The Real Story Of Hollywood's Tough Guy

It might be surprising to consider, but Bronson was one of the most bankable actors of his lifetime. When discussing the 1974 film Mr. Majestyk, producer Walter Mirisch once stated, "Charlie is making $20,000 a day for a six-day week, plus ten percent of the net, plus $2,500 a week walking-around money. On his next picture, he'll probably make more".
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[@user-ch3lt4ve6b]

I had to replace his Sonitrol alarm panel at one of his homes, around late 1990-early 1991. He had 2 homes we protected, 1 in Malibu, and this more modest, almost tract home on N. Beverly Blvd. in Beverly Hills. I remember his wife had passed away recently, and you could tell he was grieving. But he was alone, no maid or “people” around. It was my last service call of the day, and it only took a few minutes to replace the board, send signals, and change the keypads. All the while, he was asking questions. He asked me if you could bypass metallic window tape with a chewing gum wrapper, a la Eddie Murphy in B,H. Cop. Told him no, the gum wrapper isn’t real foil anymore. Sensing my curiosity about all the alarm questions, he said he’s reviewing a script he just got, (Death Wish 5), and he’s supposed to kill a bad guy with a remote controlled soccer ball. He asked me if it could be done. I said Sure! it’s the movies! He then asked me if I wanted a beer. I said I can’t, I have to drive home to Huntington Beach. He then said in that voice: “You mean to say you won’t have a beer with me?” 😳 I think I had 2, and we discussed the soccer ball gag. A bomb? I asked. Yeah… I said I guess it’d work realistically if the reciver and explosive somehow didn’t make the ball too heavy, or lopsided. About halfway through saying this I realized he was winding me up, & I started laughing, and he laughed, too. He said something like: Aw hell, who cares if it’s remotely believeable?…😆 So he might’ve been mean on movie sets when things go bad, or hate interviews, but he was a gracious host to me. Tried to tip me $100, and I said the last few hours were priceless, and I was on O.T. anyway because it was nearly 7 pm! I had a quicker drive home, and I think he had a 8pm dinner reservation, so he got to arm his new panel and we both left his place. And yes, he shook my hand twice: When I met him at the door, and when we parted. So no OCD around me. A very nice, very intelligent guy!

[@jasonladd6400]

Great story to have dude. I would love to have a memory like that. He was more than just an actor, exuded character.

[@pacomaciasarrate6809]

Great story, thanks.

[@jasenweitekamp2036]

Awesome story!

[@silverburst6123]

Great story!

[@HogMan2022]

What an awesome story / comment!

[@IntrospectorGeneral]

Kurt Russell told the story of working with Bronson in the 1965 Guns of Diablo. Hearing it was Bronson's birthday the 14 year old Russell bought Bronson an RC airplane. Bronson said nothing and went to his trailer leaving Russell feeling like he'd done something wrong. Bronson later explained that he'd never received a present before. After Bronson's death 39 years later Russell received a package. The RC aircraft in its original box.

[@richardgutermuth2043]

They worked together on the travels of Jamie Mc Phetter

[@jimrogers2089]

That's a great video, gave me a tremendous amount of respect for Bronson (and Kurt, for thinking to buy him a gift). Also, so humorous imagining him confronting the studio head over a boy skateboarding.

[@kirbyculp3449]

Bronson was probably hoping for the Sonic Blaster, especially from Kurt.

[@nicholasklangos9704]

I’d heard that story too in an interview with Russell, amazing heartwarming!

[@rockmanx6857]

Tragic & Extraordinary 👏🧐

[@user-ps1ft1hy4j]

The famously tough Jim Brown once said Bronson was the kind of person he would least like to fight, because "I could knock him down all day, but he would keep getting up!"

[@bluebyyou7504]

Steve McQueen was the same way.

