Burt Lancaster

Burt Lancaster (1913-1994), American motion-picture actor, known for combining masculine toughness with emotional depth in a wide variety of films. He was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor four times, winning for his vivid portrayal of a fraudulent preacher in Elmer Gantry (1960).

Born Burton Stephen Lancaster in New York City, he attended New York University in the mid-1930s on an athletic scholarship but dropped out to form an acrobatic variety act with a childhood friend. He served in the United States Army during World War II (1939-1945), then returned to New York, where he auditioned for a Broadway play on a whim. The play, The Sound of Hunting (1945), closed quickly, but Lancaster’s rugged good looks and natural dramatic ability caught the eye of Hollywood talent scouts.

In his first screen appearance, Lancaster was compelling as a former boxer involved in organized crime in The Killers (1946). Starring roles in crime and adventure films, including Criss Cross (1948) and The Crimson Pirate (1952), quickly followed, and throughout his career Lancaster alternated between action-hero roles and more challenging characterizations in such serious dramas as Come Back Little Sheba (1952), The Rose Tattoo (1955), The Rainmaker (1956), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), and Separate Tables (1958). In From Here to Eternity (1953), he made an indelible impression as Sergeant Warden, particularly in a passionate love scene on the beach with British actor Deborah Kerr, and earned an Academy Award nomination for best actor. After winning best-actor honors for Elmer Gantry (1960), he was again nominated for Birdman of Alcatraz (1962).

In 1948 Lancaster was one of the first Hollywood stars to create an independent production company in the wake of an antitrust decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that stripped motion-picture studios of much of their power. In later years, he made a graceful transition to character roles, most notably in Atlantic City (1980; Academy Award nomination) and Local Hero (1983).