Robert Mitchum - Actor And Icon Of Post-war Hollywood

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American actor, director, novelist, poet, composer, and singer Robert Mitchum also wrote plays and sang. He became well-known for playing the lead in a number of great film noirs, and many people saw his performance as a precursor to the antiheroes that were popular in the 1950s and 1960s cinema. He is also well-recognized for his television work.

Quick Facts About Robert Mitchum

Complete Name	Robert Charles Durman Mitchum
Name	Robert Mitchum
Date of Birth	August 6, 1917,
Birth Day	May 8
Net worth	$10 million
Birth Place	Santa Barbara, California
Nationality	United States of America

Robert Mitchum's Early Life And Family

Robert Mitchum was born on August 6, 1917, into a Norwegian-Irish Methodist family in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His father, James Thomas Mitchum, was an Irish-born shipyard and railroad worker; his mother, Ann Harriet Gunderson, was a Norwegian immigrant and the daughter of a sea captain.

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In 1914, Annette, his elder sister, was born. During her acting career, she went by the name Julie Mitchum. In February 1919, a rail yard accident in Charleston, South Carolina, claimed the life of their father, James Mitchum.

After receiving a government pension, their mother found out she was expecting. John, her third child, was born that September. Lieutenant Hugh "The Major" Cunningham Morris, a former Royal Naval Reserve officer, is Ann's second husband. Carol Morris, the couple's daughter, was born on the Delaware family farm in July 1927.

The Bridgeport Post hired Ann as a linotype operator after all of the kids were old enough to go to school. When he was younger, Mitchum was renowned for being a troublemaker who often got into fights and mayhem.

He was transferred to live with her parents in Felton, Delaware when he was 12 years old by his mother, who had already dismissed him from middle school for tiffing with the principal. He moved in with his elder sister Annette in New York's Hell's Kitchen a year later, in 1930.

He left his sister after being expelled from Haaren High School, boarded trains, and worked various jobs around the nation, including professional boxing and digging ditches for the Civilian Conservation Corps.

He said that at the age of 14, he was thrown into a local chain gang after being caught for vagrancy in Savannah, Georgia. According to Mitchum, he managed to get away and find his family in Delaware.

He met Dorothy Spence at this period as he was healing from injuries that almost cost him a limb. He quickly got back on the road and finally traveled to California by "riding the rails."

The Career Of Robert Mitchum

In 1943, Robert Mitchum began working as an extra in the movie business. He landed a number of parts that year and had some success in the B-Western subgenre. With the portrayal of officer Bill Walker in the 1945 war movie "The Story of G.I. Joe," which was a huge commercial and critical hit and won Mitchum his lone Oscar nomination, he had his first taste of celebrity

His net worth was then stabilized when he was conscripted and served for eight months in the military. Robert Mitchum's first significant film noir was the 1947 film "Out of the Past," in which he portrayed Jeff Markham, a gas station owner, and former detective.

This character allowed him to acquire a high degree of popularity and reputation, greatly increasing his income. However, the actor soon discovered that he had spent more than a month in jail for allegedly possessing marijuana, along with actress Lila Leeds.

This conviction was later overturned, but it appears that it brought him the publicity that persisted after his release, and he started landing roles in popular films like "Rachel and the Stranger," "The Red Pony," and the noir "The Big Steal," increasing his net worth.

Robert Mitchum appeared in movies including "My Forbidden Past," "The Racket," and "River of No Return" in the 1950s. In the 1955 noir movie "The Night of he played Reverend Harry Powell, a criminal acting as a clergyman.

Mitchum's performance often regarded as his greatest role made him one of his generation's most famous faces, greatly boosting both his reputation with viewers and his financial worth. His next significant role was in the 1962 psychological thriller "Cape Fear," where he played the sinister rapist Max Cady, solidifying his reputation for portraying predatory villains.

The movies "The Longest Day," "Anzio," and "El Dorado" all included other significant roles throughout the decade. They all helped him amass his money. Mitchum started acting in dramas and romances in the 1970s. His most well-known parts were in "Ryan's Daughter," "Yakuza," "Farewell, My Lovely," and "The Big Sleep."

His 1980s credits included the miniseries "The Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance," as well as the films "Nightkill," "That Championship Season," and "Scrooged." His last part was in the TV movie "James Dean: Race with Destiny," which he continued to play in movies up to the middle of the 1990s.

Robert Mitchum With His Wife Sitting Nearby

Robert Mitchum's Awards And Achievements

For Robert Mitchum's work in Fred Zinnemann's movie "The Sundowners," Robert Mitchum won the National Board of Review award for Best Actor (1960). In 1991, the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures presented him with a lifetime achievement award, and in 1992, the Golden Globes presented him with the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Personal Life & Legacy Of Robert Mitchum

In March 1940, he married Dorothy Spence. Three children were born to the couple. Throughout his marriage, Robert Mitchum had a number of relationships and was never faithful to his wife. Nevertheless, they stayed together until his death in 1997. He smoked a lot and, in his later years, developed lung cancer. Due to the disease's consequences, he passed away in Santa Barbara, California, on July 1, 1997.

Some Interesting Facts About Robert Mitchum

Leo is his zodiac sign.
He is the father of three children: Christopher, James, and Trini Mitchum.
He was 6 feet 2 inches tall.
Bridgeport is where he was born.
He relocated to Long Beach, California, in 1936 to live with his sister and pursue a career as a ghostwriter.
He was brought up by his stepfather and mother.

The Net Worth Of Robert Mitchum

An American actor named Robert Mitchum had a $10 million fortune. He mostly accumulated them during his early 1940s acting career.

Conclusion

Robert Mitchum was among the 20th century's most recognizable leading men. Robert Mitchum ranks No. 23 among the 50 all-time greatest American film legends, according to the American Film Institute. Because of his incredible personality and acting abilities in many of his films, he will always be adored by his die-hard admirers.