Ernest Borgnine as Sheriff Lyle ‘Cottonmouth’ Wallace in Convoy, 1978
Ernest Borgnine died today at the age of 95. Perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning turn in the film Marty and for being a series regular on McHale’s Navy (1962-66) and Airwolf (1984-86), Borgnine worked actively in the 1970s and I’ll list out a few appearances you may remember.
Borgnine’s 70s film work included Willard (1971), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Devil’s Rain (1975), Convoy (1978) and The Black Hole (1979).
In 1976, Borgnine starred as Joe Cleaver in the short-lived TV series Future Cop (which we featured back in April). Borgnine also made many TV movie appearances with roles in Jesus of Nazareth (1977) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) among others. He also appeared in a two-part Little House on the Prairie in 1974.
Thank you, Mr. Borgnine for the entertainment – especially The Poseidon Adventure which, for some reason, really struck a chord with my family in the 70s. I was a huge fan when I was five and six-years-old.
Borgnine in Convoy, 1978:
USA Today Quote:
“During an acting career of more than 60 years, the Connecticut native worked with Helen Hayes on Broadway, with Gary Cooper and Spencer Tracy in film, and, for a much younger generation, as a voice actor in SpongeBob SquarePants on television. He and Frank Sinatra signed their Christmas cards ‘Fatso’ and ‘Maggio,’ their respective characters in 1953’s From Here to Eternity, a breakout role for Borgnine.
Borgnine’s secret for long-term success was to not be another Hollywood pretty face.
‘I was a character actor. Do I look like a good-looking man? No,’ he said in a 2011 interview timed to his acceptance of the Screen Actors Guild’s Life Achievement Award. ‘But, see, I keep working when the rest of the boys are retired.'”
What a loss!! Ernest Borgnine, along with Charlton Heston, were always in the best action/adventure movies that you would see in a movie theater on a Saturday morning matinee !! Wonderful memories of seeing their films.