Richard Widmark
I can’t say that the death of Richard Widmark, at 93, is much of a surprise at this point, but I must say I’m disappointed his death was not caused by being pushed down a flight of stairs by a giggling psychopath. And I say that with the deepest respect.
Rest in peace, big guy.
He has always been one of my favorites. Every time he comes onto the screen, I am riveted. Great, great actor. Seemed like he would be a cool dude as well. Cheers.
That’s really sad. He was, I think, the last of the great noir stars. I shall watch Night and the City later this week and raise a glass to him.
Well, it’s kind of a surprise for me at least, since I assumed he had passed years ago.
He was a great villain, but I really enjoyed how, particularly in Fuller’s films, he used that crazy, intense energy in a more (for lack of a better word right now) “heroic” context.
And, looking at that picture, I’m reminded of the “Orson Welles’ Batman” hoax, and how he woulda made a great Joker.
— Kent M. Beeson
I just found out about this. And I just recently rewatched Pickup on South Street, too.
I just saw Pickup on South Street (on the big screen, most excellently) for the first time last December. Hard-boiled gold all the way.
I remember him terrifying me as a kid. He was an excellent baddy. There’s a line about what they do to squealers in prison. You wouldnt want to cross him.
RIP
I also assumed that he had passed away years ago (I did the same thing with Joseph Cotton). He was damned good and he stood out in everything I ever saw him in. I know Jules Dassin thought so highly of Widmark that he wanted to see him play Hamlet but it never happened. He always struck me as one of those actors who looked the part but was just too intense, too peculiar to be cast in conventional leading man roles.
I’ll always remember him for his star turn in Night & the City where his character has basically no redeeming features, being a weaselly, cowardly git who steals from people who love him, yet thanks to Widmark, you still want him to win in the end.
It’s rather telling that a lot of these same themes were taken up again by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale in their next film, Used Cars, a infinitely darker comedy about the American way that stuck much closer to its original conception (and was executive produced by Spielberg).