Ernest Borgnine

"Borgnine" redirects here. For the Norwegian-born American businesswoman, see Tova Borgnine. For the hamlet in Switzerland, see Borgnone.

Ernest Borgnine
Publicity photo for McHale's Navy, 1962
Born	Ermes Effron Borgnino (1917-01-24)January 24, 1917 Hamden, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	July 8, 2012(2012-07-08) (aged 95) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1947–2012
Spouses	Rhoda Kemins ​ ​ (m. 1949; div. 1958)​ Katy Jurado ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1963)​ Ethel Merman ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1964)​ Donna Rancourt ​ ​ (m. 1965; div. 1972)​ Tova Traesnaes ​ (m. 1973)​
Children	4
Military career
Service / branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1935–1945
Rank	Gunner's mate first class (Chief Petty Officer (Honorary 2004))
Battles / wars	World War II Battle of the Atlantic
Awards	Navy Good Conduct Medal (2) American Defense Service Medal with "A" Device American Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal
Signature

Ernest Borgnine (/ˈbɔːrɡnaɪn/ BORG-nyne; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular performer, he also appeared as a guest on numerous talk shows and as a panelist on several game shows.

Borgnine's film career began in 1951 and included supporting roles in China Corsair (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), Vera Cruz (1954), Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), and The Wild Bunch (1969). He also played the unconventional lead in many films, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Marty (1955), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Borgnine starred as the title character in the sitcom McHale's Navy (1962–1966) and co-starred as Dominic Santini in the action series Airwolf (1984–1986).

Borgnine earned his third Primetime Emmy Award nomination at age 92 for his work on the 2009 series finale of ER. He was also known as the original voice of Mermaid Man on SpongeBob SquarePants from 1999 until his death in 2012.

Early life and education

Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnino (Italian: [borˈɲiːno]) on January 24, 1917, in Hamden, Connecticut, the son of Italian immigrants. His mother, Anna (née Boselli) hailed from Carpi, near Modena, while his father Camillo Borgnino was a native of Ottiglio near Alessandria. Borgnine's parents separated when he was two years old, and he then lived with his mother in Italy for about four and a half years. By 1923, his parents had reconciled, the family name was changed from Borgnino to Borgnine, and his father changed his first name to Charles. Borgnine had a younger sister, Evelyn Borgnine Velardi (1925–2013). The family settled in New Haven, Connecticut, where Borgnine graduated from James Hillhouse High School. He took to sports while growing up, but showed no interest in acting.

Military service

Borgnine wearing a chief petty officer's cap in October 2004

Borgnine joined the United States Navy in October 1935, after graduation from high school. He served aboard the destroyer/minesweeper USS Lamberton and was honorably discharged from the Navy in October 1941. In January 1942, he reenlisted in the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II, he patrolled the Atlantic Coast on an antisubmarine warfare ship, the patrol yacht USS Sylph. In September 1945, he was once again honorably discharged from the Navy. He served a total of almost 10 years in the Navy and obtained the grade of gunner's mate first class. His military awards include the Navy Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal with "A" Device, American Campaign Medal with 3⁄16" bronze star, and the World War II Victory Medal.

Later honors

In 1997, Borgnine received the United States Navy Memorial, Lone Sailor Award. On December 7, 2000, Borgnine was named the Veterans Foundation's Veteran of the Year.

In October 2004, Borgnine received the honorary title of chief petty officer from Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott. The ceremony for Borgnine's naval advancement was held at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, DC. He received the special honor for his naval service and support of naval personnel and their families worldwide.

Acting career

1946–1952: Theatre and television roles

Borgnine returned to his parents' house in Connecticut after his Navy discharge without a job to go back to and no direction. In a British Film Institute interview about his life and career, he said:

After World War II, we wanted no more part in war. I didn't even want to be a Boy Scout. I went home and said that I was through with the Navy and so now, what do we do? So I went home to mother, and after a few weeks of patting me on the back and "You did good," and everything else, one day she said, "Well?" like mothers do. Which meant, "All right, you gonna get a job or what?"

