Lee Marvin

Lee Marvin
Marvin in 1971
Born
Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.

(1924-02-19)February 19, 1924
DiedAugust 29, 1987(1987-08-29) (aged 63)
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Education
OccupationActor
Years active1950–1986
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Betty Ebeling (m. 1952–1967)
  • Pamela Feeley (m. 1970)
PartnerMichelle Triola (1965–1970)
Children4
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
BranchUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1942–1945
RankPrivate First Class
UnitCompany I, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines
Battles / wars
AwardsPurple Heart

Lee Marvin (February 19, 1924  August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and prematurely white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Although initially typecast as the "heavy" (i.e. villainous character), he later gained prominence for portraying anti-heroes, such as Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger on the television series M Squad (1957–1960). Marvin's notable roles in film included Charlie Strom in The Killers (1964), Rico Fardan in The Professionals (1966), Major John Reisman in The Dirty Dozen (1967), Ben Rumson in Paint Your Wagon (1969), Walker in Point Blank (1967), the Sergeant in The Big Red One (1980), Jack Osborne in Gorky Park (1983) and co-starred opposite Chuck Norris in The Delta Force (1986) in what was his final role.

Marvin achieved numerous accolades when he portrayed both gunfighter Kid Shelleen and criminal Tim Strawn in a dual role for the comedy Western film Cat Ballou (1965), alongside Jane Fonda, a surprise hit which won him the Academy Award for Best Actor, along with a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, an NBR Award, and the Silver Bear for Best Actor.