View source for Burt Lancaster

{{Short description|American actor (1913–1994)}}
{{for|the book|Burt Lancaster: An American Life}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Burt Lancaster
| image              = Burt Lancaster - publicity 1947.JPG
| imagesize          = 
| caption            = Lancaster in ''[[Desert Fury]]'' in 1947
| birth_name         = Burton Stephen Lancaster
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1913|11|2}}
| birth_place        = New York City, U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1994|10|20|1913|11|2}}
| death_place        = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary]]
| years_active       = 1946–1991
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actor|film producer}}
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|June Ernst|1935|1946|reason=div}}
* {{marriage|Norma Anderson|1946|1969|reason=div}}
* {{marriage|Susan Martin<br>|1990}}
}}
| children           = 5; including [[Bill Lancaster|Bill]]
| party              = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| module             = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| allegiance         = United States
| branch             = [[United States Army]]
| branch_label       = Branch
| serviceyears_label = Service&nbsp;years
| serviceyears       = 1943–1945
| rank               = [[Technician fifth grade]]
| unit               = 21st Special Services Division
| battles            = [[World War II]]
| battles_label      = War
}}
}}

'''Burton Stephen Lancaster''' (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year career in films and television series. Lancaster was a four-time nominee for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] (winning once), and he also won two [[BAFTA]] Awards, one [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best Lead Actor, one [[Silver Bear for Best Actor|Silver Bear]], one [[Volpi Cup for Best Actor|Volpi Cup]] and two [[David di Donatello|David di Donatello awards]]. The [[American Film Institute]] ranks Lancaster as {{no.|19}} of the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars|greatest male stars]] of classic Hollywood cinema.<ref>[http://afi.com/100years/stars.aspx "AFI's 50 Greatest American Screen Legends"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222091649/http://www.afi.com/100Years/stars.aspx |date=February 22, 2019 }} ''[[American Film Institute]].'' Retrieved: December 7, 2016.</ref>

Lancaster performed as a circus acrobat in the 1930s. At the age of 32 and after serving in [[World War II]], he landed a role in a Broadway play and drew the attention of a Hollywood agent. His appearance in film noir ''[[The Killers (1946 film)|The Killers]]'' in 1946 with [[Ava Gardner]] was a critical success and launched both of their careers. In 1948, Lancaster starred alongside [[Barbara Stanwyck]] in the commercially and critically acclaimed film ''[[Sorry, Wrong Number]]'', where he portrayed the husband to her bedridden invalid character. In 1953, Lancaster played the illicit lover of [[Deborah Kerr]] in the military drama ''[[From Here to Eternity]]''. A box office smash, it won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and landed a Best Actor nomination for Lancaster.

Later in the 1950s, he starred in ''[[The Rainmaker (1956 film)|The Rainmaker]]'' (1956) with [[Katharine Hepburn]], earning a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination, and in 1957 he starred in ''[[Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (film)|Gunfight at the O.K. Corral]]'' (1957) with frequent co-star [[Kirk Douglas]]. During the 1950s, his production company [[Hecht-Hill-Lancaster]] was highly successful, with Lancaster acting in films such as: ''[[Trapeze (film)|Trapeze]]'' (1956), a box office smash in which he used his acrobatic skills and for which he won the [[Silver Bear for Best Actor]]; ''[[Sweet Smell of Success]]'' (1957), a dark drama now considered a classic;<ref name="b935">{{cite web | last=Brantley | first=Ben | title=A 50's Fable Whose Edge Doesn't Dull | website=The New York Times | date=15 June 1997 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/15/movies/a-50-s-fable-whose-edge-doesn-t-dull.html | access-date=17 June 2025}}</ref> ''[[Run Silent, Run Deep (1958 film)|Run Silent, Run Deep]]'' (1958), a World War II submarine drama with [[Clark Gable]]; and ''[[Separate Tables (film)|Separate Tables]]'' (1958), a hotel-set drama which received seven Oscar nominations.

In the early 1960s, Lancaster starred in a string of critically successful films, each in very disparate roles. Playing a charismatic con-man religious revivalist in ''[[Elmer Gantry (film)|Elmer Gantry]]'' in 1960 won him the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actor. Lancaster played a Nazi war criminal in 1961 in the all-star war crimes trial film ''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]''. Playing a bird expert prisoner in ''[[Birdman of Alcatraz (film)|Birdman of Alcatraz]]'' in 1962, he earned the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor]] and his third Oscar nomination. In 1963, Lancaster traveled to Italy to star as an Italian prince in [[Luchino Visconti|Visconti's]] epic period drama ''[[The Leopard (1963 film)|The Leopard]]''. In 1964, he played a US Air Force general who, opposed by a colonel played by Douglas, tries to overthrow the President in ''[[Seven Days in May]]''. Then, in 1966, he played an explosives expert in the western ''[[The Professionals (1966 film)|The Professionals]]''. Although the reception of his 1968 film ''[[The Swimmer (1968 film)|The Swimmer]]'' was initially lackluster upon release, in the years after it has grown in stature critically and attained a [[Cult film|cult following]].

In 1970, Lancaster starred in the box-office hit, air-disaster drama ''[[Airport (1970 film)|Airport]]''. In 1974, he starred in another Visconti film, ''[[Conversation Piece (film)|Conversation Piece]]''. He experienced a career resurgence in 1980 with the crime-romance ''[[Atlantic City (1980 film)|Atlantic City]]'', winning the BAFTA for Best Actor and landing his fourth Oscar nomination. Starting in the late 1970s, he also appeared in television mini-series, including the award-winning [[Separate but Equal (film)|''Separate but Equal'']] with [[Sidney Poitier]]. He continued acting into his late 70s, until a stroke in 1990 forced him to retire; four years later he died from a heart attack. His final film role was as [[Moonlight Graham]] in ''[[Field of Dreams]]'' (1989).

==Early life==

Lancaster was born on November 2, 1913, in New York City, at his parents' home at 209 East 106th Street, the son of Elizabeth (''née'' Roberts) and mailman James Lancaster.<ref name="buford p. 12">Buford 2008, p. 12.</ref> Both of his parents were [[Protestants]] of working-class background. All four of his grandparents were immigrants from the province of [[Ulster]], Ireland. His maternal side was from [[Belfast]].
Lancaster grew up in [[East Harlem]], New York City. He developed a great interest and skill in gymnastics while attending [[DeWitt Clinton High School]], where he was a basketball star. Before he graduated from DeWitt Clinton, his mother died of a [[cerebral hemorrhage]]. Lancaster was accepted by [[New York University]] with an athletic scholarship, but dropped out.<ref>Buford 2008, p. 28.</ref>

==Circus career==
 {{multiple image
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| image1    = The Federal Theatre presents the world's greatest circus.jpg
| alt1      =
| caption1  = Group portrait of the Circus Unit of the [[Works Progress Administration|WPA]] [[Federal Theatre Project]], with Lancaster standing at the back
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| image2    = Circus-Lancaster-Cravat.jpg
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| caption2  = Lancaster and [[Nick Cravat]] performing with the [[Federal Theatre Project]] Circus (1935–38)
}}

At the age of 9, Lancaster met [[Nick Cravat]] with whom he developed a lifelong partnership.<ref name=Andreychukp3>Andreychuk 2005, p. 3.</ref> Together, they learned to act in local theatre productions and circus arts at [[Union Settlement Association|Union Settlement]], one of the city's oldest settlement houses.<ref name=Andreychukp3/> In the 1930s, they formed the acrobat duo ''Lang and Cravat'' and soon joined the Kay Brothers circus. However, in 1939, an injury forced Lancaster to give up the profession, with great regret. He then found temporary work, first as a salesman for [[Marshall Field's]] and then as a singing waiter in various restaurants.<ref>Andreychuk 2005, p. 6.</ref>

