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Robert Mitchum
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pencil on paper
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21cm x 30cm
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unframed
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For Sale £15 original sketch plus print (£4 print only) incl. UK P&P
Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut Lee was an underrated American film actor, author, composer and singer known for his early film noir performances, playing predatory characters.
Throughout his childhood Mitchum was known as a prankster, often involved in fistfights and mischief, something that continued into adulthood. During his years as one of the Depression Era’s ‘wild boys of the road’, he turned to professional boxing and whilst recovering from an accident that nearly lost him a leg, he met Dorothy Spence whom he would marry in 1940 and spend the rest of his life with.
He remained a fairly footloose character until the birth of his first child, Jim (two more would follow, Christopher and Petrine), after which he took a steady job with Lockeed as a machine operator. He suffered a nervous breakdown, which led him to look for work as an extra in the movies … landing him a role in the Hopalong Cassidy series during 1942-43. Eventually he signed for RKO, groomed for B Western ‘stardom’ but got his break, on loan to United Artist in the film The Story of G.I.Joe which received four nominations at the 1946 Academy Awards, including Mitchum as Best Supporting Actor. With a string of successful films for RKO he was arrested and jailed, in a sting operation, for possession of marijuana. Whilst this did nothing to affect his career in the long term it was embarrassing to the Studio system.
In fact there followed a string of box office hits, notably The Big Steal (1949) but the 50’s and 60’s saw him rise to prominence. Films like Night of the Hunter (1955), Heaven Knows, Mr.Allison, The Sundowners (1960) and Cape Fear (1962). In fact he was also a writer and singer, and his voice was often used in his films.
The 70’s saw him move away from his typical screen persona, with films like Ryan’s Daughter, The Yakuza, Farewell, My Lovely and Midway. By the 80’s he had moved into TV work with miniseries The Winds of War being particularly well received, and War and Remembrance.
A self-effacing character, a couple of quotes by him: ‘The only difference between me and my fellow actors is that I’ve spent more time in jail’ and ‘I’ve still got the same attitude as when I started. I haven’t changed anything but my socks and my underwear’.