This guy was in everything from 'The Ox Bow Incident' to 'Key Largo' to The Asphalt Jungle.
Posted on 12/01/2005 7:43:46 AM PST by Borges
LOS ANGELES - Marc Lawrence, whose pockmarked face and brooding mannerisms made him a natural for roles as the tough guy, gangster and undertaker in dozens of movies beginning in the 1930s, has died. He was 95.
Lawrence died early Monday at his Palm Springs home from heart failure, said Alicia Lawrence, the actor's second wife.
"He was the gangster in his movies, that was definitely his style," said Alicia, a Mexico native who married Lawrence two years ago. "But in real life he was a really good person."
After spending eight days in the hospital a few weeks ago, doctors told the family Lawrence was very sick and likely wouldn't live much longer, Alicia said.
At that point, Lawrence decided he wanted to come home, she said.
Born in New York City in 1910, Lawrence acted in plays through high school before attending City College of New York.
After years of stage performances in Eva Le Gallienne's company, Lawrence signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1932.
Over the next 60 years, Lawrence would play the mob boss, thug and general bad guy in dozens of films.
"Lawrence was perhaps the only character actor of the 1930s and 1940s still being cast in similar gangsterish roles in the 1980s and 1990s, in such films as The Big Easy (1987) and Ruby (1992)," wrote Leonard Maltin in "Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia."
Lawrence, however, also stepped outside the rogue genre, taking on roles like a mountaineer in "Shepherd of the Hills" in 1941 and an old hotel owner in "From Dusk Till Dawn" in 1996.
During the communist scare in the United States in the 1950s, Lawrence was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he admitted he had once been a Communist Party member.
He also reluctantly implicated several co-workers as alleged communist sympathizers, testimony that blacklisted him and brought his U.S. movie career to a halt.
Lawrence then departed for Europe, where he took on diverse roles in dozens of Italian movies in the 1960s, also directing crime films and spaghetti westerns.
Lawrence returned to the United States in the 1980s, resuming his vetted role as underworld thug. He also wrote and directed low-budget movies, keeping busy into his 90s.
His last movie appearance was "Looney Tunes: Back in America" in 2003, a minor role as one of many Acme vice presidents.
Lawrence is survived by a daughter, Toni Lawrence, and son, Michael Lawrence, his wife said.
Lawrence would be cremated and no funeral services were planned.
#3
I didn't recognize the name so I Googled it and pulled up a photo. Immediate reaction: "Oh, him!".
This guy "flirted" with communism
still made a great gangster
Being a gangster is a big leg up to bing a successful Communist. You could look it up.
Commies and gangsters are pretty much interchangeable true true
An oligarchy is an oligarchy. When the heads of The Families get together, it might as well be a meeting of the old Soviet Politburo. There's about ten guys who have most of the power and can do about what they want.
One of his best lines in the movie was when the Jerry Reed told him that his undercover police sting operation was part of the Mob, directly under the Boss of Bosses. Carmine (Marc Lawrence) said, "The Boss of Bosses doesn't operate out of Miami", to which the reply is "We're franchising ... like MacDonald's".
After some additional dialogue, Carmine states: "(A) You ain't Family and (B), if you ain't family, we're going to come back here and show you what a Big Mac Attack is really like".
Great stuff ... very funny movie ...
Thanks for the ping ... and the info!
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