==World War II service==
[[File:Burton Stephen Lancaster (1913-1994) discharge certificate (WD AGO).jpg|left|thumb|236x236px|1945 Military discharge form saved from the 1973 [[National Personnel Records Center fire]] ]]
After the United States entered [[World War II]], Lancaster joined the [[United States Army]] in January 1943 and performed with the Army's 21st [[Special Services (entertainment)|Special Services]] Division, one of the military units organized to follow the troops on the ground and provide [[USO]] entertainment to maintain morale. He served in the [[United States Army North|Fifth Army]] in Italy  under General [[Mark W. Clark|Mark Clark]] from 1943 to 1945.<ref>Andreychuk 2005, p. 7.</ref> He was discharged in October 1945 as an entertainment specialist with the rank of [[technician fifth grade]].<ref>[https://todaysdocument.tumblr.com/post/131153706920/enlisted-record-and-report-of-separation-for "Enlisted Record and Report of Separation Honorable Discharge: Lancaster, Burton S."], ''United States War Department'', WD AGO Form 53-55, available from National Archives and Records Administration.</ref>

==Acting career==
===Broadway===
Lancaster returned to New York after his Army service. Although initially unenthusiastic about acting, Lancaster was encouraged to audition for a Broadway play by a producer who saw him in an elevator while he was visiting his then-girlfriend at work.<ref name="Film and Bio">{{cite book|last=Andreychuk|first=Ed|title=Burt Lancaster: A Filmography and Biography|page=7 |quote="[Norma] was then working for radio producer Ray Knight at the RCA Building in New York City. Going up in an elevator there, Burt noticed he was being stared at by a smaller man. ...His name was Jack Mahlor and as an associate of Irving Jacobs he was looking for a big-framed actor ... to read for the role of the tough-minded sergeant."}}</ref> The audition was successful and Lancaster was cast in [[Harry Brown (writer)|Harry Brown]]'s ''[[Eight Iron Men|A Sound of Hunting]]'' (1945). The show ran for only three weeks, but his performance attracted the interest of a Hollywood agent, [[Harold Hecht]]. Lancaster had other offers but Hecht promised him the opportunity to produce their own movies within five years of hitting Hollywood.

Through Hecht, Lancaster was brought to the attention of producer [[Hal B. Wallis]]. Lancaster left New York and moved to Los Angeles. Wallis signed him to a non-exclusive eight-movie contract.

===Hal Wallis===
[[File:Killers001.jpg|thumb|With [[Ava Gardner]] in ''[[The Killers (1946 film)|The Killers]]'', 1946]]
Lancaster's first filmed movie was ''[[Desert Fury]]'' for Wallis in 1947, where Lancaster was billed after [[John Hodiak]] and [[Lizabeth Scott]]. It was directed by [[Lewis Allen (director)|Lewis Allen]].<ref name="Grossers1947">{{Cite magazine | url = https://archive.org/details/variety169-1948-01 | title = Top Grossers of 1947 | magazine = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date = January 7, 1948 | publisher = New York: Variety Publishing Company | via = Internet Archive | page = [https://archive.org/details/variety169-1948-01/page/n62 63]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/25137 |title=Desert Fury (1947) |website=AFI Catalog |access-date=October 30, 2019}}</ref>

Then producer [[Mark Hellinger]] approached him to star in 1946's ''[[The Killers (1946 film)|The Killers]]'', which was completed and released prior to ''Desert Fury''. Directed by [[Robert Siodmak]], it was a great commercial and critical success<ref name="August 1946">{{Cite magazine |url = https://archive.org/details/variety163-1946-08 |title = Film reviews |magazine = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date= August 7, 1946 |publisher = New York: Variety Publishing Company | via = Internet Archive |page = [https://archive.org/details/variety163-1946-08/page/n12 13]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url = https://archive.org/details/variety165-1947-01 | title = 60 Top Grossers of 1946 | magazine = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date = January 1, 1947 | publisher = New York: Variety Publishing Company | via = Internet Archive | page = [https://archive.org/details/variety165-1947-01/page/n101 55]}}</ref> and launched Lancaster and his co-star [[Ava Gardner]] to stardom. It has since come to be regarded as a classic.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.criterion.com/films/724-the-killers |title=The Killers |website=Criterion.com |access-date=October 30, 2019 |quote="Its first screen incarnation came in 1946, when director Robert Siodmak unleashed The Killers, helping to define the film noir style and launching the careers of Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner in this archetypal masterpiece"}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Killers-film-1946 |title=The Killers (1946) |website=britannica.com |access-date=October 30, 2019 |quote="The film established Lancaster as a major talent, and it helped launch Gardner as one of the screen's legendary sex symbols. ...The film is regarded as one of the top crime sagas of 1940s cinema"}}</ref>

Hellinger used Lancaster again on ''[[Brute Force (1947 film)|Brute Force]]'' in 1947, a prison drama written by [[Richard Brooks]] and directed by [[Jules Dassin]]. It was also well received.<ref name="Grossers1947"/> Wallis released his films through Paramount, and so Lancaster and other Wallis contractees made cameos in ''[[Variety Girl]]'' in 1947.

Lancaster's next film was a thriller for Wallis in 1947, ''[[I Walk Alone]]'', co-starring Lizabeth Scott and a young [[Kirk Douglas]], who was also under contract to Wallis. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' listed it as one of the top grossers of the year, taking in more than $2 million.<ref name="Grossers1948">{{Cite magazine | url = https://archive.org/details/variety173-1949-01 | title = Top Grossers of 1948 | magazine = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date = January 5, 1949 | publisher = New York Variety Publishing Company | via = Internet Archive | page = [https://archive.org/details/variety173-1949-01/page/n45 46]}}</ref>

In 1948, Lancaster had a change of pace with the film adaptation of [[Arthur Miller]]'s ''[[All My Sons (film)|All My Sons]]'', made at [[Universal Pictures]] with [[Edward G. Robinson]]. His third film for Wallis was an adaptation of ''[[Sorry, Wrong Number (film)|Sorry, Wrong Number]]'' in 1948, with [[Barbara Stanwyck]].

===Norma Productions===
Hecht kept to his promise to Lancaster to turn producer. The two of them formed a company, Norma Productions, and did a deal with Universal to make a thriller about a disturbed G.I. in London, ''[[Kiss the Blood Off My Hands]]'' in 1948, with [[Joan Fontaine]] and directed by Norman Foster. It made a profit of only $50,000, but was critically acclaimed.<ref name="Grossers1948"/>

Back in Hollywood, Lancaster made another film noir with Siodmak, ''[[Criss Cross (film)|Criss Cross]]'', in 1949. It was originally going to be produced by Hellinger and when Hellinger died, another took over. [[Tony Curtis]] made an early appearance.

Lancaster appeared in a fourth picture for Wallis, ''[[Rope of Sand]]'', in 1949.

Norma Productions signed a three-picture deal with [[Early history of Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]] The first was 1950's ''[[The Flame and the Arrow]]'', a swashbuckler movie, in which Lancaster drew on his circus skills. Nick Cravat had a supporting role and the film was a huge commercial success, making $6 million. It was Warners' most popular film of the year and established an entirely new image for Lancaster.<ref name="warners">Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1–31 p. 30 {{doi|10.1080/01439689508604551}}</ref>

Lancaster was borrowed by [[20th Century Fox]] for ''[[Mister 880]]'' in 1950, a comedy crime romance film with [[Edmund Gwenn]]. MGM put him in a popular Western, ''[[Vengeance Valley]]'' in 1951,<ref name="Mannix">{{Citation | title = The Eddie Mannix Ledger | publisher = Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study | place = Los Angeles}}</ref> then he went to Warners to play the title role in the biopic ''[[Jim Thorpe – All-American]]'', also in 1951.

===Halburt===
Norma signed a deal with [[Columbia Pictures]] to make two films through a Norma subsidiary, Halburt. The first film was 1951's ''[[Ten Tall Men]]'', where Lancaster was a member of the [[French Foreign Legion]]. [[Robert Aldrich]] worked on the movie as a production manager.

The second was 1952's ''[[The First Time (1952 film)|The First Time]]'', a comedy which was the directorial debut of [[Frank Tashlin]]. It was meant to star Lancaster but he wound up not appearing in the film{{snd}}the first of their productions in which he did not act.<ref>Film Actors' Union Extends Contract: Screen Guild Eases Pressure on Producers by Negotiating 6-Month Addition to Pact. Thomas F. Brady December 14, 1950: 51.</ref>

===Hecht-Lancaster Productions===
In 1951, the actor/producer duo changed the company's name to Hecht-Lancaster Productions. The first film under the new name was another swashbuckler: 1952's ''[[The Crimson Pirate]]'', directed by Siodmak. Again, co-starring Nick Cravat, it was extremely popular. Taking the premise of The Flame and the Arrow a step further, it allowed the pair to, not only emphasise the absurdity of the story with more spectacle and comical situations but to demonstrate they were able to perform their own circus skills-based stunts without relying on [[stuntmen]] quite as much as most Hollywood stars. As if to downplay this, Lancaster himself speaks to the audience in the opening scene over footage of Lancaster performing a dangerous rope swing from one of his pirate ship's masts to the other. "…in a pirate world, believe only what you see." The footage is then reversed to show a near impossible backwards swing to the first mast again, from which he proclaims "No, believe HALF of what you see."

Lancaster changed pace once more by doing a straight dramatic part in 1952's ''[[Come Back, Little Sheba (1952 film)|Come Back, Little Sheba]]'', based on a Broadway hit, with [[Shirley Booth]], produced by Wallis and directed by [[Daniel Mann]].

Alternating with adventure films, he went into ''[[South Sea Woman]]'' in 1952 at Warners. Part of the Norma-Warners contract was that Lancaster had to appear in some non-Norma films, of which this was one.<ref>"Burt Breaks Mold When Typed: Burt Balks at Typed Film Roles" – Scheuer, Philip K. ''Los Angeles Times'' December 14, 1952: pages D1-D4. Clippings at [[Newspapers.com]]: [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103566453/ First page] and [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/157137187/ second page].</ref>

[[File:Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity trailer.jpg|thumb|With [[Deborah Kerr]] in ''[[From Here to Eternity]]'', 1953]]

In 1954, for his own company, Lancaster produced and starred in ''[[His Majesty O'Keefe]]'', a South Sea island tale shot in Fiji. It was co-written by James Hill, who would soon become a part of the Hecht-Lancaster partnership.<ref>Lancaster to Star in Shipwreck Tale: Norma Productions Buys 'His Majesty O'Keefe' for the Actor's First '52 Role By thomas F. Brady ''The New York Times'' January 1, 1951: 14.</ref>

===United Artists===
Hecht and Lancaster left Warners for [[United Artists]], for what began as a two-picture deal, the first of which was to be 1954's ''[[Apache (film)|Apache]]'', starring Lancaster as a Native American.<ref>Burt Lancaster Makes U. A. Deal: Movie Star and His Partner, Harold Hecht, Find a New Outlet for Productions By Thomas M. Pryor New York Times June 24, 1953: 30.</ref><ref>Looking at Hollywood: Lancaster Gets Indian Role in 'Bronco Apache' Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune2 Dec 1952: a5.</ref>

They followed it with another Western in 1954, ''[[Vera Cruz (film)|Vera Cruz]]'', co-starring [[Gary Cooper]] and produced by Hill. Both films were directed by [[Robert Aldrich]] and were hugely popular.

United Artists signed Hecht-Lancaster to a multi-picture contract, to make seven films over two years.<ref>Hollywood Surprise by Thomas M. Pryor. ''The New York Times'' February 14, 1954: X5.</ref> These included films in which Lancaster did not act. Their first was ''[[Marty (film)|Marty]]'' in 1955, based on [[Paddy Chayefsky]]'s TV play starring [[Ernest Borgnine]] and directed by [[Delbert Mann]]. It won both the [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture Oscar]] and the [[Palme d'Or]] award at [[Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]] and Borgnine an [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor Oscar]]. It also earned $2 million on a budget of $350,000.<ref name="times">Hollywood Dossier: 'Marty' Hits Jackpot – Team – On the Set By Oscar Godabout Hollywood. ''The New York Times'' September 11, 1955: X7.</ref> ''Vera Cruz'' had been a huge success, but ''Marty'' secured Hecht-Lancaster as one of the most successful independent production companies in Hollywood at the time.<ref name="tino">Tino Balio, ''United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry'', University of Wisconsin Press, 1987 p. 82</ref> ''Marty'' star Borgnine was under contract to Hecht-Lancaster and was unhappy about his lack of upcoming roles, especially after only receiving some seven lines in 1957's ''Sweet Smell of Success'' and half of his normal pay for ''Marty''.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/ernest-borgnine-1917-2012-interview-346400 | title = Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012): A Personal Remembrance and An Unforgettable Interview | website = The Hollywood Reporter | date = July 9, 2012 | language = en|access-date=September 25, 2019|author-first1=Scott|author-last1=Feinberg}}</ref> He eventually sued for breach of contract to gain back some of this money in 1957.<ref>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ooqACgAAQBAJ&q=burt+lancaster+ernest+borgnine+contract&pg=PA14 | title = Burt Lancaster: A Filmography and Biography | last = Andreychuk | first = Ed | date = 2015 | publisher = McFarland | isbn = 978-1476606491 | language = en}}</ref>

Without Hill, Hecht and Lancaster produced ''[[The Kentuckian (1955 film)|The Kentuckian]]'' in 1955. It was directed by Lancaster in his directorial debut, and he also played a lead role. Lancaster disliked directing and only did it once more, on 1974's ''[[The Midnight Man (1974 film)|The Midnight Man]]''.<ref>' The Top Box-Office Hits of 1955', ''Variety Weekly'', January 25, 1956</ref>

Lancaster still had commitments with Wallis, and made ''[[The Rose Tattoo (film)|The Rose Tattoo]]'' for him in 1955, starring with [[Anna Magnani]] and Daniel Mann directing. It was very popular at the box office and critically acclaimed, winning Magnani an Oscar.<ref>' The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956', ''Variety Weekly'', January 2, 1957</ref>

===Hecht-Hill-Lancaster===
In 1955, Hill was made an equal partner in Hecht-Lancaster, with his name added to the production company. [[Hecht-Hill-Lancaster]] (HHL) released their first film ''[[Trapeze (film)|Trapeze]]'' in 1956, with Lancaster performing many of his own stunts. The film, co-starring [[Tony Curtis]] and [[Gina Lollobrigida]], went on to become the production company's top box office success, and United Artists expanded its deal with HHL.<ref>Pryor, Thomas M. (1956). "Hecht-Lancaster Plans New Films: Producing Unit Signs Deal with United Artists{{snd}}5 Features Are Listed Lancaster to Act". ''The New York Times'', April 13, 1956. p. 20.</ref>

In 1956, Lancaster and Hecht partnered with [[Loring Buzzell]] and entered the music industry with the music publishing companies [[Leigh Music]], [[Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music]], [[Calyork Music]] and [[Colby Music]] and the record labels [[Calyork Records]] and [[Maine Records]].<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/50s/1957/Billboard%201957-03-16.pdf | title = Buzzell Ties with Hecht & Lancaster | magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date = March 16, 1957 | page = 8}}</ref>

The HHL team impressed Hollywood with its success; as [[Life (magazine)|''Life'']] wrote in 1957, "[a]fter the independent production of a baker's dozen of pictures, it has yet to have its first flop ... (They were also good pictures.)."<ref name="hodgins19570610">Hodgins, Eric. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Nz8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA146 "Amid Ruins of an Empire a New Hollywood Arises."] ''Life,'' June 10, 1957, p. 146. Retrieved: April 22, 2012.</ref> In late 1957, they announced they would make ten films worth $14 million in 1958.<ref>"Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Planning Record Year: Group Will Produce $14,000,000 Worth of Motion Pictures in 1958". ''Los Angeles Times'', December 16, 1957. p. B9. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/157137277/ Clipping] at [[Newspapers.com]].</ref>

Lancaster made two films for Wallis to complete his eight-film commitment for that contract: ''[[The Rainmaker (1956 film)|The Rainmaker]]'' (1956) with [[Katharine Hepburn]], which earned Lancaster a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor; and ''[[Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (film)|Gunfight at the O.K. Corral]]'' (1957) with Kirk Douglas, which was a huge commercial hit directed by [[John Sturges]].

