Edward G. Robinson

Born: 1893-12-12 in Bucarest, Roumanie

Died: 1973-01-26

Known For: Acting

Biography

Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893 – January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-born American actor and political activist. Although he played a wide range of characters, he is best remembered for his roles as a gangster, most notably in his star-making film Little Caesar (1931). Robinson's career saw a decline during the 1950s Red Scare when he was threatened with blacklisting. Experiencing underemployment, he turned towards minor roles in B movies until he eventually returned to the mainstream by playing one of Moses' adversaries Dathan in Cecil B. DeMille's religious epic The Ten Commandments (1956). He was ranked number 24 in the American Film Institute's list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classic American cinema. Never having been nominated for an Academy Award during his 60-year career, he became a posthumous recipient of an Honorary Oscar in 1973, two months after his death. Robinson was Jewish and a staunch critic of fascist and Nazi ideologies that were on the rise in the 1930s. He donating more than $250,000 to 850 political and charitable organizations between 1939 and 1949, hosted a gathering at his home to sign a declaration calling for a boycott of all German-made products, frequently appeared at Soviet and American war relief rallies, delivered radio addresses in over six languages to Nazi-occupied European countries, and traveled to Normandy to entertain the troops, becoming the first movie star to go there for the USO. Robin was also an outspoken supporter of the civil rights movement, and regularly campaigned to overcome segregation.

Filmography

2026

Away with Words as Edward G. Robinson

2022

Rat Pack as Self (archive footage)

2004

Checking Out: Grand Hotel as Self (archive footage)

2001

Pulp Cinema as Self (archive footage)

1997

Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line as Self (archive footage)
Frank Capra's American Dream as Self (archive footage)
Bogart: The Untold Story as Self (archive footage)

1991

Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire as Self (archive footage)
Movie Tough Guys as Self (archive footage)

1983

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

1975

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? as Self (archive footage)

1973

Soylent Green as Sol Roth
A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green' as Self

1972

Neither by Day Nor by Night as Father
Hollywood: The Dream Factory as Self (archive footage)

1971

Mooch Goes to Hollywood

1970

Night Gallery as Abraham Goldman
The Silent Force
Song of Norway as Krogstad
The Old Man Who Cried Wolf as Emile Pulska

1969

Bracken's World
Mackenna's Gold as Old Adams
Operation Heartbeat as Dr. Lee Forestman

1968

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In as Self
The Biggest Bundle of Them All as Professor Samuels
Never a Dull Moment as Leo Joseph Smooth
It's Your Move as Sir George McDowell

1967

Grand Slam as Prof. James Anders
Operation San Pietro as Joe Ventura
The Blonde from Peking as CIA Chief Douglas

1966

Batman as Edward G. Robinson (uncredited)
Planet of the Apes Test Reel as Dr. Zaius

1965

The Cincinnati Kid as Lancey Howard
Born a Man as Narrator

1964

The Hollywood Palace as Self
Cheyenne Autumn as Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz
Robin and the 7 Hoods as Big Jim Stevens (uncredited)
Good Neighbor Sam as Simon Nurdlinger
The Outrage as Con Man

1963

The Prize as Max Stratman/Walter Stratman
Sammy Going South as Cocky Wainwright

1962

The Lucy Show as Edward G. Robinson
My Geisha as Sam Lewis
Two Weeks in Another Town as Maurice Kruger

1960

Seven Thieves as Theo Wilkins
Pepe as Edward G. Robinson
The Right Man as Theodore Roosevelt

1959

The Detectives as 'Big Jim' Riva
NBC Sunday Showcase as Daniel Webster
A Hole in the Head as Mario Manetta
Israel as Self - Narrator

1956

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre as Victor Bers
The Steve Allen Show as Self
The Ten Commandments as Dathan
Nightmare as Rene Bressard

1955

The Violent Men as Lee Wilkison
Illegal as Victor Scott
A Bullet for Joey as Raoul Leduc
Tight Spot as Lloyd Hallett
Hell on Frisco Bay as Victor Amato