[@patrickmorgan4006]

@@bluebyyou7504 That brings up a great bar debate question. Who would have won a fight between Bronson and McQueen? They were about the same size, but Bronson was several years older. McQueen also had a tough upbringing and in the 60s he did some martial arts training under Bruce Lee, so it is debatable, but Bronson was just a total badass so my money would be on him.

[@MichaelKilgore74]

​@@patrickmorgan4006Bronson

[@patrickmorgan4006]

@@MichaelKilgore74 I agree.

[@user-ps1ft1hy4j]

@@patrickmorgan4006 McQueen was raised very harsh, just like Bronson. I dunno if anyone was as tough as Bronson, it seemed like just a natural disposition. But McQueen did train for years with Bruce Lee in private lessons, and was extremely desirous of having what Bruce had, just as it was Bruce's dream of having what McQueen had. They both were hard workers in their own main fields and admired each other's skills tremendously. McQueen was a good student, by all accounts. Years of training under Lee might count for nothing if someone had no real will to fight or killer instinct. But McQueen came up the hard way even from childhood, so I wouldn't count that experience and mind-set and even training for years, privately(makes a huge difference) under Bruce Lee as something to just brush off. I would not be surprised at all if McQueen's dream of being as good as Bruce, while Bruce dreamed of being as good as McQueen, paid off in McQueen being one hell of a threat.

[@stephenclemence5856]

I appreciate this 15 minute video about Bronson. Some people would have dragged this out into an hour, repeating everything over and over and getting a lot of things wrong. Thank you.

[@Factinate]

No problem! Thanks for the comment.

[@LaShondaFelton32083]

Hi, ​@@Factinate! Could You Please To Make 2 Videos One Are Kenneth Tobey, The Other Are Simon Oakland. Good Fabulous Job As Usual! Thank You So Very Much! Love LaShonda Felton💌💌💌💌💌💌❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@evryhndlestakn]

Charles Bronson was the man. Not only his roles, you only have to see interviews he's in. A small & minor role he was in, it may have been his last but dont quote me on it, was the Sean Penn, written &directed, The Indian Runner, an excellent movie in my opinion & one in which I couldn't imagine any other actor in even that limited role. (I say limited, there were no minor roles for him).

[@LSUfan]

@@LaShondaFelton32083Great idea.

[@LaShondaFelton32083]

Thank You,@@LSUfan!

[@Ambienfinity]

Bronson had that rarest of qualities so many modern actors are missing: charisma.

[@KevinGonzales-zv9xb]

Really, I need to look up the definition of charisma, I thought Bronson was the direct opposite of charisma! Charles Bronson is a cigar store Indian, but he has an amazing presence!

[@davidholman48]

Bronson didn't need height to be great. He was a force of nature.

[@Spruce_Bingsteen]

Right on!

[@faeembrugh]

Little guys are often the most alarming people to be a fight with and against. They really don't hold back!

[@Spruce_Bingsteen]

@@faeembrugh Reminds me of the quote attributed to Mark Twain: "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog".

[@doclouis4236]

The man was like 5'10, how was that considered not good enough?

[@user-vl8qw8hp1g]

Charles Bronson was one of my dad's favorite actors. I loved his movies, too. I thought he was fantastic in The Dirty Dozen. Nobody can play a badass like Charles Bronson did!!!

[@Tyrone1957]

My favourite actor from kid to adolescence. Now 67. And its still there.

[@darrinmills7309]

I've read that he was always in excellent shape. Way stronger than he looked. A real old school tough guy.

[@lorimcquinn3966]

He wasn't playing a Bad Ass, he was one.

[@patrickmorgan4006]

@@lorimcquinn3966 Exactly. One cannot fake the badass qualities that Bronson had and could bring to the screen. He was a level above all but a very few actors in that respect.

[@doug2078]

I visited his grave site a few years back . A small cemetery in Vermont. His grave overlooks the mountains. A beautiful resting spot. Well done video !!

[@bondoly66]

resting spot, beautiful. What the heck?

