Charles Bronson was an American actor who gained fame for portraying vigilante-type characters in revenge-oriented movies. His first notable role was in ‘Apache’ (1954) and his first major role was portraying murderous Modoc warrior Captain Jack in ‘Drum Beat’ (1954).
His lead role in the detective series ‘Man with a Camera’ (1958-1960) led to more starring roles in a number of low-budget films. However, he achieved a breakthrough as one of seven heroic gunfighters in ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (1960). During this time, his supporting role in an episode of ‘General Electric Theater’ earned him an ‘Emmy’ nomination. In 1963, he played the co-lead in ‘The Great Escape’ and a villain in ‘4 for Texas’. He also played the third lead in the box-office hit ‘The Dirty Dozen’ (1967), but moved to Europe to star in lead roles in films such as ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (1968), ‘Lola’ (1969), and ‘Rider on the Rain’ (1970).
Back in America, he collaborated with director Michael Winner in many successful action films including ‘Chato's Land’ (1972), ‘The Mechanic’ (1972) and ‘The Stone Killer’ (1973), which culminated in his best role as Paul Kersey in the vigilante-action film-series ‘Death Wish’ (1974-94).
