Ernest Borgnine Movies
With a receding hairline, broad, jowly face, caterpillar eyebrows, bulgy eyes, and an incongruent but charming gap-toothed grin, versatile veteran actor Ernest Borgnine's resemblance to a pug dog pretty much relegated him to character roles, but occasionally he was given the opportunity to play leads, and when he did, proved himself a powerful performer.Born Ermes Effron Borgnino in Hamden, CT, to Italian immigrants, he spent five years of his early childhood in Milan before returning to the States for his education. Following a long stint in the Navy that ended after WWII, Borgnine enrolled in the Randall School of Dramatic Art in Hartford. Between 1946 and 1950, he worked with a theater troupe in Virginia and afterward appeared a few times on television before his 1951 film debut in China Corsair. Borgnine's stout build coupled with his homely face led him to spend the next few years playing villains. In 1953, he won considerable acclaim for his memorable portrayal of a ruthless, cruel sergeant in From Here to Eternity. He was also praised for his performance in the Western Bad Day at Black Rock. Borgnine could easily have been forever typecast as the heavy, but in 1955, he proved his versatility and showed a sensitive side in the film version of Paddy Chayefsky's acclaimed television play Marty. Borgnine's moving portrayal of a weak-willed, lonely, middle-aged momma's boy attempting to find love in the face of a crushingly dull life earned him an Oscar, a British Academy award, a Cannes Festival award, and an award from both the New York Film Critics and the National Board of Review. After that, he seldom played bad guys and instead was primarily cast in "regular Joe" roles, with the notable exception of The Vikings in which he played the leader of the Viking warriors.
In 1962, he was cast in the role that most baby boomers best remember him for, the anarchic, entrepreneurial Quentin McHale in the sitcom McHale's Navy. During the '60s and '70s, Borgnine's popularity was at its peak and he appeared in many films, including a theatrical version of his show in 1964, The Dirty Dozen (1966), Ice Station Zebra (1968) and The Wild Bunch (1969). Following the demise of McHale's Navy in 1965, Borgnine did not regularly appear in series television for several years. However, he did continue his busy film career and also performed in television miniseries and movies. Notable features include The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and Law and Disorder (1974). Some of his best television performances can be seen in Jesus of Nazareth (1977), Ghost on Flight 401 (1978), and a remake of Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front (1979). In 1984, Borgnine returned to series television starring opposite Jan Michael Vincent in the action-adventure series Airwolf. The series ended in 1986; his career has continued to steam along though he generally plays much smaller roles. Between 1995 and 1997, he was a regular on the television sitcom The Single Guy. In 1997, he also made a cameo appearance in Tom Arnold's remake of Borgnine's hit series McHale's Navy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Casper Van Dien, Bruce Boxleitner and Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine star in this action-packed western about a town of old west settlers beset by a ruthless group of trigger-happy gunmen. They knew they were taking a risk by settling in uncharted territory, but the land was bountiful and the future looked bright. The one thing that these settlers didn't count on was the railroad. When the bullets start flying and the locals start dying, there's no sheriff to maintain the peace within a hundred miles. With no one to defend the peaceful pioneers but a retired gunslinger and an ageing rancher, this unlikely duo loads their pistols and prepares to become the only law this town has ever known. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Casper Van Dien, Bruce Boxleitner, (more)
A retired showman and twenty-five year divorcee connects with the granddaughter he never knew in this warmhearted holiday film starring Earnest Borgnine, Katherine Helmond, Tracy Nelson, and Jamie Farr. Ever since his divorce twenty-five years ago, eighty year old bachelor Bert O'Riley (Borgnine) has grown rather accustomed to living by himself. When his estranged daughter Marie (Nelson) is hospitalized following a serious car crash, however, Bert readily agrees to take in her nine year old daughter Becca (Juliette Goglia). Trouble is, Bert's social skills aren't so sharp after living alone for over two decades, and Marie hasn't exactly given Becca the best impression of her estranged grandfather either. At first the air between Bert and his precocious new roommate is downright icy, though things gradually warm to a thaw after Becca announces that she'd like to perform in her school's upcoming Christmas pageant. Later, after recruiting fellow showbiz retirees Roxie (Helmond), Adam (Farr), and Karl (Richard Libertin) to give Becca a few helpful pointers, Bert is called on to take over the show. Perhaps by working together, Bert and Becca can finally bridge the gap that has divided their family for so many years. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernest Borgnine
