Wednesday, March 26, 2008

by Ari

The great Richard Widmark has passed away at the age of 93. A screen icon, Widmark can be seen in some of the finest American films of the '40s and '50s. He was one of the leading actors in the glory days of film noir, bringing a tragic, sympathetic edge to his characters no matter how cruel or vicious they were.

Classic performances include his work in Jules Dassin's gritty, uncompromising London-set thriller Night and the City (my favorite of his performances, the unforgettable Harry Fabian), Elia Kazan's Panic in the Streets, Sam Fuller's classic Pickup on South Street, Joseph L. Mankiewicz's No Way Out, in which he played the racist villain opposite an incredible Sidney Poitier, Henry Hathaway's Kiss of Death opposite Victor Mature, and his remarkable, epic performanc as gangster Alec Stiles in The Street With No Name.

Rest In Peace.