38. The End of a Partnership
If there was one thing which Bronson didn’t like to do, it was discuss the deeper meanings of his films with interviewers. As you can also tell by now, Bronson was very loyal to the people he worked with regularly. However, he broke from both those traditions after Death Wish 3 was released. When he saw the final product, he was stunned.
The film was packed with extra shots of gore that director Michael Winner had filmed when Bronson wasn’t on set. It was the last time that the pair ever worked together again.
39. You Pinky Swear That’s True?
Despite his reputation as being tight-lipped and stoic, Bronson was known to tell anecdotes about his rough past to journalists. He talked about fistfights which led to arrests for assault and his skill at throwing knives. However, Bronson’s stories were eventually revealed to be false—or, at the very least, exaggerations. Bronson had never been locked up, and he didn’t have a reputation for getting angry away from film sets. He had just been adding to the mythos around his onscreen persona.
40. Permission Denied!
Charles Bronson was one of those people lucky—or unlucky—enough to live to see a movie about his own life released into cinemas. Upon the loss of his second wife Jill Ireland in 1990, her memoirs were adapted into a film. Ireland was portrayed in the movie by Jill Clayburgh, and Bronson was portrayed by Lance Henrikson. When it came out, though, Bronson's reaction shocked everyone.
Reason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story, Bonny Dore Productions
41. He Was Ticked
Most people would be touched to see a film being made about their late wife's brave battle with cancer. Unfortunately, Bronson was not one of these people. He was so ticked about the adaptation that he even threatened to take the filmmakers to court.
42. Marriage, Round Three
More than eight years after losing his beloved second wife in 1990, Bronson married for a third and final time. Kim Weeks had previously known Bronson through her work with his second wife Jill Ireland on audiobooks. They were married for five years until Bronson’s own final days.
43. Eat Your Heart Out, Rian Johnson!
We’ve all heard of fans leaving their heroes strange gifts as tokens of their obsession, but this story might take the cake. In the 1990s, Charles Bronson was told that a woman he’d never met in his life, who had been a big fan of his film work, had left him her entire estate in her will. She was worth over $1 million. Unsurprisingly, her family took issue with this and sued Bronson, who settled with them out of court.
44. This is Us, Indeed
Throughout his life, Bronson raised seven children. Three of those were stepchildren through his second wife, Jill Ireland, two were by his first wife, Harriet Tendler. One was Bronson’s biological child with Ireland, and one was adopted during that marriage.
[/media-credit] Katrina Holden BronsonShutterstock Katrina Holden Bronson
45. An Unexpected Turn
Through the latter half of his career, Charles Bronson became increasingly frustrated by the fact that he was typecast in aggressive B-movie roles. He finally broke from the mold when he appeared in Sean Penn’s 1991 directorial debut The Indian Runner. Bronson surprised film critics with a very nuanced—and peaceful—performance.
Sadly, despite the positive reviews, The Indian Runner was a box office failure, and it was Bronson’s final film that was released in cinemas.
The Indian Runner, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
46. Empty Shelf
For all his successes as an actor, critically or commercially, Bronson was largely ignored when it came to film awards. Throughout his career, Bronson only garnered three awards and two nominations. Of those five mentions, one was for the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one was a Primetime Emmy nomination in 1961, and another was the Henrietta Award at the Golden Globes for World Film Favorite—with a caveat.
He had to share it with Sean Connery.
History's most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily.
47. He Had a Sensitive Side
Even though Bronson was the ultimate tough guy, he had a sensitive side too. He loved art and was an avid painter. As film critic Roger Ebert noted, Bronson enjoyed talking about his painting more than his acting during interviews. However, Bronson didn't want his paintings to sell just because he was a movie star. To hide his identity, he painted under his original last name "Buchinsky". The ruse worked: According to Bronson, he managed to sell several paintings on the strength of the art alone.
48. A Bit of Familiarity
One of Bronson's stranger claims to fame actually has very little to do with the actor himself. Britain's "most notorious criminal" was born as Michael Gordon Peterson, but changed his name to Charles Bronson to align himself with the tough star.
49. Set in Stone
On December 10, 1980, Bronson and his then-wife, Jill Ireland, attended a ceremony where Bronson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You can find it at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard.
50. A Star has Passed
In the summer of 1998, an aging Bronson underwent a hip replacement. He retired from acting after this operation, as he was also suffering other health issues. At the age of 81, Bronson died on August 30, 2003, with his causes of his end listed as “respiratory failure” and “metastatic lung cancer".
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
