Richard Widmark, RIP

2 comments March 27th, 2008

We lost one of the greats this week: Actor Richard Widmark died at the age of 93 Monday at his home in Connecticut. The Minnesota native made more than 70 films in his long career, but his most memorable performance might’ve been in his debut, 1947’s KISS OF DEATH. Widmark (already 33 at the time) played killer Tommy Udo, and his maniacal giggling — most memorably used when he pushed an old woman in a wheelchair down a flight of chairs — turned Udo into a classic screen villain and Widmark into a star. (He also earned an Oscar nomination for the performance.)

Here, in case you’ve never seen it, is the scene:

 [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/FHHJsXH3BiU" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Widmark starred in other classics, too, including the film noir gem NIGHT AND THE CITY. One of my favorite Widmark performances was in 1961’s JUDGMENT AT NUREMBURG, where he played the prosecutor of Nazi judges in a military tribunal. Maximilian Schell, as the defense attorney, has the most interesting role, but Widmark practically steals the film with the sheer intensity and anger of his performance.