He took a local factory job, but was unwilling to settle down to that kind of work. His mother encouraged him to pursue a more glamorous profession, and suggested to him that his personality would be well suited for the stage. He surprised his mother by taking the suggestion to heart, although his father was far from enthusiastic. In 2011, Borgnine remembered,

She said, "You always like getting in front of people and making a fool of yourself, why don't you give it a try?" I was sitting at the kitchen table and I saw this light. No kidding. It sounds crazy. And 10 years later, I had Grace Kelly handing me an Academy Award.

He studied acting at the Randall School of Drama in Hartford, then moved to Virginia, where he became a member of the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. It had been named for the director's allowing audiences to barter produce for admission during the cash-lean years of the Great Depression. In 1947, Borgnine landed his first stage role in State of the Union. Although it was a short role, he won over the audience. His next role was as the Gentleman Caller in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie.

In 1949, Borgnine went to New York, where he had his Broadway debut in the role of a nurse in the play Harvey. Borgnine made his TV debut as a character actor in Captain Video and His Video Rangers, beginning in 1951. These two episodes led to countless other television roles that Borgnine would gain in Goodyear Television Playhouse, The Ford Television Theatre, Fireside Theatre, Frontier Justice, Laramie, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, and Run for Your Life. An appearance as the villain on TV's Captain Video led to Borgnine's casting in the motion picture The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951) for Columbia Pictures. Later on, in 1957, he would appear in the first episode of the TV series Wagon Train.

1953–1961: Film stardom

Borgnine and Betsy Blair in a trailer for Marty, 1955

Grace Kelly presents the Oscar for Best Actor to Borgnine, for his performance in Marty, 1956

Borgnine moved to Los Angeles, California, where he eventually received his big break in Columbia film directed by Fred Zinnemann, the romantic war drama From Here to Eternity (1953), playing the sadistic Sergeant "Fatso" Judson, who beats a stockade prisoner in his charge, Angelo Maggio (played by Frank Sinatra). The film received critical acclaim including the Academy Award for Best Picture. The following year he acted in four films, three of them Western dramas, Johnny Guitar starring Joan Crawford, The Bounty Hunter with Randolph Scott, Vera Cruz starring Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper, he also starred in the Biblical drama Demetrius and the Gladiators. Borgnine built a reputation as a dependable character actor, and played villains in early films, including movies such as Johnny Guitar and Vera Cruz.

In 1955 he starred as a villain in the John Sturges neo-Western Bad Day at Black Rock starring Spencer Tracy, Lee Marvin, and Walter Brennan. He also starred as warmhearted butcher in Marty, the 1955 film version of the television play of the same title. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival where it received acclaim and the Palme D'Or. Borgnine won numerous accolades including the Academy Award for Best Actor beating Frank Sinatra, James Dean (who had died by the time of the ceremony), and former Best Actor winners Spencer Tracy and James Cagney. He also received the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor, and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor.

1962–1966: McHale's Navy

Publicity photo of Borgnine in McHale's Navy in 1963

Borgnine, Tim Conway, Gary Vinson and Carl Ballantine (in top bunk) in McHale's Navy in 1962

In 1962, Borgnine signed a contract with Universal Studios for the lead role as the gruff but lovable skipper, Quinton McHale, in what began as a serious one-hour 1962 episode called "Seven Against the Sea" for Alcoa Premiere, and later reworked to a comedy called McHale's Navy, a World War II sitcom, which also co-starred unfamiliar comedians Joe Flynn as Capt. Wally Binghamton and Tim Conway as Ens. Charles Parker. The insubordinate crew of PT-73 helped the show become an overnight success during its first season, landing in the top 30 in 1963.

He thrived on the adulation from fans for their favorite navy man, and in 1963 received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. At the end of the fourth season, in 1966, low ratings and repetitive storylines brought McHale's Navy to an end. At the time McHale's Navy began production, Borgnine was married to actress Katy Jurado. Her death in 2002 drew Borgnine and Conway much closer; about his acting mentor's long career, Conway said: "There were no limits to Ernie. When you look at his career—Fatso Judson to Marty, that's about as varied as you get in characters and he handled both of them with equal delicacy and got the most out of those characters."