An epic-Western in the grand tradition, the made-for-cable The Trail to Hope Rose stars Lou Diamond Phillips as Keenan Deerfield, a half-Indian outlaw just released from prison. Determined to start life anew, Keenan takes a grueling rock-mining job in a town controlled by the odious Driggers family, headed by flint-eyed patriarch Samuel Drigger (Warren Stevens), with the coldblooded Gerald Rutledge (Richard Tyson) as the family's chief henchman. Keenan's fellow workers are treated like slaves and forced to live in squalor, but none dare complain lest they meet with one of the many convient "accidents" that have befallen anyone who dares stand up to the Driggers. With stoic fortitude, Keenan waits for the right moment to strike a blow for justice, benefiting from the moral support of the town's honest but ineffectual Marshal Toll (Lee Majors) and good-natured farmer Eugene Lawson (Ernest Borgnine). The plot thickens when Keenan falls in love with Gerald's "woman," the pregnant Christine Beckford (Marina Black), and when one of Keenan's past associates, A.J. Foster (David Shackelford), rides into town intent upon stealing the Drigger mine's payroll. The rather endearing old-fashioned quality of the film is enhanced by the location-shooting at the Paramount Ranch, a reconstructed western town in Agoura, CA. The Trail to Hope Rose first aired July 4, 2004, on the Hallmark channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernest Borgnine, Lou Diamond Phillips, (more)
Ernest Borgnine stars as an underdog farmer who stands up to a land developer in the stirring drama Barn Red. He is joined by a Native American former employee named Lydia (Kimberly Norris Guerrero), and the two take on the town to keep the land untouched. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernest Borgnine, Kimberly Norris Guerrero, (more)
- 2002
An opera-obsessed Mafioso receives his comeuppance from the least likely of places in this crime comedy starring screen legend Ernest Borgnine. Godfather Mariano (Borgnine) is a mob boss accustomed to getting things his way, but when an indebted tenor, a widower, and a florist turn the tables on the powerful don, he finds himself singing to a whole other tune. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Ernest Borgnine guest stars as veteran televsion director Max Blandish, a once-idealistic media pioneer who has become jaded and disillusioned during his 50 years in the business. If bitterness doesn't kill Max, his heavy smoking will, and thus there isn't a whole lot of time left for Monica (Roma Downey) and Tess (Della Reese) to persuade him to forsake his cynicism and keep the promises he made to himself at the outset of his career. This requires Max to confront an unpleasant incident in his past--specifically, 1954--when he buckled under to sponsor pressure and refused to allow a black female singer to appear on-camera for a performance of "God Bless America" (Need we reveal whom that singer turns out to be?) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Alana Austin, Ernest Borgnine, and Frank Gorshin star in this action-packed adventure about a feisty teenage girl and a handsome young drifter on the run from the law in the Arizona desert. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Ernest Borgnine stars in this one-man show as J. Edgar Hoover, the notorious former head of the F.B.I., who discusses his long and storied career on camera as he relives his triumphs and attempts to explain his career failings. Hoover discusses his battles against Communists, gangsters (especially John Dillinger), radical leftists, neo-fascists, and extremists of all political stripes, while also weighing in on latter-day allegations about the legalities of his working methods (especially his use of wiretaps) and his sexual preferences. The film also features Cartha D. "Deke" Deloach", onetime deputy director of the F.B.I., who worked with Hoover for 17 years and offers his own recollections of the man he considered both his friend and a great lawman. Hoover was shot in 1997, but wasn't shown theatrically until 2000, when it played a limited engagement in Los Angeles in order to quality for that year's Academy awards. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernest Borgnine
