Anthony Quinn

Anthony Quinn; Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca actually (* April 21, 1915 in Chihuahua, Mexico, † June 3, 2001 in Boston, Massachusetts ) was a Mexican- American film actor. Especially during the 1950s and 1960s was one of Quinn 's leading international character actors and has starred in film classics such as La Strada - The Song of the Road or Alexis Sorbas.

Life

Anthony Quinn's father, Frank, whose father was born in Ireland, fought in the Mexican Revolution Pancho Villa. His mother was a 15 -year-old Mexican woman. When the father was believed lost, the mother traveled with the little Anthony illegally across the Mexican -US border and settled near Hollywood. Here they later met again with his father Frank, who was then working as a cameraman in Hollywood, in a car accident until he died in 1927. Then, at just twelve, Anthony had to contribute to the livelihood and worked in the years to, among other things as a newsboy, bootblack, water carriers, window cleaner, slaughterhouse workers, masons, street preacher, boxers and cutter in a garment factory.

His artistic career began in the 1.88 m wide Quinn but not as an actor but as a sculptor. Already at the age of eleven he won a prize for a sculpture. He was also an avid saxophone player and started his own band. Later, he studied architecture on a scholarship with Frank Lloyd Wright. Both developed a personal relationship with each other, and Lloyd Wright paid the then seventeen -year-old Quinn, an operation on the tongue, which resolved a speech impediment. In addition to the operation Quinn received therapeutic language teaching, which sparked his interest in acting. Two years later he made his theater debut opposite Mae West in the spectacle Clean Beds.

His film career began with minor roles in which he mostly represented Indians and Mexicans, as well as Cecil B. DeMille in Western The hero of the prairie. During filming, he met Katherine DeMille know, the adopted daughter of the director. They married on October 5, 1937 and had five children together. The firstborn son of Christopher drowned in 1941 in a pond on the property of the actor WC Fields. In 1965, the marriage ended in divorce, after an affair with Quinn's Yolanda Addolori, his future second wife (marriage in 1966 ), with whom he had three more children, including the actor Daniele.

In 1940, Quinn received the U.S. citizenship. Until then, he had already played in over a dozen films in supporting roles. The famous father was doing him no help, because he did nothing to help Quinn. So the actor struck by the end of the forties on through with supporting roles in several films. In 1947, the tide began to turn in his favor when he starred in the play listed on New York's Broadway terminus took yearning of Marlon Brando. The director of the play, Elia Kazan, gave the new theater star a supporting role alongside Brando in the film Viva Zapata! , For which he received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Then Quinn quickly rose to leading man on, played in Italy for Federico Fellini in the film La Strada - The Song of the street showmen Zampano and later Vincent van Gogh - A Life of Passion the painter Gauguin. For his portrayal of Gauguin, he received his second Oscar.

In 1958, Quinn tried as a director with the film King of the buccaneers in a remake of The buccaneers of Louisiana, which his father had turned twenty years earlier, with himself in a supporting role. The film was a flop, and Quinn then never tried again as a director. 1964 played Quinn in Michael Cacoyannis ' film Zorba the title role of the wise peasant life and artist. With this role, Quinn later became most identified, and they became the archetype for almost all other roles he was to play later. In 1985 he returned once to Broadway to represent the now famous character in a musical Zorba for a successful season.

Quinn wrote several books and published his memoirs in 1972, entitled The wrestling with the angel. Even as a painter, sculptor and as a designer of jewelry and watches, he was successful. With his former secretary, with whom he had a relationship from 1997 until his death in June 2001, he had two more children. Quinn died at the age of 86 years in Boston of respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Filmography

Actor

Director

Archival

• 2009: My Big Fat Greek Summer ( My Life in Ruins ) ( uncredited as Alexis Zorbas )

Awards

• Oscar 1952 for Viva Zapata! ( Best Supporting Actor )
• Oscar 1956 Vincent van Gogh - A life of passion ( Best Supporting Actor as Paul Gauguin)
• Oscar nomination in 1957 for Wild is the Wind ( Best Actor )
• Oscar nomination in 1965 for Zorba ( Best Actor )
• Golden Globe 1987; Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement