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.
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