[@doug2078]

No body asked you !!@@bondoly66

[@saltpeter7429]

Was his home over in Brownsville? I seem to recall something about that. I did a lot of work over in VT in the mid to late 90's and Charles Bronson stories were prevalent among the contractors and laborers of the area.

[@doug2078]

His daughter was into riding horses. They bought a summer home.So she could ride more.Ended up loving the area. And he spent the later years of his life there.@@saltpeter7429

[@Z_worldwide]

@@bondoly66Are you slow? What do you think he meant?

[@mattp4079]

He and Clint Walker were two actors that realized the importance of physical fitness in the days when doing pull ups or sit up was considered a weird, vain activity.

[@MrNoneofthisisreal]

After the fall of the Soviet Union, many KGB types came out and told the story of Communisms war on America. Most of what "Tail gunner Joe McCarthy said was proved true. The people who run Hollywood are the same ones that brought the false god of Communism to America. Ungrateful bastards. Taken in from Eastern European poverty they proceeded to begin the rot that we see now as Wokeism.

[@michaellopez2070]

Paul Newman used to run a lot, and there’s footage of Steve Mcqueen hitting the heavy bag. There’s even footage of Marlon Brando jumping rope and being able to jump pretty high. Robert Redford ran and trained I’m sure, just by his running scenes.

[@karlpartridge9546]

I do sit ups and pull ups too cos not only am I weird I am vain as well

[@01Sassoon]

Bronson’s fear of fire probably came from his combat in the Pacific, on B29’s.

[@crowe6961]

The coal mines can't have helped matters. Combine the two experiences? Makes a lot of sense.

[@patriciafeehan7732]

Coal Mines may be loaded with methane and other gases, Bronson at age five allegedly was near the Mine Entrance when it exploded in fire. Trapping his father, brothers and a total of 300 men. This incident is recorded in local newspapers and only four of the Miners died. Luckily, all of his family members survived. A fear of fire or needing to have easy exit may have been the result of this traumatic experience.

[@effdonahue6595]

Death Wish classic line “Do you believe in Jesus? You’re gonna meet him” 😆

[@Spruce_Bingsteen]

Charles Bronson - Awesomely cool! I remember seeing/hearing that line in Death Wish II.

[@effdonahue6595]

@@Spruce_Bingsteen it cracks me up every time 😆

[@mickeythebull9842]

A great line in a terrible movie.

[@johnlloyddy7016]

Much as I like that line, it really doesn't make sense. If he was a bad guy why would he meet Jesus? Wouldn't meeting the devil be more apt?

[@dalehood1846]

@johnloyddy,. The punk was wearing a cross. When Bronson asked him if he believed in Jesus, hence the line.

[@jasonladd6400]

Mr Majestyk was regularly on the tv in the UK in the late 70s early 80s. As a kid with no father around back then it showed me to stand up to bullies which I eventually did. Wasn't his biggest film by any means but his presence still fills the screen.

[@pinnacleproductions6275]

Thank you for sharing! Back in that time there were a good amount of decent male figures for boys & girls without Fathers around. Nowadays it’s very hard to find a good male role model for Fatherless children, it’s hard to even find characters that could be looked up to.

[@logangodofcandy]

Taught me how to drive a truck.

[@nicholasklangos9704]

So true and one of the biggest messages and lessons I took from that film! Watching it with my mom I asked her a few times, what’s wrong with those people, he just wants to deliver his watermelons and take care of his family and friends?! That’s why you have to stand up to bullies she said. That’s what I’m gonna do too...

[@nicholasklangos9704]

Sad but true now!

[@steveelder5306]

made from an Elmore Leonard book of the same title.

[@Gunners_Mate_Guns]

Charles was an actor who could set the standard of a man as stoic and willing to do what he must. To me, he will always be Harmonica from "Once Upon a Time in the West," a true masterpiece.

[@Gentlegamerde]

was looking for this comment!

