A Trench Coat, a Fedora and a Revolver Quiz

Answer: Burt Lancaster

One of the all-time great film actors, Burt Lancaster worked as a circus acrobat and joined the Army during World War II. He turned to acting and was appearing in a Broadway play when he was "discovered" and brought to Hollywood. Lancaster was thirty-two when he appeared in "The Killers".

He won the Best Actor Oscar for "Elmer Gantry" in 1960, and received three additional nominations, for "From Here to Eternity" (1953), "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962) and "Atlantic City" (1980).

Answer: Ray Milland

When Ray Milland was awarded the Oscar for "The Lost Weekend", he bowed to the audience, then turned and walked off the stage without uttering a single word. Born in Wales, Ray Milland was a guardsman in the Royal Household Cavalry of London before turning to acting on stage and in films.

He had starred in light comedies, as the suave leading man, until he gave the performance of his career in Billy Wilder's "The Lost Weekend". He went on to star in "The Big Clock" (1948) and the 1952 drama "The Thief", a film with no dialogue whatsoever, and many others, in a career which lasted over fifty years.

Answer: Richard Widmark

Richard Widmark became an film noir icon beginning with "Kiss of Death", for which he was Oscar-nominated as Best Supporting Actor. Widmark was one actor who didn't mind playing unsympathetic roles. He began his career in radio and worked in radio, films and television until his retirement at seventy-six. In addition to his tough-guy roles, he starred in many westerns, dramas such as "Judgement at Nuremberg" (1961), and the excellent TV cop show "Madigan" (1972-73).

Answer: Robert Mitchum

Mitchum left home as a teenager, working during the Depression years in various jobs and hopping trains all around the U.S. He was just fourteen when he was arrested for vagrancy, placed on a Georgia chain gang from which he managed to escape. Upon his arrival in California several years later, he began acting in local theater, then as an extra in films, and finally got his breakthrough role in "Out of the Past".

He was arrested for possession of marijuana in 1948, which caused a huge scandal, and sent Mitchum to jail for forty-three days. Rather than ruining his career, the incident seemed to enhance it, and Mitchum ending up appearing in over 100 films.

His one Oscar nomination was for Best Actor, Supporting Role for "The Story of G.I. Joe" (1945).

He was an icon, unforgettable.

Answer: Edmund O'Brien

A well-respected character actor and leading man, O'Brien had a long career in films, television and theater. He studied drama at Columbia University, and began his Broadway career with a small part in "Hamlet", the 1936 John Gielgud version. He came to Hollywood to appear in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1939).

He joined the Army Air Force during World War II, and after the war returned to resume work in films, among them "A Double Life" in 1947, "Backfire" in 1950, and his best-known film "D.O.A." He also starred as Winston Smith in the chilling film version of George Orwell's "1984".

He won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for "The Barefoot Contessa" (1954).

Answer: Dan Duryea

Dan Duryea was a graduate of Cornell University, and worked for a time in the advertising business before turning to theater acting. He appeared in the original cast of "The Little Foxes" with Tallulah Bankhead, beginning in 1939. He recreated the role in the 1941 Bette Davis film of the same name.
From the beginning of his film career he played character roles, and when film noir came along he fit in perfectly. He made a great gangster and also appeared in many westerns. He had his own television series from 1952-1956, "China Smith" and "The New Adventures of China Smith".

Answer: Edward G. Robinson

He was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1893, and came to the United States at age ten. He studied acting at City College in New York, and began his career on Broadway in his early twenties, and worked in silent films as well. His first big hit film was "Little Caesar" (1931) and he would go on to appear in over one hundred films over five decades.

He was often the snarling gangster or the powerful mob boss. But there was also "Double Indemnity" (1944), "The Woman in the Window" (1945) and "Scarlet Street" (1945), film noir roles that showed a different side to him.

He was a well-known art collector, with an extensive collection. He died in 1973 and was awarded a posthumous Oscar for lifetime achievement in films later that year.

Answer: John Garfield

His parents were Russian immigrants, his mother died when he was very young, a childhood illness severely damaged his heart. John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle) had a rough life. He began to study acting early on, joined the famous Group Theater, made his debut on Broadway at age nineteen, then moved on to Hollywood.

He received his first Oscar nomination for his film debut in "Four Daughters" (1938). In 1946 he starred in "Nobody Lives Forever" as well as "The Postman Always Rings Twice" with Lana Turner, a great film noir.

He also appeared in "Gentleman's Agreement" in 1947, a ground-breaking film about anti-Semitism. John Garfield was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee who were looking to rid the entertainment industry of communists.

He refused to divulge names or betray friends, and was effectively blacklisted, prevented from working. He died of heart failure in 1952. He was just thirty-nine.

Answer: Van Heflin

Like so many stars of that era, Heflin began acting in theater productions in the early '30s, among them Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge"(1939). He went to Hollywood to have a try in films. He signed with MGM Studios, and was given increasingly important roles.

In 1942 Heflin appeared in the film noir "Johnny Eager", as Robert Taylor's sidekick, and would win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. He was going places. During World War II he served as an Air Force combat cameraman in Europe.

His best-known film is probably "Shane" (1953) the classic western with Alan Ladd. He played Charles Bovary in "Madame Bovary", was one of "The Three Musketeers" in 1948, and took the "3:10 to Yuma" in 1957.

Answer: Sydney Greenstreet

Sydney Greenstreet was born in England. After some attempts at other ventures, he settled on acting as a career. He worked as a stage actor in England, then came to the United States to join the Theatre Guild in the 1930s. Sydney Greenstreet made his film debut at the age of sixty-two in "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre. Greenstreet and Lorre made eight more films together, including "Casablanca" and "The Verdict" (1946).

He made twenty-four films in the space of eight years, retiring in 1949.