The Resume

(November 11, 1909-July 11, 1973)
Born in Chicago, Illinois
Appeared in the films 'Crossfire' (1947), 'I Married a Communist' (1949), 'The Set Up' (1949), 'Flying Leathernecks' (1951), 'On Dangerous Ground' (1951), 'The Naked Spur' (1953), 'Bad Day at Black Rock' (1955), 'House of Bamboo' (1955), 'Odds Against Tomorrow' (1959), 'King of Kings' (1961), 'The Longest Day' (1962), 'Billy Budd' (1962), 'The Professionals' (1966), 'The Dirty Dozen' (1966), 'A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die' (1968), 'The Wild Bunch' (1969) and 'The Iceman Cometh' (1973)
Appeared on Broadway in 'Clash by Night' (1941), 'Mr. President' (1962) and 'The Front Page' (1969)

Why he might be annoying:

One of his pre-acting jobs was as chauffeur/bodyguard for a mobster.
Despite being a civil rights supporter, he was often cast as bigoted villains.
He complained to the press about 'the problems of an actor like me playing the kind of character that in real life he finds totally despicable.'
He so often played the villain that he was shocked when the producers of 'King of Kings' asked him to portray John the Baptist; he had assumed they would cast him as Judas.
He was a heavy smoker which contributed to his death from lung disease.

Why he might not be annoying:

He held the school's heavyweight boxing title all four years that he attended Dartmouth.
He was a Marine drill instructor at Camp Pendleton (1944-47).
He was a member of the anti-blacklisting group The Committee for the First Amendment.
He and Steve Allen founded the Hollywood chapter of the Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy.
When he and his family received right-wing death threats, John Wayne stood guard outside his house with a rifle (1962).
Jeff Bridges and Kris Kristofferson both named him as their favorite actor.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Born on Veteran's Day [November 11th] (Ranked: 1909)
• Boxers
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 51]
• Celebrity Boxers
• Empire Magazine's Top 100 Actors [2004] (Ranked: 45)
• I am a U.S. Marine
• I Attended Dartmouth
• I Attended the Premiere of 'Diary of Anne Frank' [1959]
• I Died in 1973 (Ranked: 63)
• I Have Lung Cancer
• I Portrayed a Boxer
• I Portrayed Abraham Lincoln
• I Portrayed Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby)
• Look at Me, I'm Wearing Boxing Gloves
• National Board of Review Award for Best Actor (Ranked: 1973)
• People who Have Similar Names on Am I Annoying (Ranked: 658)
• Profiles 35001-35250 (Ranked: 35249)
• Residents of the Dakota
• Served in World War II
• The Longest Day

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 21 Votes: 47.62% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 22 Votes: 59.09% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 23 Votes: 52.17% Annoying