[@EmpyrionBlackthorn]

Epic western right there

[@MattiasSvanberg-nm2np]

My favorite movie of all time.

[@Gunners_Mate_Guns]

@@MattiasSvanberg-nm2np It's on my top five list, alongside: One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest Rocky The Shawshank Redemption Blade Runner - My personal #1

[@MattiasSvanberg-nm2np]

@@Gunners_Mate_Guns Great choices.

[@bluemouse5039]

Charles Bronson said when his father died it was confusing for him at a young age other people expressed condolences for his loss, but he did not feel anything and didn't know what to feel, he didn't know if he hated or loved his father because to him his father was just some mean guy that lived with him

[@user-ps1ft1hy4j]

That's something like how I felt about my abusive stepfather too.

[@maryschade1906]

B movie that we loved was The Mechanic with Jan Michael Vincent co starring. They both fit the roles perfectly

[@user-ps1ft1hy4j]

That came out when I was a kid and it was HUGE back then. Everybody was talking about it, but a lot of kids were not allowed to see it.

[@bluebyyou7504]

That movie is intense. I saw it when I was like 12... Blew my mind.

[@patrickmorgan4006]

Yes. That is one of my favorite Bronson movies.

[@benjammin4247]

That movie was an absolute ass kicker.

[@2012ouroboros]

Always liked Charles Bronson. He was a movie star way before Death Wish, though. Never knew he grew up speaking Lithuanian. Helps to explain why his accent was so good in The Great Escape. Tough early life. Seemed to work for him later. RIP.

[@paulzammataro7185]

Why no mention of being a B-29 gunner in WWII?

[@sum1has2]

Never a “pretty boy”, he was attractive to many women because of his overt masculinity. (With his childhood it’s understandable that’s what was encouraged in his personality. His fear of being trapped by fire is likely from working in the coal mines too.) Thanks for highlighting his sensitive side, which few people knew of.

[@bendrui]

I wonder if his alleged fear of germs comes from having so many siblings in a poor family, and seeing them inevitably get sick. Did any of them die in childhood? We'll never know.

[@Dreama88]

Shoot he was a fine looking man

[@GCKelloch]

Regardless of looks, I just can't see him pulling off the naive awkward Clark Kent thing the way Reeves did, and I think they did want someone younger and prettier. Bronson was not ugly, but his face was leathery and puffy by age 50.

[@user-ps1ft1hy4j]

@@GCKelloch There was nothing Clark Kent about this guy at all, and talk of him as Superman reminds me of when they were planning to have Nicholas Cage as Superman -- just preposterous.

[@mickeyray3793]

Ill never forget his and Jill Ireland*s fantastic movie "From Noon to Three."😊

[@user-gz2ob9rp6r]

Sort of sappy. Jill played in a bunch of his movies. Not sure , but I think the two were married.

[@ss_whole]

It's "10 to Midnight"

[@user-gz2ob9rp6r]

​@@ss_wholeNOON TO THREE. Graham Dorsey and Amanda Starbuck. They played the movie all month on an old movie channel and it was on every time I flipped to that channel. Wasn't a great movie IMO.

[@andrewanderson3572]

Ugly? He definitely wasn't ugly, rugged and very manly yes, but not ugly. RIP Charles 🙏

[@bruce8808]

Bonanza, The Big Valley, Gunsmoke, Have Gun, Will Travel and The Fugitive. Charles always pretty much played the tough guy in movies and covered a lot of guest appearances on T.V. series. R.I.P.

[@ImaRandomFemale]

Charles Bronson is one of my favorite actors I love most of his movies and appearances in Gunsmoke but I do have to agree with some that Jill Ireland was not the best actress.

[@daleupthegrove6396]

Bronson also starred in a T.V. series of his own called Man with a Camera where he played a former combat cameraman turned freelance photographer.

[@fazole]

Also he played a miner and art lover in one of the best episodes of the TV show Combat!

