Anthony Quinn

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The tempestuous screen image of two-time Academy Award-winner and Renaissance man Anthony Quinn matches his much publicized unquenchable thirst for life. His exotic background has enabled him to play a potpourri of ethnicity, ranging from an Eskimo in "Savage Innocents" (1960) to a Russian pope in "Shoes of the Fisherman" (1968), as well as historical roles like Crazy Horse ("They Died with Their Boots On" 1942), Attila the Hun ("Attila" 1955), Paul Gaughin ("Lust for Life" 1956) and Kublai Khan ("Marco the Magnificent" 1966). The death of his Irish-Mexican father, who had ridden with Pancho Villa before settling in Los Angeles to work as a cameraman and prop man, forced the younger Quinn to help support his grandmother, mother and sister. In addition to working in a mattress factory, he played saxophone in evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson's orchestra and studied and worked with celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright, whose insistence that he go to an acting school to improve his speech ultimately led to a career in film.

Though he had acted on stage with Mae West in "Clean Beds" and spoken his first lines on film in "Parole" (both 1936), he made a lasting impression by standing up to Cecil B DeMille who had cast him as a Cheyenne Indian in "The Plainsman" (1937). As cast and crew looked on, Quinn responded to the most recent of a series of abusive outbursts from the director by telling him how he should shoot the scene and where he could put his $75 a day salary. After staring at the young actor for some time, DeMille announced, "The boy's right. We'll change the set-up," and later said admiringly, "It was one of the most auspicious beginnings for an actor I've ever seen." Quinn would act in two more movies ("The Buccaneer" 1938, "Union Pacific" 1939) for the directing legend, woo and marry his adopted daughter Katherine and helm the 1958 remake of "The Buccaneer", executive produced by DeMille (his last project before his death). By then, Quinn had shaken free of the son-in-law tag, having become a star in his own right, and has since exhibited tremendous staying power over the course of a career spanning seven decades, mixing inspired performances with good cured ham.

Quinn played his fair share of Indians amidst assorted heavies, even ending up with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour in two of the "road" movies ("Road to Singapore" 1940; "Road to Morocco" 1944), but despite many good notices for supporting roles in pictures like "Blood and Sand" (1941), "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943) and "Back to Bataan" (1945), it would take a return to the stage to raise his stock higher. He made his Broadway debut in "The Gentleman from Athens" (1947) before director Elia Kazan tapped him as Stanley Kowalski for a US tour of "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1948-49), followed by a NYC run. Kazan then cast him as Marlon Brando's brother in "Viva Zapata" (1952), for which he earned his first Oscar as Best Supporting Actor. After making three films in 1953 with fellow "man's man" Budd Boetticher, Quinn traveled to Italy where he acted in pictures that included "La Strada" (1954) and "Attila", his performance in the former opening eyes back home in the USA to the enormity of his talent when it finally opened there in 1956. As director Federico Fellini's circus strongman who too late realizes his love for the woman once in his care, he played the brute American audiences knew, but he also revealed a bottomless well of emotion as he baptized himself in the water of a quiet beach and sobbed uncontrollably as if there were no end to his grief.

Quinn played an aging bullfighter opposite Maureen O'Hara in Boetticher's "The Magnificent Matador" (1955) and then won his second Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of larger-than-life artist Paul Gaughin in "Lust for Life", the title an apt description of his own zestfulness. Finally, after 20 years in the business, he had become a full-fledged box-office star, and the next year would see him garner a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his turn opposite Anna Magnani in "Wild Is the Wind", as well as following in the prestigious footsteps of Lon Chaney and Charles Laughton as Quasimodo in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Quinn was splendid in Nicholas Ray's "The Savage Innocents", hunting and fishing Eskimo-style (though audiences avoided the film) and gave one of his best performances in "Requiem for a Heavyweight" (1962) as Mountain Rivera, the boxer who sacrifices his last ounce of self-respect to enter the professional wrestling ring, wearing an Indian war bonnet and waving a tomahawk in order to save his manager's life. He was also a standout as the opportunistic Bedouin Auda Abu Tayi in David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" (also 1962).

Although Quinn had portrayed with distinction Greek patriot Colonel Andrea Stavros in "The Guns of Navarone" (1961), that character paled before what would become his signature role. The very embodiment of the actor's passion for living, "Zorba the Greek" (1964) was a wise and aging peasant, totally committed to life, no matter the outcome. From his slapstick pursuit of aging French courtesan (Oscar-winner Lila Kedrova) to the pathos of cradling her as she died in his arms, Quinn pulled out all the emotional stops on his way to another Best Actor Oscar nomination. Nearly 20 years later, he reprised "Zorba!", this time in a 1983 revival of the Broadway musical which reunited him with both Kedrova and the film's writer-director Michael Cacoyannis. He earned a Tony nomination for his efforts before touring the USA from 1983-86, forever stamping the part as his in the minds of the theatergoing public. Pity the poor thespian toiling as Zorba in regional theater somewhere, the incredibly long shadow of Quinn haunting his every move. Pray that his audiences have never seen the movie, or have very poor memories, or at the very least are extremely forgiving.

