Lee Marvin Film Fan Site

Name : Lamont Waltman Marvin


Birth : 19 February 1924
Died: 29 August 1987
Nationality : American
Lee Marvin

Comment
Lee Marvin was an American actor best known for his tough guy roles in Westerns and action films. He was a marine in World War 2, wounded in action and was given a Purple Heart. He got into acting by chance in amateur theature, and from ther moved to Broadway and then into television. His firata film role was in 1951 in an uncredited role in You're In The Navy Now, so he moved to Hollywood to persue acting in films. If first leading role was in the 1952 Eight Iron Men and appeared in a number of war films using his actual war experience. The film noir, The Big Heat was a change of style for him and gained him critical acclaim. In The Wild One and Bad Day At Black Rock he opposite Marlon Brando and Spencer Tracy and was equal to them. In the late 1950's he also continued to work on television including his own police show. His popularity was increasing and then he starred in the John Ford directed The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The Killers was a very differnt style of film and his first where he got top billing. This was an influencial film and influenced Quentin Tarrantino. This was foloowed by the comedy Cat Ballou for which he got his only Oscar win and he played to very opposite charcters in the film. The Dirty Dozen is perhaps his most well known film and it was very successful. He followed this up with the crime thriller Point Blank. The musical Paint Your Wagon was a complete change of style and he had a surprise hit with the song Wand'rin' Star despite his limited singing ability. He worked less in the 1970's and 1980's including Gorky Park.

Films
Gorky Park (1983)
Avalanche Express (1979)
Shout At The Devil (1976)
Paint Your Wagon (1969)
Point Blank (1967)
Dirty Dozen (1967)
Cat Ballou (1965)
The Killers (1964)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Raintree County (1957)
Bad Day At Black Rock (1955)
The Wild One (1953)
The Big Heat (1953)
The Stranger Wore A Gun (1953)
Eight Iron Men (1952)
Hangman's Knot (1952)

Oscars
Won - Best Actor - Cat Ballou (1965)

Lee Marvin