Burt Lancaster

Lancaster was cremated; his ashes were interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in Glendale, California. He was 80 years old. It is said he would throw away good cards (with the knowledge of spectators) to make the play "more interesting". At home in Los Angeles on October 20, 1994, Burt Lancaster died of a heart attack. He had a reputation as a world-class pinochle player. He eventually had to undergo open-heart surgery, and a cerebral stroke in 1990 left him in a wheel-chair, partly paralyzed. Because of his gambling, the brothers finally took the money as he earned it and put him on an allowance, which he stayed on until he died.

Lancaster aged, heart trouble increasingly hindered him from working as intensely as his passion and determination demanded. Chico Marx had a lifelong gambling habit, which usually kept him short of funds, and which compelled him to continue in show business long after his brothers had retired in comfort from their Hollywood income. (Groucho continued to host the long-running televison show "You Bet Your Life" out of his love of being before an audience rather than any financial need.) The last two Marx brothers movies were made for Chico's benefit; the other brothers twice returned to the screen to bail Chico out of debt. As Mr. For a while in the 1930s and 1940s Chico led a big band; young Mel Torme began his professional career singing with the Chico Marx Orchestra. His third wife was Susan Martin, whom he married in 1991. As manager he cut a deal to get the Marx Brothers a percentage of a film's gross receipts - the first of its kind in Hollywood. His first spouse, from 1935 to 1946, was June Ernst, from whom he divorced. His second marriage was with Norma Anderson from 1946 to 1969 and also ended in divorce. Chico became manager of the Marx Brothers after their mother Minnie, died.

He was married three times and had five children. As part of the act he would play passages with his thumb up and index finger straight--like a gun. Lancaster vigorously guarded his private life. He was known for "shooting" the keys of the piano. Mr. Before performances he would soak his fingers in hot water before going on instead. He also appeared in several TV films. Groucho Marx one time said that Chico never practiced the pieces he played.

He produced a number of films himself and also mentored such new directors as Sydney Pollack and John Frankenheimer, thus adding to his numerous acting achievements a pioneering role the development of independent cinema. Harpo however could only play a few tunes on the piano, which often would get both brothers fired. Lancaster sought demanding roles and, if he liked a part or a director, was prepared to work for much lower pay than he might have earned elsewhere; he even helped to finance movies in whose artistic value he believed. The two brothers looked so much alike, no one could tell the difference. This period brought him work on several European productions with directors including Luchino Visconti and Bernardo Bertolucci. He would acquire the job with his piano playing skills, work for a few nights, and then substitute Harpo on one of the jobs. During the latter part of his career, Lancaster left adventure and acrobatic movies behind and portrayed distinguished characters, earning himself ever greater prestige among directors and audiences alike. Sometimes Chico would even get work playing in two places at the same time.

His work was recognized in 1960 when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, a Golden Globe Award, and the New York Film Critics Award for his performance in Elmer Gantry. As a young boy, he would get jobs playing piano to earn money for the Marx family. In most of his roles, whether in drama, circus, western or other genres, the self-taught actor was successful; he evolved into a solid and versatile performer and eventually a superstar. Chico was a talented pianist. In the mid '50s, Lancaster went on challenging himself with varied cinematic roles, and satisfied longtime aspirations by moving into film producing as well. Stereotyped ethnic characters were common with Vaudeville comedians, and all the Marx brothers sometimes performed "dialect characters" early in their careers, but Chico was the only one to continue this. In two of the adventures, The Flame and the Arrow and The Crimson Pirate, his mate and friend from the circus years, Nick Cravet, played a leading role, and both actors impressed audiences with their acrobatic prowess. Chico developed the "Italian" accent he used to convince some roving bullies that he was Italian, not Jewish.

Subsequently, he played in a variety of movies, but especially in dramas, thrillers, military and adventure films. A typesetter accidentally dropped the k in his name and it became Chico, but it was still pronounced as if it were Chicko. The actor won significant acclaim and appeared in two more films the following year. Originally nicknamed Chicko because in those days women were referred to as chicks and the guys who chased them as chicken chasers, of which he was one. Though the play was not successful, Lancaster's performance drew the attention of a Hollywood agent who had him cast in the 1946 motion picture The Killers. Leonard Marx, known as Chico, (March 22, 1887 - October 11, 1961) was one of the Marx Brothers. Though initially unenthusiastic about acting, he returned from service, auditioned for a Broadway play and was offered a role.

During WWII, Lancaster performed in Army shows. Later, he worked as a circus acrobat until an injury forced him to give up the profession. He grew up in East Harlem and spent much of his time on the streets, where he developed great interest and skill in gymnastics. Born Burton Stephen Lancaster in New York City, he was one of five children of a postal worker.

Burt Lancaster (November 2, 1913 - October 20, 1994) was an American film actor. The Killers (1946). Brute Force (1947). Desert Fury (1947).

I Walk Alone (1948). All My Sons (1948). Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948).

Criss Cross (1949). Rope of Sand (1949). The Flame and the Arrow (1950). Mister 880 (1950).

Vengeance Valley (1951). Jim Thorpe - All-American (1951). Ten Tall Men (1951). The Crimson Pirate (1952).

Come Back, Little Sheba (1952). South Sea Woman (1953). From Here to Eternity (1953). His Majesty O'Keefe (1954).

Apache (1954). Vera Cruz (1954). The Kentuckian (1955). The Rose Tattoo (1955).

Trapeze (1956). The Rainmaker (1956). Corral (1957). Gunfight at the O.K.

The Scalphunters (1968). The Swimmer (1968). Water Polo (1968). U.S.

The Cassandra Crossing (1976). Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977). Moreau (1977). The Island of Dr.