Lancaster re-teamed with [[Tony Curtis]] in 1957 for ''[[Sweet Smell of Success]]'', a co-production between Hecht-Hill-Lancaster and Curtis' own company with wife [[Janet Leigh]], Curtleigh Productions. The movie, directed by [[Alexander Mackendrick]], was a critical success but a commercial disappointment. Over the years it has come to be regarded as one of Lancaster's greatest films.<ref>Kate Buford, ''[[Burt Lancaster: An American Life]]'', Da Capo 2000 p. 183</ref>

HHL produced seven additional films in the late 1950s. Four starred Lancaster: ''[[Run Silent, Run Deep (1958 film)|Run Silent, Run Deep]]'' (1958), a [[Robert Wise]] directed war film with [[Clark Gable]], which was mildly popular; ''[[Separate Tables (film)|Separate Tables]]'' (1958) a hotel-set drama with Kerr and [[Rita Hayworth]] (who married James Hill), which received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and Oscar awards for lead actor [[David Niven]] and supporting actress [[Wendy Hiller]], and was both a critical and commercial success; ''[[The Devil's Disciple (1959 film)|The Devil's Disciple]]'' (1959), with Douglas and [[Laurence Olivier]], which lost money (and saw Lancaster fire Mackendrick during shooting);<ref>"1959: Probable Domestic Take", ''Variety'', January 6, 1960, p. 34</ref> and the Western ''[[The Unforgiven (1960 film)|The Unforgiven]]'' (1960), with [[Audrey Hepburn]], which was a critical and commercial disappointment.<ref>pp. 151–152 Larkins, Bob & Magers, Boyd ''The Films of Audie Murphy'' McFarland, August 19, 2009</ref>

Three were made without Lancaster, all of which lost money: ''[[The Bachelor Party]]'' (1957), from another TV play by Chayefsky, and directed by Delbert Mann; ''[[Take a Giant Step]]'' (1959), about a black student; and ''[[Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1959 film)|Summer of the Seventeenth Doll]]'' (1960), from an Australian play, shot on location in Australia and Britain. Lancaster was originally announced as the lead for ''Doll'' but did not appear in the final film.<ref name="natural">{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|date=27 February 2025|access-date=27 February 2025|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/wrecking-australian-stories-summer-of-the-seventeenth-doll/?fbclid=IwY2xjawItNeFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHdfjoDKKNPRwIUw_CpwHxvsx-Nwe0Ux0vs54ici1NORlcxM0tGnZAIlpIg_aem_B57Gkzk7qzqgKn0YaklBwA|title=Wrecking Australian stories: Summer of the Seventeenth Doll}}</ref>

The Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions company dissolved in 1960 after Hill ruptured his relationship with both Hecht and Lancaster. Hill went on to produce a single additional film, ''[[The Happy Thieves]]'', in a new production company, Hillworth Productions, co-owned with his wife [[Rita Hayworth]].

===Hecht and Lancaster===
[[File:Burt Lancaster 1960.jpg|thumb|A drawing of Lancaster after he won an Oscar for ''Elmer Gantry'', 1960. Artist: [[Nicholas Volpe]]]]
Lancaster played the title role in ''[[Elmer Gantry (film)|Elmer Gantry]]'' (1960), written and directed by Richard Brooks for United Artists. The film received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor. Lancaster won the [[33rd Academy Awards|1960 Academy Award]] for Best Actor, a Golden Globe Award, and the [[New York Film Critics Award]] for his performance.

Hecht and Lancaster worked together on ''[[The Young Savages]]'' (1961), directed by [[John Frankenheimer]] and produced by Hecht. [[Sydney Pollack]] worked as a dialogue coach.

Lancaster starred in ''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]'' (1961) for [[Stanley Kramer]], alongside [[Spencer Tracy]], [[Richard Widmark]] and a number of other stars. The film was both a commercial and critical success, receiving eleven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

He then did another film with Hecht and Frankenheimer (replacing [[Charles Crichton]]), ''[[Birdman of Alcatraz (film)|Birdman of Alcatraz]]'' (1962), a largely fictionalized biography. In it he plays [[Robert Stroud]], a federal prisoner incarcerated for life for two murders, who begins to collect birds and over time becomes an expert in bird diseases, even publishing a book. The film shows Stroud transferred to the maximum security Alcatraz prison where he is not allowed to keep birds and as he ages he gets married, markets bird remedies, helps stop a prison rebellion, and writes a book on the history of the U.S. penal system, but never gets paroled.

The sympathetic performance earned Lancaster a Best Actor Oscar nomination, a BAFTA Award for Best Actor, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Dramatic Role. Hecht went on to produce five films without Lancaster's assistance, through his company Harold Hecht Films Productions between 1961 and 1967, including another Academy Award winner, ''[[Cat Ballou]]'', starring [[Lee Marvin]] and [[Jane Fonda]].

===Collaborations with younger filmmakers===
Lancaster made ''[[A Child Is Waiting]]'' (1963) with [[Judy Garland]]. It was produced by Kramer and directed by [[John Cassavetes]].<ref>{{cite book | first = Tino | last = Balio | title = United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry | url = https://archive.org/details/unitedartistscom00bali | url-access = registration | publisher = University of Wisconsin Press | date = 1987 | page = [https://archive.org/details/unitedartistscom00bali/page/145 145]| isbn = 978-0299114404 }}</ref>

He went to Italy to star in ''[[The Leopard (1963 film)|The Leopard]]'' (1963) for [[Luchino Visconti]], co-starring [[Alain Delon]] and [[Claudia Cardinale]]. It was one of Lancaster's favorite films and was a big hit in France but failed in the US (though the version released was much truncated).<ref>{{cite book | last = Buford | first = Kate | title = Burt Lancaster: An American Life | year = 2000 | publisher = Aurum | location = London | isbn = 1854107402 | pages = 222–227}}</ref>

He had a small role in ''[[The List of Adrian Messenger]]'' (1963) for producer/star Kirk Douglas, and then did two for Frankenheimer: ''[[Seven Days in May]]'' (1964), a political thriller with Douglas, and ''[[The Train (1964 film)|The Train]]'' (1964), a World War Two action film (Lancaster had Frankenheimer replace [[Arthur Penn]] several days into filming).

Lancaster starred in ''[[The Hallelujah Trail]]'' (1965), a comic Western produced and directed by [[John Sturges]] which failed to recoup its large cost.<ref name="sturges">Glenn Lovell, ''Escape Artist: The Life and Films of John Sturges'', University of Wisconsin Press, 2008 p. 250</ref>

He had a big hit with ''[[The Professionals (1966 film)|The Professionals]]'' (1966), a Western directed by Brooks and also starring [[Lee Marvin]].

In 1966, at the age of 52, Lancaster appeared nude in director [[Frank Perry]]'s film ''[[The Swimmer (1968 film)|The Swimmer]]'' (1968), in what the critic [[Roger Ebert]] called "his finest performance".<ref name="Ebert">{{cite news | first = Roger | last = Ebert | author-link = Roger Ebert | url = http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-swimmer-1968 | title = Review: "The Swimmer" | newspaper = [[Chicago Sun-Times]] | publisher = [[Sun-Times Media Group]] | location = Chicago, Illinois | date = July 2, 1968 | access-date = October 24, 2018 | via = RogerEbert.com}}</ref> Prior to working on ''The Swimmer'', Lancaster was terrified of the water because he did not know how to swim. In preparation for the film, he took swimming lessons from [[UCLA]] swim coach Bob Horn.<ref name="StoryOftheSwimmer">{{cite AV media | people = [[Chris Innis|Innis, Chris]] | url = http://grindhousereleasing.com/?tag=story-of-the-swimmer | chapter = The Story of The Swimmer | title = The Swimmer | publisher = [[Grindhouse Releasing]] | location = Los Angeles, California | edition = 2014 | format = Blu-ray/DVD}}</ref> Filming was difficult and clashes between Lancaster and Perry led to [[Sydney Pollack]] coming in to do some filming.<ref name=tcmart>Stafford, Jeff [https://web.archive.org/web/20120828080116/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/12842/The-Swimmer/#articles-reviews "The Swimmer" (article)] on [[TCM.com]]</ref> The film was not released until 1968, when it proved to be a commercial failure, though Lancaster remained proud of the movie and his performance.

===Norlan Productions===
[[File:Burt Lancaster - Audrey Hepburn - 1960.JPG|thumb|With [[Audrey Hepburn]] in ''[[The Unforgiven (1960 film)|The Unforgiven]]'', 1960]]
In 1967, Lancaster formed a new partnership with [[Roland Kibbee]], who had already worked as a writer on five Lancaster projects: ''Ten Tall Men'', ''The Crimson Pirate'', ''[[Three Sailors and a Girl]]'' (in which Lancaster made a cameo appearance), ''Vera Cruz'', and ''The Devil's Disciple''.

Through Norlan Productions, Lancaster and Kibbee produced ''[[The Scalphunters]]'' in 1968, directed by Sydney Pollack.

Lancaster followed it with another film from Pollack, ''[[Castle Keep]]'' in 1969, which was a big flop. So was ''[[The Gypsy Moths]]'', for Frankenheimer, also in 1969.<ref>"Big Rental Films of 1969", ''Variety'', January 7, 1970, p. 15</ref>

===1970s===
[[File: AIPokryshkin-01.jpg|thumb|With Soviet fighter pilot [[Alexander Pokryshkin]] during documentary filming "The Unknown War", episode 9 War in the Air. Moscow, USSR, 1978, photo: Leo Medvedev]]
Lancaster had one of the biggest successes of his career with ''[[Airport (1970 film)|Airport]]'' in 1970, starring alongside [[Dean Martin]], [[George Kennedy]], [[Van Heflin]], [[Helen Hayes]], [[Maureen Stapleton]], [[Barbara Hale]], [[Jean Seberg]], and [[Jacqueline Bisset]]. The [[Ross Hunter]] film received nine Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture. It became one of the biggest box-office hits of 1970 and, at that time, reportedly the highest-grossing film in the history of [[Universal Pictures]].

He then went into a series of Westerns: ''[[Lawman (film)|Lawman]]'' in 1971, directed by [[Michael Winner]]; ''[[Valdez Is Coming]]'' in 1971, for Norlan; and ''[[Ulzana's Raid]]'' in 1972, directed by Aldrich and produced by himself and Hecht. None were particularly popular but ''Ulzana's Raid'' has become a cult film.<ref name="aldrich">"I Can't Get Jimmy Carter to See My Movie!"
Aldrich, Robert. Film Comment; New York Vol. 13, Iss. 2, (Mar/Apr 1977): 46–52.</ref>

Lancaster did two thrillers, both 1973: ''[[Scorpio (1973 film)|Scorpio]]'' with Winner and ''[[Executive Action (film)|Executive Action]]''.

Lancaster returned to directing in 1974 with ''[[The Midnight Man (1974 film)|The Midnight Man]]'', which he also wrote and produced with Kibee.

He made a second film with Visconti, ''[[Conversation Piece (film)|Conversation Piece]]'' in 1974 and played the title role in the TV series ''[[Moses the Lawgiver]]'', also in 1974.

Lancaster was one of many names in 1975's ''[[1900 (film)|1900]]'', directed by [[Bernardo Bertolucci]], and he had a cameo in 1976's ''[[Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson]]'' for [[Robert Altman]].

He played [[Shimon Peres]] in the TV movie ''[[Victory at Entebbe]]'' in 1977 and had a supporting role in ''[[The Cassandra Crossing]]'' in 1976. He made a fourth and final film with Aldrich, ''[[Twilight's Last Gleaming]]'' in 1977, and had the title role in 1977's ''[[The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977 film)|The Island of Dr. Moreau]]''.<ref>A Bittersweet Burt Lancaster, Looking Back-and Forward--at 62: A Bittersweet Burt Lancaster By Kenneth Turan. The Washington Post May 23, 1976: 165.</ref>

Lancaster was top-billed in ''[[Go Tell the Spartans]]'' in 1978, a [[Vietnam War]] film; Lancaster admired the script so much that he took a reduced fee and donated money to help the movie to be completed. He was in ''[[Zulu Dawn]]'' in 1979.<ref>Kate Buford, ''Burt Lancaster'' (Da Capo Press, 2000) {{ISBN|0306810190}}</ref>

===1980s===
Lancaster began the 1980s with a highly acclaimed performance alongside [[Susan Sarandon]] in ''[[Atlantic City (1980 film)|Atlantic City]]'' in 1980, directed by [[Louis Malle]]. The film received five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and a Best Actor nomination for Lancaster.

He had key roles in ''[[Cattle Annie and Little Britches]]'' in 1981, ''[[The Skin (film)|The Skin]]'' in 1982 with Cardinale, ''[[Marco Polo (mini-series)|Marco Polo]]'', also in 1982, and ''[[Local Hero (film)|Local Hero]]'' in 1983.

By now, Lancaster was mostly a character actor in features, as in ''[[The Osterman Weekend (film)|The Osterman Weekend]]'' in 1983, but he was the lead in the TV movie ''[[Scandal Sheet (1985 film)|Scandal Sheet]]'' in 1985.

He was in ''[[Little Treasure]]'' in 1985, directed by [[Alan Sharp]], who had written ''Ulzana's Raid''; ''[[On Wings of Eagles (miniseries)|On Wings of Eagles]]'' for TV in 1986, as [[Bull Simons]]; 1986's made for TV ''[[Barnum (film)|Barnum]]'' starred him in the title role; ''[[Tough Guys (film)|Tough Guys]]'' reunited him on the big screen with Kirk Douglas in 1986; ''[[Fathers and Sons: A German Tragedy]]'' (in German [[Väter und Söhne – Eine deutsche Tragödie]]) in 1986 for German TV; 1987's ''[[Control (1987 film)|Control]]'' made in Italy; ''[[Rocket Gibraltar]]'' in 1988, and ''[[La bottega dell'orefice|The Jeweller's Shop]]'' in 1989.

His first critical success in a while was ''[[Field of Dreams]]'' in 1989, in which he played a supporting role as [[Moonlight Graham]]. He was also in the miniseries ''[[The Betrothed (miniseries)|The Betrothed]]'' in 1989.

===Later career===
Lancaster's final performances included TV miniseries ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1990 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'' (1990); ''[[Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair]]'' (1990) as [[Leon Klinghoffer]] based on the 1985 {{ship|MS|Achille Lauro}} hijacking incident;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/02/arts/review-television-new-film-on-achille-lauro-hijacking.html |title=Review/Television; New Film on Achille Lauro Hijacking |last=O'Connor |first=John J. |work=The New York Times |date=May 2, 1990 |access-date=July 5, 2021 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525190451/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/02/arts/review-television-new-film-on-achille-lauro-hijacking.html |archive-date=May 25, 2015 }}</ref> and ''[[Separate But Equal (film)|Separate But Equal]]'' (1991) with [[Sidney Poitier]].

===Frequent collaborators===
[[File:Judgment at Nuremberg-Burt Lancaster 2.jpg|thumb|In ''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]'', 1961]]
Lancaster appeared in a total of seventeen films produced by his agent, [[Harold Hecht]]. Eight of these were co-produced by [[James Hill (American film producer)|James Hill]]. He also appeared in eight films produced by [[Hal B. Wallis]] and two with producer [[Mark Hellinger]]. Although Lancaster's work alongside Kirk Douglas was known as that of a successful pair of actors, Douglas, in fact, produced four films for the pair, through his production companies Bryna Productions and Joel Productions. Roland Kibbee also produced three Lancaster films, and Lancaster was also cast in two [[Stanley Kramer]] productions.