[@daleupthegrove6396]

@@fazole Season 3 Episode 30; Heritage.

[@Spruce_Bingsteen]

I remember reading a story by some of the Actors and Extras that were in the movie 'Mr. Majestyk'. Al Lettieri, who played a mobster in the movie, discovered how tough Charles Bronson really was. Apparently, Lettieri tried to prove himself tough by either saying or doing something annoying to Bronson. Bronson gave his patented steely-eyed glare at Lettieri and challenged Lettieri to meet him in an actual real free-for-all fight after one of the scenes was over. Lettieri was nervous and sweating and wanted nothing to do with fighting Bronson, and avoided pissing off Bronson thereafter. Charles Bronson was a true Bad-ss!

[@vincentcrowley5196]

Al Lettieri , famously played Virgil Sollozzo in the Godfather. The only other film I saw him in was Mr Majestyk.

[@themalaailaanaa1347]

So that roundhouse was real.

[@Spruce_Bingsteen]

@@themalaailaanaa1347 😄😄

[@JrRickard]

The Great White Buffalo. I remember seeing at the movies when i was 6. My first swear word was Holy shit! When the Buffalo was crashing through the woods.

[@fsoiberg]

It's not complicated, Bronson is just fun to watch...

[@SlowLew222]

Thank you so much for this bio of Mr. Bronson. I was probably 11 years old when I saw the second bill of a double feature and it was "Mr Majestyk" . After that movie, I then read two of his paperback biographies. You really nailed his early life. I remember a lot of the details to this day and you caught that perfectly. I was amazed at all the stuff that you had that I had never heard of. I want to thank you for giving us another look into this great man's acting career. He'll always be my idea of macho

[@Swelte]

So true

[@thomashugus5686]

Charles was one Hollywood actor that didn’t have to act tough! He was one tough SOB and he looked it up

[@theodoreyoung7946]

He was also a decorated war hero from WW 2.

[@salvacava6593]

He was a Tailgunner. 🔥

[@janicesouthworth1131]

When my great grandfather died in the coal mines, my grandfather at age 13 had to go into the mines. That was the way it was. Always liked Charles Bronson.

[@jessvolina6007]

Phenomenal video. Most of his work was before me being born in 77 but when my dad introduced me to his films he quickly became a favorite. Great work on this, no filler BS, everything we needed, nothing we didn’t!

[@bcsurvivor4713]

My hb is a huge fan of Bronson, but it sounds like he didn't have a happy life personal or professional, except when he was with Jill.

[@niradnagrom2356]

This man had one of the best physiques in Hollywood ever and I never saw him do a single pushup. He was never asked about his fitness routine and never spoke of it but I would love to know how he did it!

[@user-ps1ft1hy4j]

I remember reading before that he did what you would expect - go to the gym and lift heavy weights.

[@RaySierra]

In death wish 3 thiers a scene,where he's doing puships

[@fazole]

I saw some Hollywood promo film from the 60s showing fitness training and right there is actor Richard Jaeckal from the dirty dozen doing clean and jerks with a barbell, though the camera pans right past him. Also featured is Clint Walker doing pull ups and dips. There are also photos of William Shatner doing gymnastic workout on the rings.

[@josephschufle3984]

@@fazole That would be a great video to see if someone could find it and put it up on KZbin. Do you remember the name? Was it a Hollywood Studios Pr piece or for an actual movie?

[@straycatsam7963]

In the early days, Actor Jack Klugman was Charlie's roommate. Jack said Charlie's main exercise was climbing rope! That certainly explains the arms and grip. Also, Bronson trained with boxing prior to acting. So, we can assume the typical prize fighter exercises. Have a great day.

[@itsjohndell]

The full story of his name change: Paramount screen tested him and offered him a contract if he would change his name. He was conflicted and as he sat at the bus stop across from the studio. He looked up at the street sign. He was at the corner of Melrose Blvd and Bronson Avenue. Bingo. This is a true story. If you ever take the studio tour ( best of all of them) you can tand on the spot.

