Charles Bronson Biography

Fast Facts

• Was closely associated with his active fundraising for the John Wayne Cancer Institute
• Worked as a coal-miner in his youth before being drafted into World War II
• Quote: "Acting is the easiest thing I've done, I guess that's why I'm stuck with it․"
• Would frequently portray police officers or gunslingers in films
• Would often be cast in the role of dangerous, violent characters
• Changed his last name to "Bronson" due to the fear that his actual last name would cause suspicion of him being a Communist during the "Red Scare" of the McCarthy era
• Once lived in a boarding house in New York with fellow aspiring actor Jack Klugman in the 1940s