Lee Marvin

Lee Marvin was born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr. on February 19, 1924, in New York City, and died on August 29, 1987. He made his name as an actor by playing hard-edged tough guys, a persona reinforced by his deep bass voice and prematurely white hair. His career earned him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and two BAFTAs. Before acting, he served as a decorated Marine in World War II, and he was a descendant of Virginia’s Lee family.

Marvin started out mostly playing villains—the “heavy”—but later became known for anti-heroes. His TV role as Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger on *M Squad* (1957–1960) helped shift that image. In film, he played Vince Stone in *The Big Heat* (1953), Liberty Valance in *The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance* (1962), Charlie Strom in *The Killers* (1964), Rico Fardan in *The Professionals* (1966), Major John Reisman in *The Dirty Dozen* (1967), Walker in *Point Blank* (1967), Ben Rumson in *Paint Your Wagon* (1969), the Sergeant in *The Big Red One* (1980), and Jack Osborne in *Gorky Park* (1983).

His biggest award haul came from the comedy Western *Cat Ballou* (1965), opposite Jane Fonda, where he played a dual role as gunfighter Kid Shelleen and criminal Tim Strawn. The film was a surprise hit, and Marvin won the Oscar for Best Actor, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, an NBR Award, and the Silver Bear for Best Actor.

**Early life** Marvin’s father, Lamont Waltman Marvin, was a World War I veteran and advertising executive; his mother, Courtenay Washington Davidge, was a fashion writer. Through his family tree, he was a first cousin four times removed of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and a second cousin six times removed of President George Washington. His father’s line traced back to Matthew Marvin Sr., who emigrated from England in 1635 and helped found Hartford, Connecticut. As a boy, Marvin studied violin but disliked school and did poorly. As a teenager, he spent his free time hunting deer, puma, wild turkey, and bobwhite in the then-unmapped Everglades.

He attended Manumit School, a Christian socialist boarding school in Pawling, New York, in the late 1930s, and later Peekskill Military Academy. After being expelled from several schools for smoking, truancy, and fighting, he finished at St. Leo College Preparatory School, a Catholic school in St. Leo, Florida.

**Military service** Marvin enlisted in the Marine Corps on August 12, 1942, at age 18. After the School of Infantry, he served as a quartermaster. He was assigned to the 4th Marine Division as a scout sniper in the Pacific, taking part in assaults on Kwajalein, Eniwetok, and Saipan-Tinian. As a member of India Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines, he participated in 21 amphibious landings on Japanese-held islands. On June 18, 1944, during the Battle of Saipan, he was wounded by machine-gun fire that severed his sciatic nerve and then hit in the foot by a sniper. Most of his company became casualties. After more than a year in naval hospitals, he received a medical discharge as a private first class. He had previously been a corporal but was demoted for troublemaking. His decorations include the Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and Combat Action Ribbon.

**Acting career** After the war, Marvin worked as a plumber’s assistant in Woodstock, New York. When an actor fell ill during rehearsals, Marvin stepped in, caught the acting bug, and took a job with the company for $7 a week. He moved to Greenwich Village and used the G.I. Bill to study at the American Theatre Wing. He appeared onstage in *Uniform of Flesh* (the original version of *Billy Budd*) in 1949 at the Experimental Theatre, and later in *The Nineteenth Hole of Europe* (1949). He also started appearing on TV shows like *Escape*, *The Big Story*, and *Treasury Men in Action*. In February 1951, he made it to Broadway in a small role in *Billy Budd*.

His film debut came in *You’re in the Navy Now* (1951), directed by Henry Hathaway, which also marked the first films of Charles Bronson and Jack Warden. Some filming took place in Hollywood, and Marvin decided to stay in California. He had a small part in *Teresa* (1951), directed by Fred Zinnemann. As a decorated combat veteran, he was a natural in war films, often helping directors and actors with realistic infantry movement, costumes, and firearms. He guest-starred on *Fireside Theatre*, *Suspense*, and *Rebound*. Hathaway cast him again in *Diplomatic Courier* (1952), and he appeared in *Down Among the Sheltering Palms* (1952), *We’re Not Married!* (1952), *The Duel at Silver Creek* (1952), and *Hangman’s Knot* (1952). He also guest-starred on *Biff Baker, U.S.A.* and *Dragnet*, and had a showcase role as a squad leader in the war film *Eight Iron Men* (1952), directed by Edward Dmytryk.