Home> Facts and Trivia > Stars > Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum Facts
| Sign | Leo |
| Born |
Aug 6, 1917 Bridgeport, CT |
| Died |
Jul 1, 1997 Santa Barbara, CA |
| Age | Died at 79 |
| Total Facts | 64 |
Michael Madsen called Mitchum his "role model" and inspiration to take up acting as a profession.
5 Card Stud (1968), the showdown between Hollywood's two deities of indifference, produced no sparks on or off the screen. Dean Martin remained in his trailer watching television after filming was completed, and delivered his lines as though he had memorized them phonetically. The only excitement came when a massive camera collapsed and nearly hammered Mitchum into the ground. Instead, the star moved casually aside while thousands of dollars worth of equipment smashed around him.
According to Mitchum biographer John Belton, during the shooting of Undercurrent (1946) Katharine Hepburn told Mitchum, "You know you can't act, and if you hadn't been good-looking, you would have never gotten a picture. I'm tired of playing with people who have nothing to offer.".
Addressed the Republican National Convention in 1992.
After two weeks of shooting on the movie _Tombstone(1993)_, the studio fired writer (director)Kevin Jarre and hired George P. Cosmatos. He, with Kurt Russell's input, cut a number of scenes (for actors) and changed them to new action scenes, weakening a beautifully written script. Part of what was cut was the old man Ike's character. As Mitchum had already signed the contract, they had him do the voice-over instead.
Although he had numerous affairs throughout his marriage, he remained with wife Dorothy Mitchum for nearly 60 years.
As a teenager, Mitchum was sentenced to a Georgia chain gang on a charge of vagrancy.
Biography in: "American National Biography." Supplement 1, pp. 414-416. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Briefly served in the US Army during World War II, with service number 39 744 068, from April 12 to October 11, 1945, after he was drafted. According to Lee Server's 2001 biography, "Robert Mitchum: Baby I Don't Care," Mitchum said he served as a medic at an induction department, checking recruits' genitals for venereal disease (a "pecker checker"). Always the iconoclast, although he did not want to join the military, he served honorably and was discharged as a Private First Class and received the World War II Victory Medal.
Brother of John Mitchum and Julie Mitchum.
Carefully maintained a facade of indifference, always lazily insisting that he made movies just so he could get laid, score some pot, and make money, and cared nothing about art. This is surely true of some films, which he likely picked to make money, but certain directors and films seemed to secretly pique his interest, including his work with Charles Laughton, John Huston, and Howard Hawks.
Died one day before his The Big Sleep (1978) co-star James Stewart.
During a break in filming "War and Remembrance" (1988) in August 1987, Mitchum replaced his friend John Huston as an aging millionaire in Mr. North (1988) after Huston, who suffered from emphysema, was hospitalized with pneumonia. In October 1987, Mitchum filled in for Edward Woodward, who was recovering from a heart attack, in a special two-part episode of "The Equalizer" (1985).
Dwight Whitney wrote in "TV Guide" on June 7, 1969 about Mitchum that there is the "suggestion, implicit in every utterance , that within the body of this 'movie-star'" lies imprisoned the soul of a poet.".
Early in his career many newspapers and fan magazines promoted him as a "new" Clark Gable, perhaps because both actors had strongly masculine images and powerful, distinctive voices. With Out of the Past (1947) however, Mitchum proved that he was a great star in his own right.
Father of James Mitchum, Christopher Mitchum, and Trini Mitchum
Grandfather of actors Bentley Mitchum and Price Mitchum, actress Carrie Mitchum and male model Kian Mitchum.
Great-grandfather of Cappy Van Dien and Grace Van Dien. Ex-grandfather-in-law of their father, Casper Van Dien.
He claimed his famous eyes were the result of a combination of injuries from his boxing days and chronic insomnia, which he suffered from throughout his life.
He got into trouble for some anti-Semitic remarks he made in an interview promoting "The Winds of War" (1983) at his home in 1983. Although these were apparently in jest, as he had close Jewish friends, he refused to apologize, undoubtedly because that would spoil his "bad boy" image.
He had a longstanding dislike of fellow tough guy actors Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson.
He seriously considered retiring from acting in 1968 due to concerns over the quality of his recent movies. After a year's absence, during which he spent much of the time driving around America visiting old friends and staying in motels, he was lured back to star in Ryan's Daughter (1970/I).
He was a huge fan of Elvis Presley's early music, and wanted Presley to star with him in Thunder Road (1958). Unfortunately, Tom Parker's demands for Presley's salary could not be met in this independent production, which Mitchum was financing himself.