[@bmepdoc9675]

Correct. To complete the timeline. There was once an eatery at 5511 Melrose Avenue, built into the side of a movie studio named Nickodell. That studio was at one time RKO Studios…then it became Desilu…before assuming its present identity as Paramount. Whatever the studio was called, Nickodell was the place folks working on the lot escaped to for a mid-day cocktail, and many important deals were made at its tables. When I Love Lucy was casting and they needed someone to play Fred Mertz, Desi Arnaz got a call from an actor named William Frawley and they arranged to get together and discuss the role over drinks…at Nickodell. If you stepped just outside the front door and walked about 30 paces east you'd be standing on the north west corner of Melrose and Bronson.

[@user-lc9co9kv9j]

I grew up without a dad so I would study Bronson hoping to emulate him. My favorites are Hard Times, Breakheart Pass, The Mechanic and Mr Majesty. But my all time favorite is St. Ives. Bronson said he always wanted to play someone who holds a pipe and stands by a fireplace. And the movie has plenty of action too. Him and McQueen were SUPERstars.

[@Allronix]

One of his earliest roles was in the original Twilight Zone, the Season 3 opener "Two." VERY little dialogue in that episode, but it's absolutely chilling and magnificent.

[@RobertaReal7980]

I remember that. The other soldier was Elizabeth Montgomery who later stared in Bewitched.

[@Gunners_Mate_Guns]

Yep, one of the best TZ episodes.

[@mega5k]

I was going to comment this TZ episode. Was a good one and Montgomery absolutely stunning. 😅

[@jimjoseph1656]

He grew up around and knew my family. He often stopped by the restaurant my great grandfather played music at and lived next door to my 2nd great grandfather’s cousins as a child

[@nw133]

Thank for the great narration of Charles Bronsons life story.

[@moxohol]

The detailed research is self-evident. Good job!

[@Iwishtheirwasnopain]

Charles bronson was one of my favorites growing up! And I grew up in the 90s not 70s lol. But I adored bronson, he was like a hero to me, Mr majestyk and the death wish series loved em!!

[@NanaBren]

I am a fan of Charles Bronson from way back. I didn’t realize that he was 53 when he got his break. There was something about his stoic strength and the look in his eyes that drew you in. He was believable. Although I liked all his work, my favorite character was in the movie, The Mechanic. He was a veteran of WWII and I respect him for his service. I’m glad they laid him to rest beside his beloved Jill. May they both rest in eternal peace. ❤❤❤

[@mrjw6701]

53 when he got his break are you referring to the lead role in death wish? He was a star before that

[@NanaBren]

I’m just repeating what they said. I presume they are speaking about Death Wish since he was lead. Did you ever watch The Mechanic? He plays a hit man.

[@stoneangel777]

I was too young when I saw the mechanic and it freaked me out😎

[@HeavensProtocol]

My grandpa (born in 1919) said Charles Bronson was huge in Thailand. My favorite line is when he buys the car in Death Wish 3 "CASH".

[@Kutanamar]

I love the following scene, when the goons are trying to break into it. They're like "what's it to you" or something, and he just says: "It's my car" then blam blam.

[@galatian5]

Just goes to show you the dude that's tough as nails still has a beating heart and a soul.

[@fembotheather3785]

Death Wish was, at least not entirely pro-vigilantism as it shows how the violence changes Bronson's character and how sickened he is when he commits his first act of violence.

[@jt2473]

Copied from Wikipedia about your comment of being a box office failure: The Great Escape grossed $11.7 million at the box office after a budget of $4 million. It became one of the highest-grossing films of 1963.

[@riffs66]

14 siblings in destitution, losing his breadwinner father, busting his back in a cole mine, then drafted into WWII - try sharing this upbringing with today’s sad, sorry, sensitive, bottle-fed youth to give them some perspective. It’ll probably fall on deaf ears, but it’s worth a try.

