American character actor who specialized in underworld types, despite a far greater range. A native of the Bronx, Lawrence participated in plays in school, then attended the City College of New York. In 1930, he was accepted into Eva Le Gallienne's company, where he became friendly with another young actor, one day to be known as 约翰·加菲尔德. The two appeared in a number of plays, both with Le Galliene's company and with the highly-politicized Group Theatre, before Lawrence was given a film contract with Columbia Pictures. His scarred complexion and brooding appearance made him a natural for heavies, and he played scores of gangsters and mob bosses over the next six decades. Nevertheless, he could turn in fine performances in very different kinds of roles as well, such as his bewildered mountain boy in 牧岭恩仇记 (1941). Following the Second World War, as anti-Communist fervor gripped America, Lawrence found himself under scrutiny for his political leanings. When called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, he admitted he had once been a member of the Communist Party. The Committee broke down his resolve and he named the names of other Party members. He was blacklisted and departed for Europe, where he continued to make films, often in leading roles. Following the demise of the blacklist, he returned to America and resumed his position as a familiar and talented purveyor of gangland types. A writer and director as well, Lawrence has remained active in his ninth decade.
Was a victim of the Hollywood blacklist in 1950 and, as a result, was forced to leave the US to continue working as an actor.
Father of Toni Lawrence and Michael Lawrence (B. November 7, 1943).
Ex-father-in-law of 比利·鲍伯.
Columbia Pictures chief 哈里·考恩 once told Lawrence that Johnny Roselli, a notorious gangster, had said that he was the best hood in films. Lawrence himself was often told by Italian hoods in his native New York that he played them better than anyone else; ironically, Lawrence was Jewish.
Interviewed in "Actors on Red Alert: Career Interviews with Five Actors and Actresses Affected by the Blacklist", by Anthony Slide, 1999.
Named actor 杰夫·科里, a former Communist Party member who had left behind the party and the ideology, as a communist before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Corey, who was subsequently blacklisted from 1951 through 1962, was bitter over Lawrence's action for the rest of his long life.
During the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, Lawrence testified that 莱昂内尔·斯坦德 told him that joining the Communist Party would make him more attractive to women. During his testimony, Stander denounced Lawrence as a psychopath and presented a letter that gave Lawrence's mental history and revealed that he had been hospitalized after a mental breakdown just prior to his HUAC testimony.
Profiled in "Names You Never Remember, With Faces You Never Forget" by Justin Humphreys (BearManor Media).
Despite a prolific career covering nearly 70 years, consisting hundreds of motion picture appearances and many more television spots, his name was not included in the necrology of deceased film actors in the previous year at the 2006 Academy Awards (Oscar) Show.
He was a friend of legendary mob boss Lucky Luciano. He would visit Luciano in Italy where the mobster had been deported following his prison term for running a prostitution ring. Whenever Lawrence would see the mobster, Lucky would always ask for him to talk in an "exaggerated" New York accent, which Lawrence would do. The reason was that Luciano missed New York and meeting New Yorkers and hearing their accents would always make him feel better.
He was the earliest born actor to appear in either Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) or Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993).
When called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, he admitted he had once been a member of the Communist Party. He named Sterling Hayden, Lionel Stander, Anne Revere, Larry Parks, Karen Morley and Jeff Corey as Communists.
Frequently played gangsters.
