self-mocking dual role in 'Cat Ballou' won an unexpected Oscar and made him a leading man. He capitalized with hits like 'The Dirty Dozen' and 'Point Blank,' embodying a new kind of weathered, modern tough guy.
Career Timeline
- 1924Born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr. in New York City
- 1942Enlists in the U.S. Marine Corps
- 1944Wounded in the Battle of Saipan
- 1951Begins film career in small tough-guy roles
- 1953Vicious henchman in 'The Big Heat'
- 1957Stars in TV police series 'M Squad'
- 1962Appears in 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'
- 1965Wins Best Actor Oscar for 'Cat Ballou'
- 1967Leads ensemble in 'The Dirty Dozen'
- 1967Stars in cult crime film 'Point Blank'
- 1979Landmark 'palimony' lawsuit ruling
- 1987Dies in Tucson, Arizona, of a heart attack
Biggest Hits
- A decorated Marine, he was wounded by machine-gun fire at the Battle of Saipan, an experience that fed the hard-bitten authenticity of his screen tough guys.
- His 1979 'palimony' case with Michelle Triola Marvin set a famous legal precedent on property claims between unmarried partners.
The Moment You Remember
He is remembered slumped against a horse that leans as drunkenly as its rider in Cat Ballou, a gag that helped win him an unlikely Oscar for comedy.
Portrait: NBC Television · Public domain (TV publicity photo, no notice) · via Wikimedia Commons