He was cremated and his ashes scattered at sea by wife Dorothy Mitchum and neighbor Jane Russell. At Mitchum's insistence, no memorial service was held.
He was fired from Blood Alley (1955), allegedly for getting drunk and arguing with a crew member whom he then proceeded to throw into a nearby river, a charge Mitchum has always denied.
He was of Scottish, Norwegian, Irish, and possibly Native-American descent.
He was persuaded by his manager Antonio Consentino, a die-hard Republican, to campaign for George Bush in the 1992 presidential election. He also narrated a biographical film of the President for the Republican National Convention, and attended a fund-raiser at Bob Hope's house in Hollywood.
He was voted the 61st Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
His arrest for marijuana possession in the late 1940s was one of the first times a major actor had been jailed for this crime. According to Lee Server's 2001 biography, "Robert Mitchum: Baby I Don't Care," he was still smoking pot into his old age.
His driving license from 1950 gave his height as 6' even, one inch less that was always reported.
His mother was Norwegian and his father was Scots-Irish on his father's side and Native American Blackfoot on his mother's side.
His performance as Rev. Harry Powell in The Night of the Hunter (1955) is ranked #71 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
His vocal support for the Vietnam War failed to affect his appeal with American youth, and in 1968, a poll of teenagers declared him the coolest celebrity. Mitchum responded that they must have missed his recent films.
In 1947 he and Gary Gray recorded the songs from Rachel and the Stranger (1948) for Delta Records' soundtrack album. In 1968 he recorded another album, entitled "That Man Robert Mitchum . . . Sings". It included the track "Little Old Wine Drinker Me", which later became a hit for Dean Martin. In 1998 these songs were released on CD as "Robert Mitchum Sings.".
In 1959 the Mitchums moved out of Hollywood and into a farm they had bought on the Maryland shore of Chesapeake Bay, near the town of Trappe. In 1965 the family returned to Hollywood, largely at wife Dorothy Mitchum's insistence, and moved into a modest, ivy-covered mansion in Bel Air. Mitchum also purchased a 76-acre ranch near Los Angeles, mostly as a home for his growing collection of quarter horses.
In 1981, he fired his secretary, Reva Frederick, when he closed his office. Mitchum was subsequently sued as she claimed he owed her a pension back-dated to 1961. There was no paperwork to support this claim, and she dropped her suit when evidence was discovered that she had stolen millions of dollars from Mitchum over the years. As part of the "deal," he agreed not to prosecute. During the course of these events, Ms. Fredrick suffered a stroke from which she never fully recovered.
In the 1950s he was selected by Howard Hughes to appear in a series of films he was producing. Hughes considered Mitchum a "friend," but (as a paranoid recluse) hardly met the actor. Mitchum was halfway put off and halfway amused by the "crazy old man" and clearly saw that he was a surrogate for Hughes as the strapping actor "romanced" young starlets on screen.
Is mentioned in Queens of the Stone Age's song "The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died," off their 2007 album "Era Vulgaris".
Is the subject of the song "Robert Mitchum" by Swedish singer [['Olle Ljungström']], available on his album "Världens Räddaste Man" (translates "The World's Most Terrified Man").
Many critics were unconvinced by the 65-year-old Mitchum winning World War II in "The Winds of War" (1983). When the producers made a sequel, "War and Remembrance" (1988), they worried that a 70-year-old Mitchum would be even less convincing and considered replacing him with James Coburn. Eventually they decided that what they would gain in fewer wrinkles, they would lose in Mitchum's formidable screen presence and charisma.
Mentioned by name as part of The Velvet Underground song "New Age" (from the 1970 album "Loaded").
Mentioned in the song "One More Arrow" by Elton John.
Mitchum once said that Rev. Harry Powell, the murderous villain he played in The Night of the Hunter (1955), was his favorite role.
Mitchum was cast by Howard Hughes in Holiday Affair (1949) because Hughes felt that Mitchum needed to "soften" his image after his marijuana conviction and prison sentence.
Mitchum was in poor health while filming "The Winds of War" (1983), and once again there was talk of retirement. He filmed Maria's Lovers (1984) despite suffering from a solid case of pneumonia.
Presented with a People's Choice Award backstage by Charlton Heston for "War and Remembrance" (1988) during the 1989 ceremony in Beverly Hills, California.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower would never allow any of Mitchum's movies to be played in the White House, due to the actor's marijuana possession conviction.
Referenced by name in the song "The Fun Machine Took a Sh-t and Died" by Queens of the Stone Age.
Replaced Burt Lancaster in Maria's Lovers (1984) after the elder actor was forced to undergo emergency quadruple heart bypass surgery.
Sidelines: Played the saxophone and wrote poetry.