Описание
Charles Ambrose Bickford (January 1, 1891 – November 9, 1967) was an American actor best known for his supporting roles. Bickford was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the first minute of the new 1891 year. He was the fifth of seven children. As a teenager, traveled extensively in America. Before becoming an actor, Bickford worked as a lumberjack, investment agent and dealt with financial issues. In the US Navy was a fireman and a fireman. Bickford was going to apply for an engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but during his travels in America, he met with the manager of a burlesque show, who persuaded him to take part in performances. His debut took place in Auckland California in 1911. The first access to the theater stage took place in 1912 in the Boston Castle Square Theater. Bickford traveled a lot around the country, participating in various productions. In 1925, he received rave reviews from critics for his work on the Broadway play Outside Looking In, where he played with James Cagney (his Broadway debut). He was offered a role in the film Handsome Gesture (1926), but he refused, not wanting to leave Broadway at the height of his fame. After a well-received by critics but unsuccessful among the audience, the plays of Maxwell Anderson and Harold Hickerson's Gods of the Lightning, telling about Sacco and Vanzetti, he contacted director Cecil B. De Mille and signed a contract with MGM, receiving one co-stars in De Mille's first sound film Dynamite (1929). He became a star after the role of the lover of the heroine Greta Garbo in the film “Anna Christie” (1930), but he did not have the role of a romantic hero. On the set, Bickford often showed his strong-willed character and resolved issues with the help of force, especially when they were trying to push him: he hit De Mille on the set of "Dynamite" and nearly fought with Meier. He gave up roles in many films and did not hide his contempt for most of the scenarios he was offered. Wanting to terminate the contract with MGM, Bickford soon gets it, but at the same time he finds himself in the black lists and at other film studios. For several years he was interrupted by random roles in subtle films. In 1935, during the filming of the tape "East Java", the actor was seriously injured in the attack of a lion. When he recovered, he lost not only his contract with Fox Studio, but also because of the scars left around his neck, the opportunity to play leading roles in films was lost. After that, Bickford began to play characteristic supporting roles, becoming one of the most prominent actors in Hollywood, playing in such famous films as The Man from the Plain (1936), The Song of Bernadette (1943), Duel under the Sun (1946) , Farmer’s Daughter (1947), Johnny Belinda (1948), Star was Born (1954), Not as a Stranger (1955) and Unforgiven ( 1960). Bickford discovered that with the public, first in the cinema and then on television, he enjoys the greatest success as characteristic actor. He became very popular because of his appearance - a thin, lean, middle-aged man - and a coarse, powerful voice. Most often he played loving fathers, stern businessmen, athletes and ship captains. He was a guest star on the Barbara Stenwick Show and the Eleventh Hour medical drama. In recent years, Bickford played farmer John Granger, owner of Shilo's ranch, in the western series Virginia. He died in Los Angeles on November 9, 1967, of pneumonia and a blood infection at the age of 76.