==== Kirk Douglas ====
Kirk Douglas starred in seven films across the decades with Burt Lancaster: ''[[I Walk Alone]]'' (1948), ''[[Gunfight at the O.K. Corral]]'' (1957), ''[[The Devil's Disciple (1959 film)|The Devil's Disciple]]'' (1959), ''[[The List of Adrian Messenger]]'' (1963), ''[[Seven Days in May]]'' (1964), ''[[Victory at Entebbe]]'' (1976) and ''[[Tough Guys]]'' (1986), which fixed the notion of the pair as something of a team in the public imagination. Douglas was always billed under Lancaster in these movies but, with the exception of ''I Walk Alone'', in which Douglas played a villain, their roles were usually more or less the same size. Both actors arrived in Hollywood at about the same time, and first appeared together in the fourth film for each, albeit with Douglas in a supporting role. They both became actor-producers who sought out independent Hollywood careers.

==== John Frankenheimer ====
[[John Frankenheimer]] directed five films with Lancaster: ''[[The Young Savages]]'' (1961), ''[[Birdman of Alcatraz (film)|Birdman of Alcatraz]]'' (1962), ''[[Seven Days in May]]'' (1964), ''[[The Train (1964 film)|The Train]]'' (1964), and ''[[The Gypsy Moths]]'' (1969).

==== Other repeat collaborators ====
He was directed four times by [[Robert Aldrich]], three times each by [[Robert Siodmak]] and [[Sydney Pollack]], and twice each by [[Byron Haskin]], [[Daniel Mann]], [[John Sturges]], [[John Huston]], [[Richard Brooks]], [[Alexander Mackendrick]], [[Luchino Visconti]], and [[Michael Winner]].

[[Roland Kibbee]] wrote for seven Lancaster films. Lancaster used makeup veteran Robert Schiffer in twenty credited films, hiring Schiffer on nearly all of the films he produced.

==Political activism==
Lancaster was a vocal supporter of progressive and liberal political causes.<ref>{{cite book | first1 = Peter | last1 = Stanfield | first2 = Frank | last2 = Krutnik | first3 = Brian | last3 = Neve | first4 = Steve | last4 = Neale | title = 'Un-American' Hollywood: Politics and Film in the Blacklist Era | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ItXpEDXFrncC&pg=PA212 | publisher = [[Rutgers University Press]] | location = New Brunswick, New Jersey | date = 2007 | page = 212 | isbn = 978-0813543970}}</ref> He frequently spoke out in support of racial and other minorities. As a result, he was often a target of FBI investigations.<ref name="ACLU HQ Serial"/><ref name="Marquette Archives">{{cite archive |first= |last= |item=Series 70 |type=manuscript |item-id=810-1032 |series = |file=61-10149 |box=1 |collection=1 |collection-url =https://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/Mss/FBI/FBI-sc.php |repository = |institution=Marquette Archives |location=Marquette University |quote=Actor Burt Lancaster was investigated by the FBI for affiliation with the Communist Party of America in the 1940s, for alleged homosexual behavior in the 1950s, and participating in the activities of the Civil Rights Congress in the 1960s.}}</ref> He was named in President [[Richard Nixon]]'s 1973 "[[Nixon's Enemies List|Enemies List]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.enemieslist.info/list2sc.php |title=The Second Enemies List |website=enemieslist.info |access-date=July 5, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006100522/http://www.enemieslist.info/list2sc.php |archive-date=October 6, 2009 }}</ref>

A vocal opponent of the [[Vietnam War]], he helped pay for the successful defense of a soldier accused of "[[fragging]]" (i.e., murdering) another soldier during war-time.<ref>Buford 2008, p. 266.</ref> In 1968, Lancaster actively supported the presidential candidacy of anti-war Senator [[Eugene McCarthy]] of [[Minnesota]], and frequently spoke on his behalf during the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] primaries.<ref>{{cite book | last = Wheeler | first = Mark | title = Celebrity Politics | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Yu-U5tfCaqoC&pg=PA48 | publisher = [[Polity (publisher)|Polity]] | location = Cambridge| date = 2013 | page = 48 | isbn = 978-0745652498}}</ref>

Lancaster was also active in [[Opposition to capital punishment in the United States|anti-death penalty activism]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mandery |first1=Evan |title=A Wild Justice |date=2013 |publisher=W.W. Norton |isbn=978-0393240641 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SWQV5jG5rz0C |access-date=June 27, 2022}}</ref> He campaigned heavily for [[George McGovern]] in the [[1972 United States presidential election]].<ref>{{cite news | title = The Daily News from Port Angeles, Washington | url = https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/25642163/ | page = 4 | date = July 20, 1976 |access-date=August 1, 2018 | newspaper = [[Peninsula Daily News]] | publisher = Black Press Ltd. | location = Port Angeles, Washington | via = [[Newspapers.com]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In 1985, Lancaster joined the fight against AIDS after fellow movie star [[Rock Hudson]] contracted the disease.<ref>{{cite news | first1 = Mary T. | last1 = Schmich | first2 = Gene | last2 = Siskel |author2-link=Gene Siskel | url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/10/03/actor-rock-hudson-59-victim-of-aids/ | title = Actor Rock Hudson, 59, Victim Of Aids | newspaper = [[Chicago Tribune]] | publisher = [[Tronc]] | location = Chicago, Illinois | date = October 3, 1985 |access-date=August 1, 2018 | page = 2}}</ref> Lancaster delivered Hudson's last words at the Commitment to Life fundraiser at a time when the stigma surrounding AIDS was at its height.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/20/us/hollywood-turns-out-for-aids-benefit.html | title = Hollywood Turns Out for AIDS Benefit |access-date=October 23, 2019 | newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | date = September 20, 1985 | last1 = Harmetz | first1 = Aljean |author1-link=Aljean Harmetz}}</ref><ref name="Buford"/>

Of his political opinions, frequent co-star [[Tony Curtis]] said: "Here's this great big aggressive guy that looks like a ding-dong athlete playing these big tough guys and he has the soul of—who were those first philosophers of equality?—[[Socrates]], [[Plato]]. He was a Greek philosopher with a sense that everybody was equal."<ref name="Buford"/>

Actor and [[Screen Actors Guild|SAG]] president [[Ed Asner]] said he showed everybody in Hollywood "how to be a liberal with balls".<ref name="Buford"/>

===Hollywood Ten===
In 1947, Lancaster reportedly signed a statement release by the [[National Council of Arts, Sciences and Professions]] (NCASP) asking Congress to abolish the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] (HUAC).<ref name="ACLU HQ Serial"/> He was also a member of the short-lived [[Committee for the First Amendment]], formed in support of the [[Hollywood Ten]]. He was one of 26 movie stars who flew to Washington in October 1947 to protest against the HUAC hearings.<ref name="ACLU HQ Serial"/> The committee's ''Hollywood Fights Back'' broadcasts on [[ABC Radio Network]] were two 30-minute programs that took place on October 27 and November 2, 1947, during which committee members voiced their opposition to the HUAC hearings.<ref>{{cite book | last = Smith | first = Ronald L | title = Horror Stars on Radio: The Broadcast Histories of 29 Chilling Hollywood Voices | url = https://archive.org/details/horrorstarsonrad00smit | url-access = limited | year = 2010 | page = [https://archive.org/details/horrorstarsonrad00smit/page/n174 168] | publisher = McFarland & Co | location = Jefferson, NC | isbn = 978-0786457298}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6HpeyPjYxI | title = Hollywood Fights Back - 10/26/1947 (1 of 2) | date = December 23, 2014 | via = www.youtube.com}}</ref> Many members faced blacklisting and backlash due to their involvement in the committee. Lancaster was listed in anti-communist literature as a [[fellow traveler]].<ref name="Red Stars In Hollywood">{{cite book |last=Fagan |first=Myron |date=1948 |title=Red Stars In Hollywood |url=https://archive.org/details/1948RedStarsInHollywoodMyronCourevalFagan/page/n5 |page=6}}</ref>

