His most enduring image of Marilyn Monroe is not that of the young, glamorous star, but of the aspiring student of culture who desperately wanted respect for her intellect, and who sought the approval of men such as Arthur Miller and the poet Carl Sandburg. But Widmark played so many heavies early in his screen career that audiences had difficulty separating the man from the despicable characters he portrayed. She said a fractured vertebra that Widmark suffered in a fall last year was the beginning of his illness. Richard and Susan Widmark now live in Connecticut, in a rural part of the state, among lush green hills and narrow country lanes. After an early desire to be a ballerina, she decided to become an actress. "Madigan" (1968) was a first-rate cop drama directed by Don Siegel, with Widmark as a jittery, determined police lieutenant. display: none; Over the span of 50 years and 75 movies, he built a career of playing men capable of casual cruelty and offhand violence. Half sister of Jamie Hammerstein. Explore how the celebrity world connects. "I am an ardent supporter of gun control. In 1952, he starred in "Don't Bother to Knock" with Marilyn Monroe. (1956), The Cobweb Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. (1953), Pickup on South Street But Daryl Zanuck at Fox insisted that I do the film, so they used a wig to lower my forehead, and that gave me a harder appearance.". He was elected class president in high school, where he developed the ability to sweet-talk his way out of trouble. Acting with him was like skating on ice. In 1947, he made his screen debut as the relentlessly cruel Tommy Udo in Kiss of Death. American Actor Richard Widmark was born Richard Weedt Widmark on 26th December, 1914 in Sunrise Township, Minnesota, United States and passed away on 24th Mar 2008 Roxbury, Connecticut, United States aged 93. (1997), Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick Among them: "The Street With No Name," "Road House," "Yellow Sky," "Down to the Sea in Ships," "Slattery's Hurricane," "Panic in the Streets," "No Way Out," "The Halls of Montezuma," "The Frogmen," "Red Skies of Montana," "My Pal Gus" and the Samuel Fuller film noir "Pickup on South Street.". He was 93. Actor Richard Widmark Dies At 93 - CBS News "I have a whole new life.