1. Edward G Robinson was born into a [Yiddish]-speaking family in [Romania] in 1893. His family emigrated to escape antisemitism and he grew up in New York City. He won a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and made his [Broadway] debut in 1915. His portrayal of a [gangster] in 1927 stage drama "The Racket" was the first of many such roles.
Robinson's film career took off with the coming of [sound] pictures and he left the stage in 1930. His portrayal of gangster [Rico Bandello] in 1931 Warner Brothers film ["Little Caesar"] made him a star. Other notable movie appearances were in the film noir ["Double Indemnity"] opposite Fred McMurray and Barbara Stanwyck, and "Key Largo", the last of five pictures in which he starred with [Humphrey Bogart]. His contract, which guaranteed him leading roles, enabled him to indulge his passions for European travel and for acquiring [impressionist paintings].
Too old for military service in World War 2, the [multilingual] Robinson instead worked for the Office of War Information, broadcasting from [London] to occupied countries. Long an outspoken critic of Nazism and [fascism], Robinson appeared before the House [Un-American Activities] Committee in the 1950s. Though cleared of [communist] involvement, he found himself [greylisted], able only to work for minor Hollywood studios.
Robinson's career revived after [Cecil B DeMille] cast him in "The Ten Commandments". His later work included two films with [Frank Sinatra]: "Robin and the 7 Hoods" and "A Hole in the Head". His last film appearance was in [science fiction] classic "Soylent Green". He died in 1973 and received a posthumous [honorary Oscar].
From Quiz Edward G Robinson
Answer:
Edward G Robinson was born in Bucharest as Emmanuel Goldenberg. His family left for America when he was 10 years old, following an attack on his brother. Robinson took up acting seriously at City College of New York, where he had enrolled intending to become a criminal lawyer. He adopted his stage name in 1913, the middle initial a nod to his original surname. He appeared in Yiddish theatre and vaudeville before making his first appearance in legitimate theatre in Broadway play "Under Fire".
Robinson's performance in "The Racket", a play reputedly too realistic ever to be produced in Chicago, attracted the attention of Hollywood studios, and he signed with Warner Brothers in 1930. "Little Caesar", with its famous closing line "Mother of Mercy, is this the end of Rico?", provided the template for gangster films and made Robinson a star overnight. His portrayal of insurance claims adjuster Barton Keyes in "Double Indemnity" is probably his most famous non-gangster role, though he also played the title roles in 1940 biopics "Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet" and "A Dispatch from Reuter's". In 1939 he appeared as an FBI agent in "Confessions of Nazi Spy", the first American film to portray the dangers of Nazism.
A speaker of seven languages, including Romanian, German, French, Russian and Italian, Robinson was asked by the Office of War Information in 1942 to fly to London to broadcast to occupied countries over the BBC. He was the first Hollywood star to visit Normandy to entertain American troops after D-day. A committed opponent of Nazism from the early 1930s, Robinson had aligned himself with any organisation with anti-fascist aims, some of them subsequently found to be communist fronts. In 1946 his name appeared in a list of communist sympathisers published in the "New York Daily News" and film work dried up. He was finally cleared of communist involvement in 1952, having testified three times without naming names, and went on to appear in a series of B movies. Robinson's first marriage, to Gladys Lloyd, ended in 1956 and, following the slump in his earnings, he was forced to sell his impressive art collection to fund the divorce settlement.
Robinson's role as Dathan, villainous overseer of the Hebrew slaves in "The Ten Commandments, resurrected his career. He went on to film supporting roles and took up television acting. Robinson filmed a death scene in "Soylent Green" two months before his own death from bladder cancer at the age of 79. Despite his distinguished career, he had never been nominated for an Academy Award. He knew that he was to receive an honorary award for his lifetime achievements, but died several weeks before the presentation.
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