Lancaster, Burton Stephen

Lancaster, Burton Stephen
▪ 1995

      U.S. motion-picture actor (b. Nov. 2, 1913, New York, N.Y.—d. Oct. 20, 1994, Los Angeles, Calif.), brought a strong, intelligent presence to the screen in a diverse array of emotion-packed roles, ranging from those in Hollywood westerns to European art films, but he was perhaps best remembered for his Academy Award-winning performance as a fiery evangelist and con man in Elmer Gantry (1960). Tall, lithe, and distinguished by his winning smile, Lancaster first played to audiences as part of a two-man acrobatic team in a traveling circus. After the act was dissolved, he held various jobs in Chicago before serving in World War II. When the war ended, he won a small part in a Broadway production of A Sound of Hunting (1945). Lancaster made his screen debut in The Killers (1946) and became an overnight sensation with his charisma and handsome ruggedness. He then starred in a number of thrillers and melodramas, including Brute Force (1947), Sorry, Wrong Number (1948), and Criss Cross (1949), and such adventures as The Flame and the Arrow (1950) and The Crimson Pirate (1952). More complex roles followed, and Lancaster gave compelling performances in Come Back, Little Sheba (1952), The Rose Tattoo (1955), and From Here to Eternity (1953), which featured a steamy beach scene with Deborah Kerr. In 1948 Lancaster and his agent Harold Hecht founded an independent production company, which turned out a string of starring vehicles for him. Among them was Sweet Smell of Success (1957), with Lancaster portraying a brutal, Walter Winchell-like gossip columnist. He poignantly portrayed loneliness as an inhabitant of a hotel in Separate Tables (1958) and as an inmate in Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), which led to his role as a prince in The Leopard (1963), directed by Luchino Visconti. Lancaster returned to Hollywood to make Seven Days in May (1964), The Professionals (1966), and the hugely successful Airport (1970) before starring as the haunted professor in another Visconti film, Conversation Piece (1974). In 1976 he appeared in both Bernardo Bertolucci's 1900 and Robert Altman's Buffalo Bill and the Indians. Lancaster also won acclaim for his performances in Atlantic City (1981), Tough Guys (1986), and Field of Dreams (1989), his last big-screen film. Off-screen Lancaster supported the NAACP and served as president (1968-70) and as a board member (1968-92) of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Lancaster — /lang keuh steuhr/; for 4 8 also /lang kas teuhr/, n. 1. the English royal family that reigned 1399 1461, descended from John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster), and that included Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI. Cf. York (def. 1). 2. a member of this… …   Universalium

  • Stephen — /stee veuhn/, n. 1. Saint, died A.D. c35, first Christian martyr. 2. Saint, c975 1038, first king of Hungary 997 1038. 3. (Stephen of Blois) 1097? 1154, king of England 1135 54. 4. Sir Leslie, 1832 1904, English critic, biographer, and… …   Universalium

  • burton — burton1 /berr tn/, n. Naut. 1. any of various small tackles for use on shipboard. 2. See Spanish burton. [1695 1705; prob. by metathesis from Breton (takles), Brytton (takles) (late 15th cent.); see BRETON, BRITON] burton2 /berr tn/, n. go for a… …   Universalium

  • Burton — /berr tn/, n. 1. Harold Hitz /hits/, 1888 1964, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1945 58. 2. Richard (Richard Jenkins), 1925 84, English actor, born in Wales. 3. Sir Richard Francis, 1821 90, English explorer, Orientalist, and writer.… …   Universalium

  • Lancaster, Burt — pseud. di Lancaster, Burton Stephen …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • Lancaster, Burt — ▪ American actor and producer in full  Burton Stephen Lancaster  born November 2, 1913, New York, N.Y., U.S. died October 20, 1994, Century City, Calif.  American film actor who projected a unique combination of physical toughness and emotional… …   Universalium

  • Burt Lancaster — Infobox actor name = Burt Lancaster imagesize = 215px caption = birthname = Burton Stephen Lancaster birthdate = 2 November fy|1913 birthplace = New York City, New York deathdate = 20 October fy|1994 (aged 80) deathplace = Los Angeles, California …   Wikipedia

  • Burt Stephen Lancaster — Burt Lancaster Burt Lancaster (* 2. November 1913 in New York; † 20. Oktober 1994 in Century City, Los Angeles; eigentlich Burton Stephen Lancaster) war ein US amerikanischer Filmschauspieler. Lancaster war zunächst in Abenteuer und Westernfilmen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Burton — Burton, Richard Burton, Richard Francis Burton, Tim * * * (as used in expressions) Chester Burton Atkins Burton, Richard Burton, Robert Burton, Sir Richard (Francis) Lancaster, Burt(on Stephen) Lane, Burton Burton Levy …   Enciclopedia Universal

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