1967–1982: Continued success

With Rochelle Rac and Jane Dulo in 1962

Borgnine's film career flourished for the next three decades, including roles in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967) with Lee Marvin, Ice Station Zebra (1968), Willard (1971) The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Emperor of the North (1973), Convoy (1978), The Black Hole (1979), Super Fuzz (1980) and Escape from New York (1981). One of his most famous roles was that of Dutch in the Western classic The Wild Bunch (1969) from director Sam Peckinpah. Of his role in The Wild Bunch, Borgnine later said, "I did [think it was a moral film]. Because to me, every picture should have some kind of a moral to it. I feel that when we used to watch old pictures, as we still do I'm sure, the bad guys always got it in the end and the good guys always won out. Today, it's a little different. Today, it seems that the bad guys are getting the good end of it. There was always a moral in our story".

During this time he also appeared on numerous television shows such as Little House on the Prairie (a two-part episode entitled "The Lord is My Shepherd"), The Love Boat, Magnum, P.I., Highway to Heaven, Murder, She Wrote, Walker, Texas Ranger, Home Improvement, Touched by an Angel, the final episodes of ER, and many others.

1983–2011: Final appearances

Borgnine, Nancy Reagan, Tova Borgnine and President Ronald Reagan in 1987

Borgnine returned to Universal Studios in 1983, for a co-starring role opposite Jan-Michael Vincent, on Airwolf. After he was approached by producer Donald P. Bellisario, who had been impressed by Borgnine's guest role as a wrestler in a 1982 episode of Magnum, P.I., he immediately agreed to join the series. He played Dominic Santini, a helicopter pilot, which became an immediate hit. Borgnine's strong performances belied his exhaustion due to the grueling production schedule, and the challenges of working with his younger, series lead. The show was canceled by CBS in 1986.

In 1989, Borgnine went to Namibia to shoot the film Laser Mission, starring Brandon Lee. It was released in 1990.

in 1995 he appeared with Jonathan Silverman in The Single Guy as doorman Manny Cordoba, which lasted two seasons. According to Silverman, Borgnine came to work with more energy and passion than all other stars combined. He was the first person to arrive on the set every day and the last to leave.

In 1996, Borgnine starred in the televised fantasy/thriller film Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (partially adapted from the 1984 horror film The Devil's Gift). As narrator and storyteller, Borgnine recounts a string of related supernatural tales, his modern-day fables notably centering on an enchanted and malicious cymbal-banging monkey toy stolen from the wizard Merlin. The film was later featured in the parodical television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, and has since gained a prominent cult following. Also in 1996, Borgnine toured the United States on a bus to meet his fans and see the country. The trip was the subject of a 1997 documentary, Ernest Borgnine on the Bus. He also served one year as the chairman of the National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, visiting patients in many Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers.

Borgnine at the Creative Arts Emmys, in 2009

In 1997, Borgnine appeared in the big-screen adaptation comedy film McHale's Navy, where he played Rear Admiral Quinton McHale, who was also the father of Tom Arnold's character, Quinton McHale Jr. In 1998, Borgnine appeared in the Trey Parker and Matt Stone comedy BASEketball as entrepreneur Ted Denslow. Starting in 1999, Borgnine provided his voice talent to the animated sitcom SpongeBob SquarePants as the elderly superhero Mermaid Man (where he was paired up with McHale's Navy co-star Tim Conway as the voice of Mermaid Man's sidekick Barnacle Boy). He expressed affection for this role, in no small part for its popularity among children. After his death, Nickelodeon reaired all of the episodes in which Mermaid Man appeared, in memoriam. Borgnine also appeared as himself in The Simpsons episode "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood", in addition to a number of television commercials. In 2000, he was the executive producer of Hoover, in which he was the only credited actor.

In 2007, Borgnine starred in the Hallmark original film A Grandpa for Christmas. He played a man who, after his estranged daughter ends up in the hospital because of a car accident, discovers that he has a granddaughter he never knew about. She is taken into his care, and they soon become great friends. Borgnine received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture made for Television for his performance. At 90, he was the oldest Golden Globe nominee ever. In 2010 he costarred in The Wishing Well. Borgnine's autobiography Ernie was published by Citadel Press in July 2008. Ernie is a loose, conversational recollection of highlights from his acting career and notable events from his personal life. On April 2, 2009, he appeared in several episodes of the final season of the long-running medical series ER. His role was that of a husband dealing with the decline of his wife, who would die in the final episode of the series. In his final scene, his character is in a hospital bed lying beside his just-deceased wife. His performance garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, his third nomination and his first in 29 years (since being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special in 1980 for All Quiet on the Western Front).

In 2009, at age 92, he starred as Frank, the main character of Another Harvest Moon, directed by Greg Swartz and also starring Piper Laurie and Anne Meara. On October 2, 2010, Borgnine appeared as himself in a sketch with Morgan Freeman on Saturday Night Live. On October 15, 2010, he appeared in Red, which was filmed earlier that year. In late 2011, Borgnine completed what was his last film, playing Rex Page in The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez.

Personal life and death

Borgnine with future wife, Katy Jurado, in 1958

Borgnine married five times. His first marriage, from 1949 to 1958, was to Rhoda Kemins, whom he met while serving in the Navy. They had one daughter, Nancee (born May 28, 1952). He was then married to actress Katy Jurado from 1959 to 1963. Borgnine's rancorous marriage to actress and singer Ethel Merman in 1964 lasted only 42 days. Merman's description of the marriage in her autobiography was a solitary blank page. Borgnine's friend Tim Conway later said: "Ernie is volatile. I mean, there's no question about that, and Ethel was a very strong lady. So you put two bombs in a room, something is going to explode, and I guess it probably did."

From 1965 to 1972, Borgnine was married to Donna Rancourt, with whom he had a son, Cristopher (born August 9, 1969), and two daughters, Sharon (born August 5, 1965) and Diana (born December 29, 1970). His fifth and final marriage was to Tova Traesnaes, where they remained married from February 24, 1973, until his death.

In 2000, Borgnine received his 50-year pin as a Freemason at Abingdon Lodge No. 48 in Abingdon, Virginia. He joined the Scottish Rite Valley of Los Angeles in 1964, received the Knights Commander of the Court of Honor (KCCH) in 1979, was crowned a 33° Inspector General Honorary in 1983 and received the Grand Cross of the Court of Honour in 1991.

Borgnine was a heavy smoker until 1962.

Borgnine died on July 8, 2012, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of renal failure. He was 95. Borgnine had undergone surgery a month prior to his death and had been to the hospital days before his death for a medical checkup. He was cremated and had a military funeral.