Quinn's United Nations tour rolled on with roles as an Algerian peasant ("The Lost Command" 1966), a boozy Italian mayor ("The Secret of Santa Vittoria" 1969), and an outcast Indian ("Flap" 1970), among others, before he dabbled in series TV as the star of "The Man and the City" (ABC, 1971-72), playing the ruggedly independent mayor of a city in the Southwest. He weighed in with his Aristotle Onassis impersonation in "The Greek Tycoon" (1978) and later portrayed the shipping magnate's father in "The Richest Man in the World: The Aristotle Onassis Story" (ABC, 1988), for which he received an Emmy nomination. Few were the roles, however, that did justice to his overwhelming, mystic life force, and perhaps that's why he resorted to the otherworldly, assuming the guise of Zeus in five syndicated "Legends of Hercules" action-adventure movies in 1994.

Also Credited As:
Anthony Rudolph Oaxaca Quinn
Born:
April 21, 1915 in Chihuahua, Mexico
Died:
June 3, 2001.
Job Titles:
Actor, Artist, Boxer, Director, Musician, Producer, Writer, Cement worker, Foreman (in a mattress factory), Fruit picker, Taxi driver

Family

Daughter: Antonia Quinn. born in July 1993; had child out of wedlock by his former secretary Kathy Benvin who later became his wife
Daughter: Catalina Quinn. born in 1942; mother, Katherine DeMille
Daughter: Christina Quinn. born in 1941; mother, Katherine DeMille
Daughter: Valentina Quinn. born in 1952; mother, Katherine DeMille
Father: Francesco Quinn. died c. 1926 in a motor accident; fought in Pancho Villa s army
Mother: Manuela Quinn. half-Mexican, half-Native American
Sister: Stella Quinn.
Son: Alex Quinn. mother is German woman with whom Quinn was involved; woman is also mother of Sean Quinn
Son: Christopher Quinn. born c. 1938; accidently drowned in 1941 at age three in W C Fields swimming pool; mother, Katherine DeMille
Son: Daniele Antonio Quinn. born c. 1964; mother, Iolanda Addolori; has been estranged from father on and off over the years; formerly married to actor Lauren Holly
Son: Duncan Quinn. born in 1945; mother Katherine DeMille; acted with father in The Children of Sanchez (1978)
Son: Francesco Quinn. born c. 1963; mother Iolanda Addolori; has been estranged from father on and off over the years
Son: Lorenzo Quinn. mother, Iolanda Addolori
Son: Ryan Nicholas Quinn. born on July 5, 1996 in Rhode Island; mother, Kathy Benvin
Son: Sean Quinn. mother is German woman with whom Quinn was involved; woman is also mother of Alex Quinn

Significant Others

Wife: Iolanda Addolori. Italian; married in January 1966; met when she worked as a wardrobe asistant on the film Barabbas (1961), starring Quinn; separated in February 1995; reached settlement in their divorce in August 1997
Wife: Katherine Benvin. born c. 1962; mother of Antonia and Ryan Quinn; married on December 7, 1997 in Naples, Florida; resided with Quinn and their children in Bristol, Rhode Island
Companion: . involved with a French woman with whom he had a son
Companion: . involved with a German woman with whom he had two sons, Alex and Sean