1954

Climax! as Josef Vadassy
Black Tuesday as Vincent Canelli
A Star Is Born World Premiere as Self

1953

The Oscars as Self
General Electric Theater as Bert Alquist
Vice Squad as Capt. 'Barnie' Barnaby
Big Leaguer as John B 'Hans' Lobert
The Glass Web as Henry Hayes

1952

This Is Your Life as Self
The Ford Television Theatre as John Derwent
Actors and Sin as Maurice Tillayou (segment Actor's Blood)

1950

What's My Line? as Self
Lux Video Theatre as Sir Wilfrid Robarts
My Daughter Joy as George Constantin

1949

House of Strangers as Gino Monetti
It's a Great Feeling as Edward G. Robinson (uncredited)

1948

The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
Key Largo as Johnny Rocco
All My Sons as Joe Keller
Night Has a Thousand Eyes as John Triton

1947

The Red House as Pete Morgan
Blow-Ups of 1947 as Self

1946

The Stranger as Federal Agent Wilson
Okay for Sound

1945

Scarlet Street as Christopher Cross
Journey Together as Dean McWilliams
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes as Martinius Jacobson

1944

Golden Globe Awards as Self - Presenter
Double Indemnity as Barton Keyes
The Woman in the Window as Professor Richard Wanley
Mr. Winkle Goes to War as Wilbert Winkle
Tampico as Capt. Bart Manson

1943

Flesh and Fantasy as Marshall Tyler (segment 2)
Destroyer as Steven 'Boley' Boleslavski

1942

Tales of Manhattan as Larry Browne
Larceny, Inc. as 'Pressure' Maxwell
Breakdowns of 1942 as Self
Moscow Strikes Back as Narrator (English version) (voice)

1941

The Sea Wolf as 'Wolf' Larsen
Manpower as Hank McHenry
Breakdowns of 1941 as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Unholy Partners as Bruce Corey
Polo with the Stars as Self - Watching Polo Match

1940

Brother Orchid as Little John T. 'Johnny' Sarto
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet as Dr. Paul Ehrlich
A Dispatch from Reuters as Paul Julius Reuter

1939

Confessions of a Nazi Spy as Edward 'Ed' Renard
Blackmail as John R. Ingram
Breakdowns of 1939 as Self
From the Ends of the Earth as Self

1938

The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse as Dr. T.S. Clitterhouse
A Slight Case of Murder as Remy Marko
I Am the Law as John Lindsay

1937

The Last Gangster as Joe Krozac
Kid Galahad as Nick 'Nicky' Donati
A Day at Santa Anita as Edward G. Robinson (uncredited)
Thunder in the City as Dan Armstrong
The First Gangster and the Last Gangster as Himself

1936

Bullets or Ballots as Johnny Blake
Breakdowns of 1936 as Self
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) as Self

1935

The Whole Town's Talking as Arthur Ferguson 'Jonesy' Jones / 'Killer' Mannion
Barbary Coast as Luis Chamalis

1934

The Man with Two Faces as Damon Welles / Jules Chautard
Dark Hazard as Jim 'Buck' Turner

1933

The Little Giant as James Francis 'Bugs' / 'Jim' Ahearn
I Loved a Woman as John Mansfield Hayden

1932

Two Seconds as John Allen
Tiger Shark as Mike Mascarenhas
The Hatchet Man as Wong Low Get
Silver Dollar as Yates Martin

1931

Little Caesar as Caesar Enrico 'Rico' Bandello aka 'Little Caesar'
Smart Money as Nick 'The Barber' Venizelos
Five Star Final as Joseph W. Randall
The Stolen Jools as Gangster
Round About Hollywood as Self
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 10: 'Trouble Shots' as Self - Golfer (uncredited)

1930

The Night Ride as Tony Garotta
The Widow from Chicago as Dominic
An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Bros. Silver Jubilee as Self
Outside the Law as Cobra Collins
A Lady to Love as Tony
Every Woman's Longing as Tony
East Is West as Charlie Yong

1929

The Hole in the Wall as The Fox

1923

The Bright Shawl as Domingo Escobar

1916

Arms and the Woman as Factory Worker