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Rugged,
athletic and handsome, Burt Lancaster enjoyed phenomenal
success from his first film, The Killers, through to his
last, Field of Dreams -- all told, a career spanning over
four decades. Boasting an impressively wide range, he delivered
thoughtful, sensitive performances across a spectrum of
genres: from film noir to Westerns to melodrama, he commanded
the screen with a presence and power matched by only a handful
of stars.
Lancaster
was born November 2, 1913, in New York City. As a child
he exhibited considerable athletic and acrobatic prowess,
and at the age of 17 joined a circus troupe, forming a duo
with the diminutive performer Nick Cravat (later to frequently
serve as his onscreen sidekick). He eventually joined the
army, and after acting and dancing in a number of armed
forces revues, he decided to pursue a dramatic career. Upon
hiring an agent, Harold Hecht, Lancaster made his Broadway
debut in A Sound of Hunting, a role which led to a contract
with Paramount. Because the release of his first picture,
Desert Fury, was delayed, he initially came to the attention
of audiences in 1946's The Killers, a certified classic
of film noir. It remained the genre of choice in several
of his subsequent projects, including 1947's Brute Force
and 1948's I Walk Alone.
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