Ernest Borgnine

Ernest Borgnine, born Ermes Effron Borgnino on January 24, 1917, in Hamden, Connecticut, was an American actor whose career extended across more than six decades. The son of Italian immigrants, his father Camillo Borgnino was originally from Ottiglio near Alessandria, and his mother Anna, née Boselli, came from Carpi, near Modena. When Borgnine was two years old, his parents separated, and he spent approximately four and a half years living with his mother in Italy. By 1923 the family had reunited, the surname was changed from Borgnino to Borgnine, and his father adopted the first name Charles. The family settled in New Haven, Connecticut, where Borgnine graduated from James Hillhouse High School. He had a younger sister, Evelyn Borgnine Velardi.

Following high school, Borgnine enlisted in the United States Navy in October 1935, serving aboard the destroyer/minesweeper USS Lamberton before receiving an honorable discharge in October 1941. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he re-enlisted in January 1942 and spent the war years patrolling the Atlantic Coast aboard the antisubmarine warfare vessel USS Sylph. He was honorably discharged a second time in September 1945, having served nearly ten years in total and attained the grade of gunner's mate first class. His military decorations included the Navy Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal with "A" Device, the American Campaign Medal with a 3⁄16-inch bronze star, and the World War II Victory Medal. In 1997, he received the United States Navy Memorial Lone Sailor Award, and on December 7, 2000, the Veterans Foundation named him Veteran of the Year. In October 2004, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott presented Borgnine with the honorary title of chief petty officer at a ceremony held at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.

After his final discharge, Borgnine returned to Connecticut without employment or a clear direction. He briefly held a factory job before his mother encouraged him to consider the stage, suggesting his personality was suited to performing. He studied at the Randall School of Drama in Hartford and subsequently joined the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. His first stage role came in 1947 in State of the Union, followed by a role as the Gentleman Caller in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie. In 1949 he moved to New York City, where he made his Broadway debut playing a nurse in Harvey. His Broadway career continued in 1952, when he appeared in Mrs. McThing.

Borgnine made his television debut in 1951 on Captain Video and His Video Rangers, which led to additional roles on programs including Goodyear Television Playhouse, The Ford Television Theatre, Fireside Theatre, Frontier Justice, Laramie, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, and Run for Your Life. His appearance as a villain on Captain Video also resulted in his being cast in the Columbia Pictures film The Whistle at Eaton Falls in 1951. His film career advanced significantly with From Here to Eternity in 1953, directed by Fred Zinnemann, in which he played the sadistic Sergeant "Fatso" Judson opposite Frank Sinatra. That film received the Academy Award for Best Picture. He followed it with roles in Johnny Guitar, The Bounty Hunter, Vera Cruz, and Demetrius and the Gladiators in 1954, and appeared as a villain in John Sturges's Bad Day at Black Rock in 1955.

That same year, Borgnine starred as Marty Piletti, a warmhearted butcher, in the film Marty. The picture premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received the Palme d'Or, and also won the Academy Award for Best Picture. For his performance, Borgnine won the Academy Award for Best Actor, defeating Frank Sinatra, James Dean, Spencer Tracy, and James Cagney. He additionally received the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor, and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor. He later traveled to Australia to play the lead role of Roo, a cane cutter, in Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, a part originally intended for Burt Lancaster.

In 1962, Borgnine signed with Universal Studios to headline McHale's Navy, a World War II sitcom in which he played Quinton McHale, the skipper of PT-73. The series co-starred Joe Flynn and Tim Conway and ran until 1966. He later co-starred as Dominic Santini in the action series Airwolf from 1984 to 1986. Additional notable film credits include The Wild Bunch in 1969. Beginning in 1999, Borgnine provided the original voice of Mermaid Man on SpongeBob SquarePants, a role he continued until his death. At age 92, he earned his third Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work in the 2009 series finale of ER.

Borgnine died on July 8, 2012.