[@evryhndlestakn]

I commented before finishing watching, so was very pleased that you gave a satisfying description of The Indian Runner, rather than simply saying it was Bronson's final role. Thank you.

[@wildbillharding]

The Indian Runner was not his final film, but it was his last film of note.

[@evryhndlestakn]

@@wildbillharding you hung that out there but didn't include what his final role was. What was his final role?

[@wildbillharding]

@@evryhndlestakn My apologies! Charlie bowed out with a short series - of three TV movies - called Family of Cops. I could be wrong, but I believe his last movie released to cinemas was Death Wish 5. I worked for Michael Winner on and off in the mid - '70s to early '80s and I know for a fact that Charlie so disliked Death Wish 3 that he never worked with Winner again. I spent hours on the Death Wish 2 sets talking to Vincent Gardenia, who played the main cop in the early Death Wishes and appeared in the classic movie The Hustler, and Charlie's make-up man, Philip Rhodes, who reminisced about working for Hollywood greats such as Leslie Howard. They were brilliant and I now regret not doing full interviews with them both.

[@evryhndlestakn]

@@wildbillharding Outstanding reply! I'm so glad I asked. I saw another comment, or reply rather, that you posted mentioning Death Wish II. It can certainly be difficult to be sure of a person's motivations & why they are doing something at times (often the mighty $) as well as what they are getting out of it on a personal level. I'm fairly sure a reasonable chunk of The Indian Runner budget was spent on getting Bronson to take the role but I'm glad he did, he brings a certain quality to the character that's human & induces sympathy despite his obvious faults. Like a man lost in his own time. Thanks again for your reply.

[@stevenjohnson7442]

The Magnificent seven and the Great Escape,were box office failures in the States??🤔🤔 I find this extremely hard to believe.

[@wildbillharding]

So did John Sturges!

[@tectorgorch8698]

Yup, that is surely bullshite.

[@tectorgorch8698]

@@wildbillharding Just this morning I was wondering why Sturges gets so little regard these days. His filmography is astonishing.

[@stevenjohnson7442]

The Great Escape,was one of the most successful films of 1963, but The Magnificent 7, as stated,did fail in the states (Unbelievable!) but was more successful in Europe.

[@jguenther3049]

Bookkeepers have some latitude where to assign studio overhead costs and can make a box office hit show a net loss by "creative accounting."

[@From-North-Jersey]

The red scare was no joke, the russian version of the freedom of information act proved that 90% of the names on the list belonged there.

[@EarnestSmith-jm8qv]

Mr. Bronson’s fight scenes in “Hard Times” were awesome. It’s amazing how well he kept in shape.

[@kahlesjf]

I think you are miscalculating his rise to stardom. You do not suddenly become the actor who commands the largest payroll in the world. According to Wikipedia: "Eventually, he returned to the United States to make more films, working with director Michael Winner. Their first collaborations included Chato's Land (1972), The Mechanic (1972) and The Stone Killer (1973). At this point, he became the world's number-one box office star, commanding $1 million per film."

[@sailordude2094]

Great history, thanks! I love Bronson films. Kurt Russell has a childhood story about him and Charles on youtube, very touching.

[@philipjohnson2652]

Jill's favorite place, as she was battling cancer, was their farm in West Windsor, Vt. Named Zuleika, it was a 400-acre property where they raised horses and escaped the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. Their final resting place is the Brownsville Cemetery in West Windsor. Jill's ashes are purportedly in a cane buried along side Charles.

[@fw1421]

I’ve always like Chuck Bronson films. He was a good actor and made tough guy roles. He was a lucky guy marrying Jill Ireland. Lovely woman and good actress.

[@sitbone3]

Nobody called him "Chuck".

[@polarfamily6222]

Bronson is awesome. Thank you for doing this!