- 1999
Danny Quinn is determined to find the pirate treasure at the bottom of Lake Michigan, which his father told him about before he died. His will is so strong, in fact, that the ghost of Picaroon visits him to encourage him in his quest and warn him of the foe that he will meet on his journey. Danny puts together a rag-tag crew and sets off-but they are not alone. Another treasure hunter is after the gold, and it may turn out to be the foe that Danny was warned of. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
Johnny and Tanner are two brothers raised in a violently dysfunctional family, with a brutal psychopath for a father. One day, their father's abuse of their mother goes too far and tragedy strikes. Tanner winds up in jail, and Johnny is sent to a foster home, where he finally knows a stable life and a caring family. Years later, Johnny (Scott Waugh) is a college student with good marks and good prospects ahead of him, while Tanner (Sean Graham) is trying to dig himself out of a life of crime. Tanner calls Johnny and asks him for a favor -- he'd like his brother to vouch for him in a hearing with his parole officer in Hollywood. Johnny agrees, but then discovers that the hearing isn't in nearby Hollywood, CA, but on the other side of the country in Hollywood, FL. A promise is a promise, and Johnny and Tanner hop in Tanner's ancient Lincoln Continental with only 12 dollars to their name, hoping the fates will guide them safely to the East Coast. The supporting cast includes Ernest Borgnine, Jonathan Silverman, and Married With Children star David Faustino. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Waugh, Sean Graham, (more)
- 1991
"A Thieves Christmas" and "The Gift" are read by a grandfather who finds his grandchildren lacking in the spirit of the Christmas season. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1990
After witnessing the cruelty of the dreaded SS, a German Naval officer begins to question his allegiance to the floundering Nazi party in this WW II drama set near the end of the war. He is stationed upon an island and is helping to prepare a missile attack on Washington, D.C. when the SS slaughter all the civilian residents there. Compounding the officer's dilemma is the fact that he has fallen in love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
John Savage plays a roving reporter on assignment in Africa. While nosing around in the jungle, Savage stumbles upon an unregenerate Nazi war criminal. As he mulls over what do with this information, the Nazi continues laying the groundwork for a worldwide neofascist conspiracy. Despite the presence of such thespic heavyweights as William Hickey and Ernest Borgnine, Any Man's Death never quite lives up to its potential. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Savage, William Hickey, (more)
- 1990
Appearances began life as a 2-hour TV pilot film. A Midwestern family tries to carry on after the sudden death of the family's son. Everyone puts up a brave public front, but the artifice results in gradual erosion of family solidarity. Ernest Borgnine fares best as the clan's patriarch. Appearances never developed into a series, though it has been released to home video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In this mystery, based on a novel by L.A. Morse, retired L.A. detective Jake Spanner enlists the aide of a group of senior citizens to help him find an ex-mobster's daughter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Ernest Borgnine, (more)
- 1989
In this comedy/drama, teen-aged Tony (Bentley C. Mitchum) has never known who is father is. Together with his best buddies Peter and Susan, he tracks down the clues he has as well as he can. Meanwhile, the twin brother of a Spanish priest has set out from where he lives in order to find his son, whom he has never met. (The priest and his twin are played by Christopher Mitchum.) The two search parties meet in the village where the priest lives, giving rise to all sorts of misunderstandings - for instance, that the priest was the father, and not his twin brother, whose existence no one else knows about. This leads to all sorts of trouble for the priest from his diocesesan bishop (Ernest Borgnine) and other priests. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Mitchum, Robi Rosa, (more)
- 1988
Made for television, this is the third sequel to the popular war adventure. This time, a group of rag-tag soldiers must somehow shape up and take on a group of Nazi soldiers who are riding the Orient Express to Istanbul to establish their latest empire. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
