Richard Widmark

A recipient of a star for achievements in film, Richard Widmark can be found on the southwest corner of Hollywood and Highland. Hey, this guy is a Minnesota native, like myself. He was born in the sunrise township of Minnesota in 1914. After moving with his family to Illinois, Widmark attended Lake Forest College and first studied then taught acting. He made a name for himself as a radio actor. He stared in numerous radio projects through the 1940's. Widmark broke on the film scene as a villainous sociopath in the 1947 film "Kiss of Death". He was nominated for the academy award for best supporting actor and was awarded the Golden Globe for best newcomer. He played the villain in a few other follow up films before moving into heroic roles as the 1940's faded. Widmark continued to play heroes and villains over the next 40 years, often producing in the same films. He worked on over 60 movies, his final project being "True Colors" in 1991. Fun fact: Widmark's daughter was married to Sandy Koufax. Fun fact #2: Although making a career out of carrying guns, he was a stark advocate for gun control. He passed away in 2008 after a long illness. Here is a video crediting Widmark with the advent of the upmarket psycho specialist. It's worth a view as it's only 2 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYb66PW9u1U This video credits his style of villainy with performances by Dennis Hopper, John Malkovic, Javier Bardem and Michael Shannon.