For those who have seen "Kiss Of Death" (1947), will always remember and be haunted by villain Tommy Udo, who tied up and pushed a wheel-chair bound old lady down a flight of steps. This is one of the most maniacal scene in the movie.Richard Widmark (26th December 1914 - 24 March 2008), played the part of crazy hit man, Tommy Udo in his film debut and won himself an Academy Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category.
Widmark was born in the state of Sunrise, Minnesota and studied in Lake Forest College with the idea of becoming a lawyer. However, he won the lead role in a college production of, fittingly enough, the play "Consellor-at-Law", and the acting bug bit deep. After taking his bachelor of arts degree in 1936, he stayed on at Lake Forest as the Assistant Director of Speech and Drama.
However, he soon quit the job and moved to New York to become an actor and, by 1938, he was appearing on radio in "Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories". He made his Broadway debut in 1943 in the play "Kiss and Tell", and continued to appear on stage in roles that were light years away from the tough cookies he would play in his early movies. After World War II, he was s
igned by 20th Century Fox to a seven-year contract. After seeing his screen-test for the role of "Tommy Udo", 20th Century Fox boss Darryl F Zanuck insisted that the slight, blonde Widmark - no one's idea of a heavy, particularly after his stage work - be cast as the psychopath in "Kiss Of Death (1947), which had been prepared as a Victor Mature vehicle. Even though the role was small, Widmark stole the picture. Since then, he was typecasted at the studio.
igned by 20th Century Fox to a seven-year contract. After seeing his screen-test for the role of "Tommy Udo", 20th Century Fox boss Darryl F Zanuck insisted that the slight, blonde Widmark - no one's idea of a heavy, particularly after his stage work - be cast as the psychopath in "Kiss Of Death (1947), which had been prepared as a Victor Mature vehicle. Even though the role was small, Widmark stole the picture. Since then, he was typecasted at the studio. He played psychotics in "The Street With No Name" (with Mark Stevens and Barbara Lawrence), "Road House" (with Ida Lupino, Cornel Wilde and Celeste Holm) and a villian in "Yellow Sky" (Gregory Peck and Anne Baxter) in 1948. When he went straight in "Down To The Sea In Ships"(1949) as a sailor, "LIFE" magazine wrote a three page feature. The great director Elia Kazan cast Widmark in his thriller "Panic In The Streets" (1950) but not as the heavy and gave that role to the equally famous villian, Jack Palance. Jules Dassin then cast him as London hustler with ambitio
us plans in "Night And The City" (1950). He was a bigot who instigated racial riot in "No Way Out". As the 1950s progressed, Widmark played in Westerns, military vehicles, and his old stand-by genre, the thriller. He appeared with Marilyn Monroe (this time cast again as the psycho) in "Dont Bother To Knock" (1952) and made "Pickup On South Street with Jean Peters (1953) and western "Broken Lance" (1954 with Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner and Jean Peters).
us plans in "Night And The City" (1950). He was a bigot who instigated racial riot in "No Way Out". As the 1950s progressed, Widmark played in Westerns, military vehicles, and his old stand-by genre, the thriller. He appeared with Marilyn Monroe (this time cast again as the psycho) in "Dont Bother To Knock" (1952) and made "Pickup On South Street with Jean Peters (1953) and western "Broken Lance" (1954 with Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner and Jean Peters).He freelanced, when he left Fox and formed his own company "Heath Production". He then starred in the costume flop "Saint Joan" (1957). He played Jim Bowie to John Wayne's Davy Crockett in 1960's "The Alamo". He made his scenes count in the court drama "Jud
gement At Nuremberg" (1961) featuring Spencer Tracy, Maximilian Schell, Marlene Dietrich, Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift and even Judy Garland. He co-starred James Stewart in John Ford's "Two Rode Together" and top starred in "Cheyenne Autumn" in 1961.
gement At Nuremberg" (1961) featuring Spencer Tracy, Maximilian Schell, Marlene Dietrich, Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift and even Judy Garland. He co-starred James Stewart in John Ford's "Two Rode Together" and top starred in "Cheyenne Autumn" in 1961.He maintained his tough guy image in the A-pictures of the 60s...playing the amoral police detective in 1968's "Madigan", but in the 70's he appeared primarily in supporting roles like in the all-star Agatha Christie's "Murder On The Orient Express"(1974), "Twilight's Last Gleaming" (1977) and "The Domino Principle" (1977),
playing the villianous doctor in "Coma" and "The Swarm" (1978). He turned to the small screen in the 70's.
playing the villianous doctor in "Coma" and "The Swarm" (1978). He turned to the small screen in the 70's.Despite playing heartless killers and bigots on film, he personally denounced all kinds of violence and the usage of guns. Widmark was an activist for strengthening gun control laws in the United States. He admitted that once he went fishing and regretted the fact he caught a trout and took its life. He also apologized profusely to Sidney Poitier during the shoot of the movie "No Way OUt" (1
950) after filming scenes together which called for Widmark to spew out racist remarks.
950) after filming scenes together which called for Widmark to spew out racist remarks. Widmark was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 2002 and was honored with a retrospective of his films by the Museum of Modern Art (New York, New York) in May 2001. In the fall of 2007 he sustained a fractured vertebrae after a fall. He died about six months later of complications.
He has that certain American good look despite all the hateful characters he played.
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