Home> Facts and Trivia > Stars > Jason Robards
Jason Robards Facts
| Sign | Leo |
| Born |
Jul 26, 1922 Chicago, IL |
| Died |
Dec 26, 2000 Bridgeport, CT |
| Age | Died at 78 |
| Total Facts | 34 |
Katharine Hepburn was the godmother of his son Sam Robards.
Jennifer Jason Leigh added the Jason to her stage name in tribute to Robards, a long-time family friend. She said, "I like the way it sounds between Jennifer and Leigh.".
As of 2005, he was the only actor to win consecutive best supporting actor Oscars (for _All the President's Men (1976)_qv) and Julia (1977)).
Attended Hollywood High School in Hollywood, CA, and played on the football, baseball, basketball, and track teams, at one time entertaining the idea of becoming a professional athlete.
Avoided films until age 37 because he felt his acting father, Jason Robards Sr., had sold out and tarnished his own reputation by "going Hollywood".
Father of actor Jason Robards III.
Father, with actress Lauren Bacall, of actor Sam Robards.
First lead role was in the 1953 off-Broadway production of "American Gothic" directed by José Quintero.
Has portrayed President Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln (1992), The Perfect Tribute (1991) and Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1964), President Ulysess S. Grant in The Civil War (1990) and The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981), President Franklin D. Roosevelt in F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980) and fictional President Richard Monckton (A Richard Nixon-type) in Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977).
He and Leonardo DiCaprio both received Oscar-nominations for portraying Howard Hughes. Robards was nominated for Melvin and Howard (1980) and DiCaprio for The Aviator (2004).
He has three children with Eleanor Pitman. He has two children with 'Lois O'Connor (I)'. He won an Emmy in 1988 for Inherit the Wind (1988) (TV).
He is more closely associated with the works of Eugene O'Neill than any other actor.
He studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City.
He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1997 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington, DC.
He was nominated for a 1976 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Guest Artist in a play, Hughie, at the Academy Festival Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
He won an Oscar for playing Benjamin Bradlee in All the President's Men (1976), making him one of 12 actors to win the Award for playing a real person who was still alive at the evening of the Award ceremony (as of 2007). The other ten actors and their respective performances are: Spencer Tracy for playing Father Edward Flanagan in Boys Town (1938), Gary Cooper for playing Alvin C. York in Sergeant York (1941), Patty Duke for playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker (1962), Robert De Niro for playing Jake La Motta in Raging Bull (1980), Sissy Spacek for playing Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Jeremy Irons for playing Claus Von Bullow in Reversal of Fortune (1990) (1990), <a href="bio.php?person_id=2583"
His and Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscar nominations for playing Howard Hughes makes them only the second pair to both lose. Robards lost to Timothy Hutton, while DiCaprio lost to Jamie Foxx. Prior to that, only Fredric March and James Mason both lost Oscars for playing Norman Maine in the 1937 and 1954 versions of "A Star is Born". Subsequently, the only pair of actors to both lose an Oscar for playing the same part were Anthony Hopkins and Frank Langella for playing Richard Nixon. Previously, Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro both won for playing Vito Corleone. José Ferrer won while Gérard Depardieu was only nominated for playing Cyrano de Bergerac; and John Wayne won while Jeff Bridges was only nominated for playing Rooster Cogburn. Richard Burton and <a href="bi
In 1972, he was in a horrifying accident on a winding California road. He drove his car into the side of a mountain and nearly died. His acute drinking problem contributed to the accident. He slowly recovered after extensive surgery and facial reconstruction.
In 1978 he became the second actor to receive an Oscar, Emmy and Tony nomination in the same calendar year (for Julia (1977), "Washington: Behind Closed Doors" (1977) and "A Touch of the Poet," respectively).
In 1988, he became the 11th performer to win the Triple Crown of acting: Oscar, Tony, Emmy. Two Oscars: Best Supporting Actor, All the President's Men (1976), and Best Supporting Actor, Julia (1977). Tony: Best Actor, Play, "The Disenchanted" (1959). Emmy: Best Actor, Miniseries/Special: Inherit the Wind (1988) (TV).
In one of his last roles, in Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia (1999), he portrayed a man dying from lung cancer to excellent effect. Two years later he himself died from the same disease.
Jason Robards was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Hope Maxine (née Glanville) Robards and Jason Robards, Sr., an actor who regularly appeared on the stage and in such early films as The Gamblers (1929) and was among the better-known actors of the first half of the twentieth century.
On April 22, 2002, the first Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre was awarded to Christopher Plummer by the Roundabout Theatre.
Played Hickey in three different productions of Eugene O'Neill's play The Iceman Cometh -- off-Broadway in 1955, on television in 1960, and on Broadway in 1955. Also played Hickey in production of Iceman Cometh 1985/86 in NYC (Lunt-Fontane) and LA (James Doolittle Theater).
Preferred working in the theater, and said once that he performed in Hollywood films so that he could "grab the money and go back to Broadway as fast as I can."
Received all of his Oscar nominations for playing real-life people: Benjamin C. Bradlee in All the President's Men (1976), Dashiell Hammett in Julia (1977), and Howard Hughes in Melvin and Howard (1980).
Recipient of 22nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime contribution to arts and culture, presented by President Bill Clinton in Washington, DC, Dec. 5, 1999.
Served as a radioman aboard the U.S.S. Northampton, which was sunk by Japanese torpedoes in the Battle of Tassafaronga.
Shares the role of Howard Hughes with Leonardo DiCaprio. In the television series ("Parenthood" (1990)_) based on _Parenthood_ (1989)_, DiCaprio took over the role that Joaquin Phoenix had played in the film--opposite Robards as his grandfather.
Two daughters and four sons: Sarah Louise, Shannon Robards, Jason Robards III, Sam Robards, David and Jake Robards.
Was a Civil War buff in real life. He played President U.S. Grant in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981), and was the voice of Gen. Grant in the PBS mini-series "The Civil War" (1990).
Was a trustee at Fairfield University in Connecticut.
Was the first winner of a Best Actor Obie Award, which recognize achievement in the off-Broadway theater, for playing Hickey in the revival of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh during the 1955-56 season. He tied for the best actor award with George Voskovec, who was cited for Uncle Vanya.
Won Broadway's 1959 Tony Award as best actor (dramatic) for The Disenchanted. He was nominated seven other times: as best supporting or featured actor (dramatic) in 1957 for Long Day's Journey into Night; as best actor (dramatic) in 1960 for Toys in the Attic, in 1964 for After The Fall, in 1965 for Hughie, in 1972 for The Country Girl and in 1974 for A Moon for the Misbegotten; and as best actor (play) in 1978 for A Touch of the Poet. With eight nominations, he holds the record for being the actor nominated the most times for the Tony Award, although he only won once.