Initially playing heavies, including a memorable turn being beaten up by a one-armed Spencer Tracy in Bad Day At Black Rock, Borgnine struck gold playing against type as a lovelorn butcher in 1955's Marty.
Initially playing heavies, including a memorable turn being beaten up by a one-armed Spencer Tracy in Bad Day At Black Rock, Borgnine struck gold playing against type as a lovelorn butcher in 1955's Marty.
If Marty had been the only thing he had ever done - it would have been a great career.
I’m surprised that no one has remembered him playing a big, burly Roman officer in “Jesus of Nazareth” on t.v. in 1977! It was a miniseries based on the life and ministry of Jesus. He played the Roman officer whose young servant was deathly ill, and Jesus cured the kid, and most people remember that story, I know.
He also played the Roman officer at the foot of the cross later on. Sheesh, he must of been in his early 60s when he played that! By the way, there was a strange but beautiful story regarding the filming of that particular scene! It’s been documented in a few places, one of them being in “Catholic Digest”, or the “Ligorian” (two Catholic magazines) several years ago, and in at least one other place I can’t remember.
Apparently he broke down in tears in the filming of it. The actor that played Christ himself (Robert Powell)was absent that day due to illness. To help Borgnine set the mood for his part, Director Franco Zeffirelli read a passage out of “The Bible” regarding the Crucifiction scene. After the rehearsal of the scene, he explained why he got emotional. He said that at the moment the director was reading the passage, Borgnine had been looking up on the cross.
Of course, the actor who played Christ was home sick, so it was empty during rehearsal. Borgnine claimed he saw a ghostly image of a struggling, TORTURED MAN on that PROP CROSS! The man looked at him with such a gentle, loving look, then faded! Zefferelli had asked him why he suddenly stopped, stared, then broke out in tears; so he told him and the others what he believed he saw.
I can’t remember if he actually said he saw Christ, or saw an image of a tortured, dying man. The weird thing was, the director and the other actors standing around DID NOT SEE IT! The image was not caught on the film either when it was examined later!
I imagine they told the actor who played Jesus when he got back what happened to Borgnine. I’m betting he wished he’d been there, too. Because if it was Christ, (and I’m thinking it was, myself!) he literally acted as Powell’s substitute, playing himself for the day, to say the least!