Filmography

Borgnine as "Grand Clown" in Milwaukee's annual Great Circus Parade in 1973

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1951	China Corsair	Hu Chang
	The Whistle at Eaton Falls	Bill Street
	The Mob	Joe Castro
1953	Treasure of the Golden Condor	Bit part
	The Stranger Wore a Gun	Bull Slager
	From Here to Eternity	Staff Sergeant James R. "Fatso" Judson
1954	Johnny Guitar	Bart Lonergan
	Demetrius and the Gladiators	Strabo
	The Bounty Hunter	Bill Rachin
	Vera Cruz	Donnegan
1955	Bad Day at Black Rock	Coley Trimble
	Violent Saturday	Stadt, Amish Farmer
	Marty	Marty Piletti
	Run for Cover	Morgan
	The Last Command	Mike Radin
	The Square Jungle	Bernie Browne
1956	Jubal	Shep Horgan
	The Catered Affair	Tom Hurley
	The Best Things in Life Are Free	Lew Brown
	Three Brave Men	Bernard F. "Bernie" Goldsmith
1958	The Vikings	Ragnar
	The Badlanders	John "Mac" McBain
	Torpedo Run	Lt. Commander Archer "Archie" Sloan
1959	The Rabbit Trap	Eddie Colt
	Summer of the Seventeenth Doll	Roo Webber
1960	Man on a String	Boris Mitrov
	Pay or Die	Police Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino
1961	Go Naked in the World	Pete Stratton
	Black City	Peppino Navarra
	The Last Judgement	Pickpocket
	The Italian Brigands	Sante Carbone
	Barabbas	Lucius
1964	McHale's Navy	Lt. Commander Quinton McHale, Sr	Spin-off of the series of the same name
1965	The Flight of the Phoenix	Trucker Cobb
1966	The Oscar	Barney Yale
1967	Chuka	Sergeant Otto Hansbach
	The Dirty Dozen	Major General Sam Worden
1968	The Man Who Makes the Difference	Himself	Documentary short film
	The Legend of Lylah Clare	Barney Sheean
	The Split	Bert Clinger
	Ice Station Zebra	Boris Vaslov
1969	The Wild Bunch	Dutch Engstrom
	A Bullet for Sandoval	Don Pedro Sandoval
1970	The Adventurers	Fat Cat
	Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?	Sheriff Harve
1971	Sam Hill: Who Killed Mr. Foster?	Deputy Sam Hill
	Willard	Al Martin
	Bunny O'Hare	Bill Green / William Gruenwald
	Hannie Caulder	Emmett Clemens
	The Trackers	Sam Paxton
	Rain for a Dusty Summer	The General
1972	The World of Sport Fishing	Himself	Documentary
	Film Portrait
	Ripped Off	Captain Perkins
	The Revengers	Hoop
	The Poseidon Adventure	Det. Lt. Mike Rogo
1973	Emperor of the North Pole	Shack
	The Neptune Factor	Chief Diver Don MacKay
	Legend in Granite	Vince Lombardi
1974	Twice in a Lifetime	Vince Boselli
	Law and Disorder	Cy
	Sunday in the Country	Adam Smith
1975	The Devil's Rain	Jonathan "John" Corbis
	Hustle	Santuro
1976	Holiday Hookers	Max
	Shoot	Lou
1977	Fire!	Sam Brisbane
	The Greatest	Angelo Dundee
	Crossed Swords	John Canty
	Jesus of Nazareth	Roman Centurion
1978	The Ghost of Flight 401	Dom Cimoli
	Cops and Robin	Joe Cleaver
	Convoy	Sheriff Lyle 'Cottonmouth'
1979	Ravagers	Rann
	The Double McGuffin	Mr. Firat
	The Black Hole	Harry Booth
	All Quiet on the Western Front	Stanislaus "Kat" Katczinsky
1980	When Time Ran Out	Detective Sergeant Tom Conti
	Super Fuzz	Sergeant Willy Dunlop
1981	High Risk	Clint
	Escape from New York	Cabbie
	Deadly Blessing	Isaiah Schmidt
1983	Young Warriors	Lieutenant Bob Carrigan
	Carpool	Mickey Doyle
1984	Code Name: Wild Geese	Fletcher
	Love Leads the Way: A True Story	Senator Brighton
	Man Hunt	Ben Robeson
1985	Alice in Wonderland	The Lion
1988	Skeleton Coast	Colonel Smith
	The Opponent	Victor
	Spike of Bensonhurst	Baldo Cacetti
	The Big Turnaround	Father Lopez
	Moving Target	Captain Morrison
1989	Gummibärchen küßt man nicht	Bischof
	Laser Mission	Professor Braun
	Jake Spanner, Private Eye	Sal Piccolo
1990	Any Man's Death	Herr Gantz
	Appearances	Emil Danzig
	Tides of War	Doctor
1991	The Last Match	Coach
	Mountain of Diamonds	Ernie
1992	Mistress	Himself	Cameo
1993	Tierärztin Christine	Dr. Gustav Gruber
	Hunt for the Blue Diamond	Hans Kroger
1994	Outlaws: The Legend of O.B. Taggart	Sheriff Laughton
1995	Tierärztin Christine II: The Temptation	Dr. Gustav Gruber
	Captiva Island	Arty
1996	The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage	Himself	Voice; Documentary
	All Dogs Go to Heaven 2	Carface Carruthers	Voice
	Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders	Grandfather
1997	Ernest Borgnine on the Bus	Himself	Documentary
	McHale's Navy	Admiral Quinton McHale Sr.	Based on the series of the same name
	Gattaca	Caesar
1998	Small Soldiers	Kip Killigan	Voice
	BASEketball	Ted Denslow
	12 Bucks	Lucky
	Mel	Grandpa
	An All Dogs Christmas Carol	Carface Carruthers	Voice
1999	Abilene	Hotis Brown
	The Lost Treasure of Sawtooth Island	Ben Quinn
	The Last Great Ride	Franklin Lyle
2000	Castle Rock	Nate
	Hoover	J. Edgar Hoover	Also executive producer
	The Kiss of Debt	Godfather Mariano
2002	11'09"01 September 11	Pensioner	Segment: "United States of America"
	Whiplash	Judge DuPont
2003	The American Hobo	Narrator	Documentary
	The Long Ride Home	Lucas Moat
2004	Blueberry	Rolling Star
	Barn Red	Michael Bolini
	The Trail to Hope Rose	Eugene
	The Blue Light	Faerie King
2005	That One Summer	Otis Garner
	3 Below	Grandpa
	Rail Kings	Steamtrain
2006	The Bodyguard's Cure	Jerry Warden
2007	Oliviero Rising	Bill
	A Grandpa for Christmas	Bert O'Riley
2008	Strange Wilderness	Milas
	I Am Somebody: No Chance in Hell	Judge Holliday
	Frozen Stupid	Frank Norgard
2010	Enemy Mind	Command	Voice
	The Genesis Code	Carl Taylor
	Red	Henry Britton / Recordskeeper
	Another Harvest Moon	Frank
2011	Night Club	Albert
	The Lion of Judah	Slink	Voice
	Love's Christmas Journey	Nicolas
	Snatched	Big Frank Baum
2012	The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez	Rex Page