===Civil rights movement===
He and his second wife, Norma, hosted a fundraiser for [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and the [[Student Diversity Leadership Conference]] (SDLC) ahead of the historic [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom|March on Washington]] in 1963.<ref name="Buford"/> He attended the march, where he was one of the speakers.<ref>{{cite journal | url = https://variety.com/2015/biz/columns/1963-march-on-washington-hollywood-bob-dylan-sidney-poitier-1201580118/ | title = Hollywood Turned Out for Historic 'I Have a Dream' Speech | last = Gray | first = Tim | date = August 28, 2015 |access-date=August 1, 2018 | journal = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | publisher = [[Penske Business Media, LLC.]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/28/politics/march-on-washington-kennedy-jitters/index.html | title = Kennedy White House had jitters ahead of 1963 March on Washington | last = Matthews | first = David | date = August 28, 2013 |access-date=August 1, 2018 | work = [[CNN Entertainment]] | publisher = [[Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.]]}}</ref> He flew in from France for the event, where he was shooting ''[[The Train (1964 film)|The Train]]'', and flew back again the next day, despite a reported [[fear of flying]].<ref name="Buford">{{Cite web | url = http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Burt+Lancaster:+An+American+Life.-a067051657 | title = Burt Lancaster: An American Life }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=U54KWuN0lIE | title = Burt Lancaster speaks at the "March on Washington" | website = YouTube |access-date=October 23, 2019}}</ref>

On August 28, 1963, at the [[March on Washington]] Lancaster "read the speech that [[James Baldwin]] was supposed to make," because (as [[Malcolm X]] said in a speech delivered in Detroit at the King Solomon Baptist Church in late 1963) "they wouldn't let Baldwin get up there because they know Baldwin is liable to say anything."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boyd |first1=Herb |title=Baldwin's Harlem |date=2008 |publisher=Atria Books |location=New York |isbn=9780743293075 |page=70}}</ref>

===ACLU===
In 1968, Lancaster was elected to serve as chairman of the [[Roger Baldwin Foundation]], a newly formed fund-raising arm of the [[American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California]]. His co-chairs were [[Frank Sinatra]] and [[Irving L. Lichtenstein]]. In October 1968, he hosted a party at his home to raise money for the [[ACLU]] to use for the defense of the more than four hundred people arrested at the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]].<ref name="Buford"/> Throughout the years, he remained an ardent supporter and a fundraiser for the organization.

While serving as a member of the five-person ACLU Foundation executive committee, he cast the key vote to retain [[Ramona Ripston]] as executive director of the Southern California affiliate, a position she would build into a powerful advocacy force in Los Angeles politics. Ripston later recalled: "There was a feeling that a woman couldn't run the ACLU foundation, nor have access to the books. The vote finally came down to two 'yes' and two 'no.' Who had the deciding vote? Burt. He had a scotch or two and finally he said, 'I think she should be executive director.' I always loved him for that."<ref name="Buford"/>

When President [[George H. W. Bush]] derided Democratic candidate [[Michael Dukakis]] as a "card-carrying member of the ACLU", Lancaster was one of the supporters featured in the organization's first television advertising campaign stating: "I'm a card-carrying member of the ACLU" and "No one agrees with every single thing they've done. But no one can disagree with the guiding principle—with liberty and justice for all.'"<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwAVj-L0lck | title = ACLU PSA with Burt Lancaster | website = YouTube | date = September 17, 2010 |access-date=October 23, 2019}}</ref> He also campaigned for [[Michael Dukakis]] in the [[1988 United States presidential election]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/articles/burt-lancaster|title=Burt Lancaster|author=Elisa Leonelli|date=February 7, 2014|website=goldenglobes.com}}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Bill Lancaster 1967.JPG|thumb|200px|Lancaster's son [[Bill Lancaster|Bill]] in ''[[The Big Valley]]'', 1967. He later became a screenwriter.]]

===Marriages and relationships===
Lancaster guarded his personal life and attempted to keep it private despite his stardom. He was married three times and had five children.

His first marriage was to June Ernst, a [[trapeze]] acrobat. Ernst was the daughter of a renowned female aerialist and an accomplished acrobat herself. After they were married, he performed with her family and her until their separation in the late 1930s. When they divorced is unclear. Contemporary reports listed 1940, but subsequent biographers have suggested dates as late as 1946, delaying his marriage to his second wife.<ref name="auto">Buford 2008.</ref>

He met second wife Norma Anderson (1917–1988) when the stenographer substituted for an ill actress in a USO production for the troops in Italy. Reportedly, on seeing Lancaster in the crowd on her way to town from the airport, she turned to an officer and asked, "Who is that good-looking officer and is he married?" The officer set up a blind date between the two for that evening.<ref name="auto"/> They married in 1946. Norma was active in political causes with an entire room in their Bel Air home devoted to her major interest, the League of Woman Voters, crammed with printing presses and all the necessary supplies for mass mailings.<ref name="auto"/>

She was a life-long member of the [[NAACP]]. The couple held a fundraiser for [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]] ahead of the 1963 [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom|March on Washington]].<ref>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3QDbDgAAQBAJ&q=nomra+lancaster+nAACP&pg=PT75 | title = Nothing but Love in God's Water: Volume 2: Black Sacred Music from Sit-Ins to Resurrection City | isbn = 978-0271080123 | last1 = Darden | first1 = Robert | date = 2016| publisher = Penn State Press }}</ref> All five of his children were with Anderson, including [[Bill Lancaster|Bill]]. It was a troubled marriage. The pair separated in 1966, and divorced in 1969.

In 1966, Lancaster began a long-term relationship with hairdresser Jackie Bone, who worked on ''[[The Professionals (1966 film)|The Professionals]]''. The relationship was tempestuous, with Bone once smashing a wine bottle over Lancaster's head at a dinner with [[Sydney Pollack]] and [[Peter Falk]]. Reportedly, they eventually split up after her religious conversion, which Lancaster believed he could not share with her.<ref name="auto"/>

His third marriage, to Susan Martin, lasted from September 1990 until his death in 1994.

According to biographer Kate Buford in ''[[Burt Lancaster: An American Life]]'', Lancaster was devotedly loyal to his friends and family. Old friends from his childhood remained his friends for life.<ref>{{cite book | first = Kate | last = Buford | title = Burt Lancaster: An American Life | publisher = Knopf | date = 2000 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fTCFAAAAQBAJ | isbn = 978-0679446033}}{{page needed|date=October 2017}}</ref>

====Possible affairs====
Some media outlets and authors have written that Lancaster was bisexual, and had relationships with both men and women.<ref name="hiffmanbi">{{cite book |last1=Hoffmann |first1=Henryk |title=The Careers of Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas as Referenced in Literature: A Study in Film Perception |date=5 January 2021 |publisher=Vernon Press |isbn=978-1-64889-084-0 |page=20 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0n_7DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA20 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="bufordbi">{{cite book |last1=Buford |first1=Kate |title=Burt Lancaster: An American Life |date=8 July 2013 |publisher=Aurum |isbn=978-1-78131-200-1 |page=13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HjrLAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT13 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="marin-bi">{{cite web |last1=Marin |first1=Rick |title=FILM; Burt Lancaster's Brawny Melancholy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/07/movies/film-burt-lancaster-s-brawny-melancholy.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=8 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115235758/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/07/movies/film-burt-lancaster-s-brawny-melancholy.html |archive-date=15 November 2010 |date=7 May 2000 |url-status=live}}</ref> Friends said he claimed he was romantically involved with [[Deborah Kerr]] during the filming of ''From Here to Eternity'' in 1953.<ref>Buford 2008, pp. 127–30.</ref> However, Kerr stated that while there was a spark of attraction,<ref name="affairs">{{cite news |title=East Harlem's Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster |url=https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/east-harlems-%EF%BB%BFburton-stephen-burt-lancaster/ |website=Harlem World Magazine |date=March 25, 2017 |access-date=October 26, 2022 |last1=Magazine |first1=Harlem World }}</ref> nothing ever happened. He reportedly had an affair with [[Joan Blondell]].<ref>{{cite book | title = Their Stars Shone Brightly | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=vU_3DAAAQBAJ&q=joan%20blondell | last = Goldbeck, MD | first = Larry O. | publisher = Xlibris | date = 2016 | isbn = 978-1524532154 | access-date = October 18, 2017}}</ref>

