Edward G. Robinson

Edward G. Robinson has been a long time favorite of mine.
I admired him for his talents as an actor as well as a humanitarian and philanthropist.
I have created this page as a tribute to him, and to all of us, his fans, who have not forgotten the golden age of motion pictures.
The following is a very brief history of EGR's life.
Edward G. Robinson was born Emmanuel Goldenberg on December 12, 1893 in Bucharest, Romania. He arrived in the United States, in New York's Lower East Side, at age 9. He took up acting while attending City College, abandoning plans to become a rabbi or lawyer.
He was elected to the Elizabethan Society. He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts on a scholarship, and, in 1913, began appearing in summer stock after changing his name to "Edward G." (for Goldenberg). Robinson debuted on Broadway in 1915, and, over the next 15 years, became a noted stage character actor, even co-writing one of his plays, The Kibitzer (1929). He appeared in one silent film, The Bright Shawl (1923), but not until the sound era did he begin working regularly in films, making his talkie debut in The Hole in the Wall (1929) with Claudette Colbert.
It was a later sound film, 1930's Little Caesar, that brought him to the attention of American audiences; portraying gangster boss Rico Bandello, he established a prototype for a number of gangster roles he played in the ensuing years. After being typecast as a gangster he gradually expanded the scope of his roles, and, in the '40s, gave memorable "good guy" performances as in a number of psychological dramas; he played federal agents, scientists, Biblical characters, business men, bank clerks, among other characters.
He experienced a number of personal problems during the 1950s. He was falsely linked to communist organizations and called before the House Un-American Activities Committee (eventually being cleared of all suspicion). Having owned one of the world's largest private art collections, he was forced to sell it in 1956 as part of a divorce settlement with his wife of 29 years, actress Gladys Lloyd. He also had to deal with a psychologically troubled son. Robinson continued his career, however, which now included television work. His final film was Soylent Green (1973), a science fiction shocker with Charlton Heston. He lost his battle with cancer 2 weeks after filmimg was finished. He passed away at Mount Sinai Hospital on January 26. 1973 at the age of 79. He was layed to rest in the Goodman Mausoleum, Beth El Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY.
Two months after his death, Robinson was awarded a special "Lifetime Achievement" Oscar,for his outstanding contribution to motion pictures, having been notified of the honor before he died.His wife, who accepted for him, commented on how thrilled he was to learn he would be given the award. Incredibly, he had never been nominated for an Academy Award before then!
SPOUSES
He Married Gladys Lloyd in 1927. They produced 1 son (Manny) in 1933 then Divorced in 1956.
He Married Jane Adler in 1958 and remained with her untill his death in 1973.
For a more detailed account of EGR's life visit his grandaughter's website...