In the Spotlight:
MARC LAWRENCE
The tough guy actor was born Max Goldsmith on February 17, 1910 in the Bronx, the son of a Polish Jewish mother, and Russian Jewish father. He participated in plays in school, then attended the City College of New York.
In 1930, Lawrence befriended another young actor, John Garfield. The two appeared in a number of plays before Lawrence was given a film contract with Columbia Pictures. Lawrence appeared in films beginning in 1932 with "If I Had a Million".
Lawrence's pock-marked complexion and brooding appearance made him a natural for heavies, and he played scores of gangsters and mob bosses over the next six decades, including "Dr. Socrates" with Muni, "The Shadow", "Dust Be My Destiny" with Garfield", "Johnny Apollo", "Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum", and "Blossoms in the Dust".
Nevertheless, he could turn in fine performances in very different kinds of roles as well, such as his bewildered mountain boy in The "Shepherd of the Hills" with John Wayne in 1941.
Lawrence with Sidney Toler as "Charlie Chan in the Wax Museum" (1940)
According to the New York Times in Shepherd of the Hills (1941): "Marc Lawrence gives an occasionally surprising performance as the dumb-stricken boy."
He also appeared in "Lady Scarface", "Hold That Ghost" as Charlie in a hilarious sequence with Lou Costello, "This Gun for Hire", "The Ox-Bow Incident", and "Dillinger".
Lawrence as the ghoulish Tommy in "This Gun for Hire" (1942)
Lawrence (extreme right) in "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943)
Lawrence, Arthur Lake in "Life with Blondie" (1945)
In "Cloak and Dagger" Lawrence's hand to hand fight with Gary Cooper is one of the best, most vicious, and most realistic ever filmed.
With Gary Cooper in "Cloak and Dagger."
Lawrence & Tyrone Power in "Captain from Castile" (1947)
Also in, "Key Largo", "Black Hand", and "The Asphalt Jungle".
A jolly Lawrence with Edward G. Robinson and Claire Trevor in "Key Largo" (1948).
Lawrence (2nd from left) as Caesar X. Serpi in "Black Hand" (1950).
Lawrence chewing the fat with Marlon Brando (1950's).
With Brad Dexter (above) & Sam Jaffe (below) in "The Asphalt Jungle" (1950).
In the 1950s, Lawrence found himself under scrutiny for his political leanings. When called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, he admitted he had once been a member of the Communist Party. He Named actor Jeff Corey, a former Communist Party member. Corey, who was subsequently blacklisted from 1951 through 1962, was bitter over Lawrence's action for the rest of his long life.
Lawrence a bit ruffled at HUAC hearings.
Lawrence also testified that actor Lionel Stander told him that joining the Communist Party would make him more attractive to women. During his testimony, Stander denounced Lawrence as a psychopath and presented a letter that gave Lawrence's mental history and revealed that he had been hospitalized after a mental breakdown just prior to his HUAC testimony.
Lawrence was blacklisted (anyway) and departed for Europe, where he continued to make films. Following the demise of the blacklist, he returned to America and resumed his position as a familiar and talented purveyor of gangland types, in "Johnny Cool", "Marathon Man", "Foul Play", "The Big Easy", "Ruby", etc.
Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn once told Lawrence that Johnny Roselli, a notorious gangster, had said that he was the best hood in films. Lawrence himself was often told by Italian hoods in his native New York that he played them better than anyone else; ironically, Lawrence is Jewish.
Lawrence & Laurence Olivier in "Marathon Man" (1976).
Lawrence as Rupert Stiltskin in "Foul Play" (1978)
Lawrence has directed over 30 television episodes and acted in even more including "Gotti".
Lawrence as Carlo Gambino in the TV movie "Gotti".
One of his last roles was as Mr. Zeemo in the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Badda-Bing Badda-Bang". Notably, he played the elderly Gatherer Volnoth in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Vengeance Factor".
Lawrence was married to writer Fanya Foss for 53 years until her death and produced two children, a daughter Toni and a son Lawrence. He would marry again two years before his death.
Lawrence died of heart failure on November 28, 2005 at the age of 95.
He was buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
Quoted: "I had this effect on people. I remember walking along the street and seeing Eddie Cantor's name up on one of the theaters, so I stopped by the ticket seller and asked him, 'When does Eddie go on?' He looked at me and went pale and said, 'You-you-you-you're the guy in that picture up the street!' He was petrified of me. So I went and watched that movie again and thought to myself 'Christ Almighty, what an ugly [expletive]!' Holes in my face, black eyes that pierce right through you. Here I thought I looked like Ronald Colman and the ticket seller was right."