Education

Polytechnic High School, Los Angeles, California

Milestones

1936 Appeared as an extra in Leo McCarey s The Milky Way , starring Harold Lloyd
1936 Feature acting debut, Parole
1936 Spoofed John Barrymore in stage production, Clean Beds , starring Mae West
1937 First film with future father-in-law director Cecil DeMille, The Plainsman ; played a Cheyenne Indian
1938 Played Beluche in DeMille s The Buccaneer
1939 Last association with DeMille as director, Union Pacific
1940 Cast as a heavy in first road movie, The Road to Singapore , with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour
1941 Acted the part of Crazy Horse in Raoul Walsh s They Died With Their Boots On , one of three films with that director
1941 First association with Budd Boetticher (who served as assistant director), Blood and Sand
1942 Reteamed with Hope, Crosby and Lamour for The Road to Morocco
1943 First film with director William Wellman, The Ox-Bow Incident
1944 Another turn as an Indian (Yellow Hand) in Wellman s Buffalo Bill
1945 Second-in-command (and of Filipino descent) to John Wayne in Edward Dmytryk s Back to Bataan , third of four films with Dmytryk
1947 Broadway debut, The Gentleman from Athens
1948 Headlined a national tour of A Streetcar Named Desire , playing Stanley Kowalski opposite Uta Hagen
1950 Assumed role of Stanley in Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire
1952 Won first Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Viva Zapata!
1953 Acted in three movies directed by Boetticher: City Beneath the Sea , Seminole and East of Sumatra
1954 Played brutish strongman in Federico Fellini s La Strada (released in USA in 1956)
1955 First film opposite Sophia Loren, Attila (released in USA 1958)
1955 Reteamed with Boetticher as star of the The Magnificent Matador ; fifth film with Maureen O Hara but first starring opposite her
1956 Portrayed Paul Gaughin in Lust for Life , snagging second Best Supporting Actor Academy Award
1957 Nominated for Best Actor Oscar for George Cukor s Wild Is the Wind ; starred opposite Anna Magnani
1957 Played Quasimodo in the remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1958 Directed first (and only) feature, the remake of The Buccaneer , executive produced by DeMille
1959 Starred opposite Loren in The Black Orchid
1960 Gave remarkable performance as a native Eskimo in Nicholas Ray s Savage Innocents
1960 Returned to Broadway as Henry II in Beckett ; later switched roles with Laurence Olivier, taking over the cleric s role; earned a Tony nomination for his efforts
1960 Third film with Loren, Cukor s Heller in Pink Tights
1961 First film with director J Lee Thompson, The Guns of Navaronne , playing tough Greek patriot Colonel Andrea Stavros
1962 Acted the part of a used-up boxer in Requiem for a Heavyweight
1962 Portrayed opportunistic Bedouin Auda Abu Tayi in David Lean s Lawrence of Arabia
1962 Starred as Barabbas
1964 Associate produced (also acted in to considerable acclaim) first feature, Zorba the Greek ; garnered an Oscar nomination as Best Actor; first film with Lila Kedrova
1965 Acted again with Kedrova in A High Wind in Jamaica
1966 Starred in Mark Robson s Lost Command
1968 Played Russian Pope Kiril Lakota in The Shoes of the Fisherman , adapted form the Morris West novel; Olivier co-starred as fellow Russian, Premier Kamanev
1969 Acted with Magnani in Stanley Kramer s The Secret of Santa Vittoria
1969 Fourth of six movies with Irene Papas, A Dream of Kings , starring as robust man trying to find money to take his ailing son to Greece
1970 Portrayed Indian outcast in Carol Reed s Flap
1971 Narrated Boetticher s documentary Arruza
1972 Executive produced first feature, Across 110th Street (also acted)
1977 Miniseries acting debut, Franco Zefferelli s Jesus of Nazareth (NBC)
1978 Acted the part of Theo Tomasis (a thinly disguised Aristotle Onassis) in Thompson s The Greek Tycoon
1979 Reteamed a third time with Thompson as Basque guide of The Passage
1981 Again portrayed a Bedouin, this time battling Mussolini in Lion of the Desert , sixth and last film with Papas
1982 First of eight major exhibitions of artwork (in Hawaii; included serigraphs, oil paintings and sculptures)
1983 Starred on Broadway in the stage musical Zorba! , reuniting with Kedrova and the 1964 film s director Michael Cacoyannis
1985 Played himself in Ingrid
1988 Earned an Emmy nomination for The Richest Man in the World: The Story of Aristotle Onassis
1989 Starred as Antonio Stradavarius in Stradivari , a family affair featuring sons Francesco, Danny and Larry
1990 Portrayed Santiago in NBC movie remake of The Old Man and the Sea , based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway; children Valentina and Francesco also featured
1990 Profiled by Cinemax s Crazy About the Movies TV documentary series
1991 Acted opposite O Hara in Only the Lonely
1991 Third film with Kedrova, A Star for Two
1994 Played Zeus in five syndicated The Legendary Journeys of Hercules action adventure movies (i.e., Hercules in the Underworld , Hercules and the Lost Kingdom )
1995 Portrayed gregarious patriarch Don Pedro in A Walk in the Clouds
1996 Appeared as Mr. Neil Dellacroce in HBO s Gotti
As a teenager, played saxaphone in evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson s orchestra
Final screen appearance in Avenging Angelo (lensed 2001); released posthumously
Forced to support mother, grandmother and sister at age 11
Hosted episodes of American Playwrights Theater (A&E) series, starting with The Rope
Made TV acting debut performing on series such as Ford Theater Hour and Philco TV Playhouse
Spirited across the border to El Paso, Texas during the Pancho Villa revolution
Starred as the ruggedly independent mayor of a fast-growing city in the Southwest (filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico) in The Man and the City (ABC)
Toured US cities as Zorba!
Was a featured performer on CBS dramatic anthology series Danger
While father was employed by Selig studios, almost thrust before the cameras at an early age but ran a fever, and the part instead went to a cousin