Edward G. Robinson

One of the most favorite actors I have seen on the silver screen over the past 50 years has been Edward G. Robinson. His tough guy attitude has given me a few helping moments in my wrestling and my managing career. His on screen character has earned him many awards in the life he chose.

His given name was Emanuel Goldenberg, and he was born in Bucharest, Romania on December 12, 1893. His family settled in the Lower East Side of New York when he was just 10. A short 10 years later, he had been doing some stock support acting work while at city college. His aspirations were to become a rabbi or a lawyer, but he decided on acting, and many of the industry’s big studio presidents are glad that he made the decision.

He chose the name Edward G. Robinson, and, for the next 15 years, he was on Broadway in New York. In 1931, he starred as Rico Bandello in Little Caesar. His stellar performance as a snarling, murderous thug won him many star title roles in the years to come. In real life, Robinson was a sophisticated, cultured man with a passion for fine art--set the standard for movie gangsters, both for himself in many later films and for the industry.

He portrayed the title character in several biographical works, such as Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940) and A Dispatch from Reuter's (1940). Psychological dramas included Flesh and Fantasy (1943), Double Indemnity (1944), The Woman in the Window (1944) and Scarlet Street (1945). Another notable gangster role was in Key Largo (1948).

He was "absolved" of allegations of Communist affiliation after testifying as a friendly witness for the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy hysteria of the early 1950s. In 1956, he had to sell off his extensive art collection in a divorce settlement and also had to deal with a psychologically troubled son. In 1956, he returned to Broadway in Middle of the Night.

According to the March 31, 1941, issue of "Time" magazine, he and Melvyn Douglas bid $3,200 for the fedora hat that Franklin Delano Roosevelt had worn during his three successful campaigns for the presidency. They acquired the hat at a special Hollywood auction to benefit the Motion Picture Relief Fund. Both Robinson and Douglas were identified as "loyal Democrats." Robinson would later be "grey-listed" during the McCarthy Red Scare hysteria of the 1950s and have to make his living on stage.

On three occasions in 1950 and 1952, he was called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee and was threatened with blacklisting. Robinson became frightened and took steps to clear his name, such as having a representative go through his check stubs to ensure that none had been issued to subversive organizations. He reluctantly gave names of communist sympathizers, and his own name was cleared, but, thereafter, he received smaller and less frequent roles. Still, anti-communist director Cecil B. DeMille cast him in The Ten Commandments in 1956.

Robinson was never nominated for an Academy Award, but, in 1973, he was awarded an honorary Oscar in recognition that he had "achieved greatness as a player, a patron of the arts, and a dedicated citizen ... In sum, a Renaissance man." He died from cancer at the age of 79, two months before the award ceremony. His final resting place is at Beth El Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York, in the Goodman Mausoleum.

In 1973, he was awarded a special, posthumous Oscar for lifetime achievement. Robinson was involved in a 50-year career that included 101 films and many television and personal appearances. He is pictured on a 33¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, issued October 24, 2000.

Some of my personal best movies that I enjoyed seeing him in were The Cincinnati Kid, which he starred in nest to Steve McQueen, and Key Largo, with Humphrey Bogart.

Thank you, Edward G. Robinson, for giving the world someone to talk about when speaking about greatness. Thank you for all that you did for the film industry during your long and illustrious career.

Rest in Peace, sir ... "Shalom."

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers

2003 BWC Hall of Fame Inductee
2004 CAC Hall of Fame Inductee
2006 LWA Hall of Fame Inductee
2007 TCCW Hall of Fame Honoree