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1951	Captain Video and His Video Rangers	Nargola	3 episodes
	Goodyear Playhouse	Sgt. Lenahan	Episode: "The Copper"
1951, 1952	The Philco Television Playhouse	Mathew O'Rourke	2 episodes
1954	The Lone Wolf	Saks	Episode: "The Avalanche Story (a.k.a. The Reno Story)"
	The Danny Thomas Show	Cop	Episode: "Rusty Runs Away"
	Ford Theatre	Gus White	Episode: "Night Visitor"
	Waterfront	Jack Bannion	2 episodes
1957	Navy Log	Host	Episode: "Human Bomb"
1957–61	Wagon Train	Willy Moran / Earl Packer / Estaban Zamora	4 episodes
1957, 1960	Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre	Willie / Big Jim Morrison	2 episodes
1959, 1960	Laramie	Boone Caudie / Major Prescott
1961	The Blue Angels	Unknown	Episode: "The Blue Leaders"
1962–1966	McHale's Navy	Lt. Commander Quinton McHale	4 seasons; 138 episodes
1966	Run for Your Life	Harry Martin	Episode: "Time and a Half on Christmas Eve"
1967	Get Smart	Guard, TV Viewer	2 episodes
1971	The Trackers	Sam Paxton	Television film
1973	Legend in Granite	Vince Lombardi
1974	Little House on the Prairie	Jonathan	Episode: "The Lord is my Shepherd"
	Twice in a Lifetime	Vince Lombardi	Television film
1976–1977	Future Cop	Cleaver	7 episodes
1977	Jesus of Nazareth	Roman Centurion	Miniseries
	Fire	Sam Brisbane	Television film
1978	The Ghost of Flight 401	Dom Cimoli
1979	All Quiet on the Western Front	Stanislaus Katczinsky
1982	Magnum, P.I.	Earl "Mr. White Death" Gianelli	Episode: "Mr. White Death"
	The Love Boat	Dominic Rosselli	Episode: "The Italian Cruise"
1983	Blood Feud	J. Edgar Hoover	Television film
	Masquerade	Jerry	Episode: "Pilot"
	Carpool	Mickey Doyle	Television film
1984	The Last Days of Pompeii	Marcus	Miniseries
	Love Leads the Way: A True Story	Senator Brighton	Television film
1984–1986	Airwolf	Dominic Santini	Main role (seasons 1–3)
1985	The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission	Major General Sam Worden	Television film
1986	Highway to Heaven	Guido Liggio	Episode: "Another Kind of War, Another Kind of Peace"
1987	Treasure Island in Outer Space	Billy Bones
	The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission	Major General Sam Worden	Television film
	Murder, She Wrote	Cosmo Ponzini	Episode: "Death Takes a Dive"
1988	The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission	Major General Sam Worden	Television film
1989	Ocean	Pedro El Triste	Miniseries
	Jake Spanner, Private Eye	Sal Piccolo	Television film
	Jake and the Fatman	Col. Tom Cody	Episode: "My Shining Hour"
1992	Home Improvement	Eddie Phillips	Episode: "Birds of a Feather Flock to Taylor"
1993	The Simpsons	Himself	Voice, episode: "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood"
1993–1994	The Commish	Frank Nardino	2 episodes
1995–1997	The Single Guy	Manny	43 episodes
1996–1998	All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series	Carface Caruthers	Voice, 6 episodes
1998	JAG	Artemus Sullivan	Episode: "Yesterday's Heroes"
	Pinky and the Brain	Father	Voice, episode: "The Third Mouse/The Visit"
1999	Early Edition	Antonio Birelli	Episode: "The Last Untouchable"
1999–2012	SpongeBob SquarePants	Mermaid Man	Voice, 17 episodes
2000	Walker, Texas Ranger	Eddie Ryan	Episode: "The Avenging Angel"
2002	Touched by an Angel	Max Blandish	Episode: "The Blue Angel"
	7th Heaven	Joe	Episode: "The Known Soldier"
	Family Law	Frank Collero	Episode: "Alienation of Affection"
2003	The District	Uncle Mike Murphy	Episode: "Last Waltz"
2004	The Trail to Hope Rose	Eugene	Television film
2007	A Grandpa for Christmas	Bert O'Riley
2009	ER	Paul Manning	Episodes: "Old Times" and "And in the End..."
	Aces 'N' Eights	Thurmond Prescott	Television film
	The Wishing Well	Big Jim
2010	Saturday Night Live	Himself	Episode: "Bryan Cranston/Kanye West", "What Up with That?" sketch
2011	Love's Christmas Journey	Nicholas	Television film