In her 1980 autobiography, [[Shelley Winters]] claimed to have had a two-year affair with him, during which time he was considering separation from his wife. In his Hollywood memoirs, friend [[Farley Granger]] recalled an incident when Lancaster and he had to come to Winters' rescue one evening when she had inadvertently overdosed on alcohol and sleeping pills.<ref>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tXCQxD6u584C&q=include+me+out+burt+lancaster&pg=PT156 | title = Include Me Out: My Life from Goldwyn to Broadway | isbn = 978-1429945448 | last1 = Granger | first1 = Farley | last2 = Calhoun | first2 = Robert | date = 2007| publisher = St. Martin's Publishing }}</ref> She broke up with him for "cheating on her with his wife" after she heard reports of his wife's third or fourth pregnancy.<ref>Winters 1980, p. 259.</ref>

===Religion===
Despite his [[Protestant]] background and upbringing,<ref>{{cite book | last = Buford | first = Kate | title = Burt Lancaster: An American Life | year = 2000 | publisher = Aurum | location = London | isbn = 1854107402 | page = 20}}</ref> Lancaster identified as an [[atheist]] later in life.<ref>{{cite book | first = Kate | last = Buford | title = Burt Lancaster: An American Life | publisher = [[Da Capo Press]] | location = Boston, Massachusetts | date = 2001 | isbn = 978-0306810190 | page = 277}}</ref>

===Later years===
As Lancaster reached his 60s, he began to be affected by [[cardiovascular disease]]. In January 1980, he had complications from a routine [[gall bladder]] operation (that he barely survived). In 1983, following two minor heart attacks, he underwent an emergency quadruple [[coronary bypass]]. He continued to act, however, and to engage in public activism. In 1988, he attended a congressional hearing in Washington, DC, with former colleagues who included [[James Stewart]] and [[Ginger Rogers]] to protest against media magnate [[Ted Turner]]'s plan to [[colorize]] various black-and-white films from the 1930s and 1940s. On November 30, 1990, when he was 77, a stroke left him partially [[paralyzed]] and largely unable to speak, ending his acting career.

==Death==
[[File:Burt Lancaster grave at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Brentwood, California (cropped).JPG|thumb|Lancaster's plaque under an oak tree in Westwood Memorial Park where his ashes were scattered]]
Lancaster died at his apartment in [[Century City]], Los Angeles, after having a third heart attack at 4:50 am on October 20, 1994, age 80.<ref>{{cite news | title = Oscar Winner Burt Lancaster Dies at 80 | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-22-mn-56956-story.html | date = October 24, 1994 | newspaper = [[Los Angeles Times]] | access-date = October 18, 2017}}</ref> His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered under a large oak tree in [[Westwood Memorial Park]], which is located in [[Westwood Village]], California. A small, square ground plaque amid several others, inscribed "Burt Lancaster 1913–1994", marks the location. As he had requested, no memorial or funeral service was held for him.

==Legacy==
The centennial of Lancaster's birth was honored at New York City's [[Film at Lincoln Center|Film Society of Lincoln Center]] in May 2013 with the screening of 12 of the actor's best-known films, from ''The Killers'' to ''Atlantic City''.<ref name=NYTimes>{{cite news | first = Stephen | last = Holden | author-link = Stephen Holden | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/movies/lots-of-lancaster-at-lincoln-center.html | title = Film: lots of Lancaster at Lincoln Center | newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | location = New York City | date = May 12, 2013 | access-date = October 24, 2018}}</ref>

Lancaster has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]], at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 25, 2019 |title=Burt Lancaster |url=https://walkoffame.com/burt-lancaster/ |access-date=June 22, 2022 |website=Hollywood Walk of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref><!-- see below Lancaster has appeared in Spanish rock band [[Hombres G]]'s [[La cagaste... Burt Lancaster|album]] cover in 1986. -->

==Filmography and awards==
{{Main|Burt Lancaster filmography}}

Lancaster was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1954 for ''[[From Here to Eternity]]'', in 1961 for ''[[Elmer Gantry (film)|Elmer Gantry]]'', in 1964 for ''[[Birdman of Alcatraz (film)|Birdman of Alcatraz]]'', and in 1982 for ''[[Atlantic City (1980 film)|Atlantic City]]''. He won the Oscar in 1961. Lancaster's leading role in Luchino Visconti's 1963 canonical ''[[The Leopard (1963 film)|The Leopard]]'' began a series of roles with important European art film directors that included roles in Bernardo Bertolucci's ''[[1900 (film)|1900]]'' and Louis Malle's ''Atlantic City'' as well as Visconti's ''[[Conversation Piece (film)|Conversation Piece]]''.

===Box office ranking===
For a number of years exhibitors voted Lancaster among the most popular stars:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year!!US Rank!!UK Rank
|-
||1950|| 16th||
|-
||1951 || 25th||
|-
||1952 || 24th||
|-
||1953 || 17th||
|-
||1954 || 13th||7th
|-
||1955 ||16th||
|-
||1956 ||4th||3rd
|-
||1957 ||15th||3rd 
|-
||1958 || 20th||
|-
||1960 || 19th||
|-
||1961 || 11th||
|-
||1962||10th||
|}

===In other media===
Spanish music group [[Hombres G]] released an album named ''[[La cagaste, Burt Lancaster]]'' (''You messed up, Burt Lancaster'') in 1986.

[[Thomas Hart Benton (painter)|Thomas Hart Benton]] painted a scene from ''The Kentuckian'' as part of the film's marketing. Lancaster posed for the painting, also known as ''[[The Kentuckian (painting)|The Kentuckian]]''.<ref name=LACMA>{{cite web | author1 = painted by Thomas Hart Benton | title = The Kentuckian (painting) | url = http://collections.lacma.org/node/239015 | website = LACMA Collections | date = 1954}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of atheists in film, radio, television and theater]]
* [[List of actors with Academy Award nominations]]
* [[List of actors with more than one Academy Award nomination in the acting categories]]
* [[List of Golden Globe winners]]
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=
<ref name="ACLU HQ Serial">{{cite web | url = https://archive.org/details/ACLUHQ1032/page/n1 | title = ACLU HQ serial 1032 | website = archive.org |access-date=October 11, 2019}}</ref>
}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* Andreychuk, Ed. ''Burt Lancaster: A Filmography And Biography''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2005. {{ISBN|978-0-7864-2339-2}}.
* Buford, Kate. ''[[Burt Lancaster: An American Life]]''. London: Aurum Press, 2008. {{ISBN|1-84513-385-4}}.
* Winters, Shelley. ''Shelley: Also known as Shirley''. New York: Morrow, 1980. {{ISBN|978-0-688-03638-6}}.
* Karney, Robyn. ''Burt Lancaster: A Singular Man''. Trafalgar Square Pub, 1997 {{ISBN|1570760748}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{AFI person | 25098-Burt-Lancaster }}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* [http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/person/58/burt-lancaster Literature on Burt Lancaster]
* [http://versewisconsin.org/Issue110/poems/balassone.html "The Rainmaker"], a poem for Lancaster

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Burt Lancaster
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestActor 1941–1960}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Actor 1960–1979}}
{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor}}
{{David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestActorMotionPictureDrama 1943–1960}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor}}
{{ScreenActorsGuildAward LifeAchievement 1980–1999}}
{{Silver Bear for Best Actor}}
{{Volpi Cup for Best Actor}}
}}
{{Norma Productions}}
{{Authority control}}

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