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Playwright	Venue	Ref.
1952	Mrs. McThing	Nelson	Mary Chase	Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2001	SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge	Mermaid Man	Voice only
2009	SpongeBob's Truth or Square
2010	SpongeBob's Boating Bash

Awards and honors

Borgnine won the 1955 Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Marty Piletti in the film Marty. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living recipient of the Best Actor Oscar. For his contributions to the film industry, Borgnine received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. The star is located at 6324 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1998, the Palm Springs Walk of Stars dedicated a Golden Palm Star to Borgnine. He was honored with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award at the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards, held January 30, 2011.

Borgnine's hometown of Hamden, Connecticut, where he enjoyed a large and vocal following, named a park and a small road in his honor. From 1972 to 2002, Borgnine marched in Milwaukee's annual Great Circus Parade as the "Grand Clown". In 1994, Borgnine received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations. In 1996, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

In 2000, Borgnine received his 50-year pin as a Freemason in Abingdon Lodge No. 48, Abingdon, Virginia. He joined the Scottish Rite Valley of Los Angeles (in the Southern Jurisdiction of the U.S.A) in 1964, received the KCCH in 1979, was crowned a 33° Inspector General Honorary in 1983, and received the Grand Cross of the Court of Honour in 1991. He was also a member of the Loyal Order of Moose at that organization's Lodge in Junction City, Oregon. He volunteered to be Stories of Service National spokesman, urging his fellow World War II vets to come forward and share their stories.

In 2007, Borgnine was presented with California's highest civilian honor, the Commendation Medal.

Year	Award	Category	Title	Result	Ref.
1955	Academy Award	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Marty	Won
	BAFTA Award	Best Foreign Actor		Won
	Golden Globe Award	Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama		Won
	National Board of Review Award	Best Actor		Won
	New York Film Critics Circle Award	Best Actor		Won
1959	Locarno International Film Festival	Best Actor	The Rabbit Trap	Won
1962	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead)	McHale's Navy	Nominated
1979		Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special	All Quiet on the Western Front	Nominated
1981	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Supporting Actor	Deadly Blessing	Nominated
1988	Independent Spirit Award	Best Supporting Male	Spike of Bensonhurst	Nominated
1999	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program	All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series	Nominated
2007	Golden Globe Award	Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film	A Grandpa for Christmas	Nominated
2009	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series	ER: And in the End...	Nominated
2009	Rhode Island International Film Festival	Lifetime Achievement Award		Won
2011	Screen Actors Guild Award	Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award		Won

Further reading

• "Ernest Borgnine". Biographies in Navy History. Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. March 8, 2008. Archived from the original on October 3, 2008. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
• Wise, James. Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America's Sea Services. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997. ISBN 1557509379. OCLC 36824724.

External links

• Ernest Borgnine at IMDb
• Ernest Borgnine at the Internet Broadway Database
• Ernest Borgnine at the TCM Movie Database
• Ernest Borgnine at AllMovie
• Ernest Borgnine at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
• Ernest Borgnine at Find a Grave