[@user-lc1wk5dh5h]

I agree thank you for this well thought out and well presented piece. My Majestyk one of his best.

[@michaelchristian5089]

I liked Bronson's quip In "The Magnificent Seven"; when Yul Brynner sees that he's chopping wood in order to eat & that he's heard that Bronson is broke, Bronson replies..."No, I'm doing this 'cos I'm an eccentric millionaire". Like Charles Bronson, Greta Garbo's films were only marginal successes in the USA but were big earners abroad. WW2 closed down many of those markets & she made her last film in 1941.

[@scottfergusson8411]

Red Sun was my favorite movie by him .

[@Asherov]

That, alongside Once Upon a Time and Farewell, Friend

[@Kermit_T_Frog]

If "The Great Escape" and the "Magnificent Seven" were flops in the USA, that would be news to Americans. Both were among the highest grossing films of the year. This, back when overseas box-office was negligible. I cannot think of any movies better known in the States while I was growing up. Multiple, if not yearly, runs on TV. The movies that launched Steve McQueen's career. Those "Death Wish" movies probably were profitable by reason that they were made on the cheap. Still, most strange to say that Bronson's legacy was in B movies.

[@earlchase357]

My Father looked almost exactly like Charles Bronson. When I was growing up my Dad, my Brother and I would watch Bronsons movies almost on a weekly basis. Good times.

[@bassplayer1966]

I LOVE CB!!!! My oldest memory is seeing Hard Times with James Colburn in the mid 70's, OMG LOVE IT SO MUCH!!

[@pinnacleproductions6275]

Could you imagine what a man like Bronson would think of Hollywood today? He’d be so disgusted.

[@jaypee389]

Lol!

[@BoomerMcBoom]

Without Doubt One of The Best Biographical presentations on YT. Thank You

[@bmepdoc9675]

Used to live in Hollywood from the late 50's through 80s, just off of Bronson Ave, which evidently was the genesis for his surname change.

[@SpiritintheSky.]

A most enjoyable and informative video, so well presented. Many thanks.

[@stevep5408]

It had to be very tough for him when Jill died! Marrying her friend must have been hard alsoo.

[@user-tc3yg4ls3i]

He was a stud in The Wax Museum, big dude.

[@mikeanderson8603]

1956?

[@cackleberrywilson5956]

Not mentioned is the fact that Charles Bronson starred in a late 1950’s TV show, MAN WITH A CAMERA. About a news reporter getting caught up in adventures filming for new stories. My Mother NEVER missed an episode ❤❤😂

[@keithbuchanan8588]

He was such a hunk. He was fortunate that he looked so good, & was in such good shape 4 his age.

[@bmepdoc9675]

Name a film in which this man was in anything but exceptional shape - regardless of time frame

[@keithbuchanan8588]

@@bmepdoc9675 I can't. He was very fortunate.

[@user-ps1ft1hy4j]

He earned it. He worked out religiously.

[@yvettevitacaponigro]

Thank you for the post! 👍🏻✌🏼😊

[@noelhernandez363]

The original tough guy was afraid of "germs"!! Hilarious 🤣🤣

[@star11987]

I love Charles Bronson. Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape and Dirty Dozen were some of my favorite movies growing up. After hearing his story I grew to respect him so much more.

[@johnny5805]

Concise and not overlong. Definitely didn't need the thumbnail title about Mr Majestyk.

[@VNV67]

I think that Charles Bronson was one of the most underrated actors of that time. I liked everything he did as well as I did Clint Eastwood. I liked Charles Bronson because he was a no BS actor.

[@ddibner]

Many, many years ago, my wife and I as your people in our 20s were driving through a remote part of NH on our way to a regional airport and we got lost. I saw two people working on a stone wall in a remote part of the drive. I stopped and ask the younger person how to get to the airport and he turned to the other person who looked up and answered the question. That was Charles Bronson. He was observant and focused, as if he was unsure what the outcome of this small exchange would be. I thanked him for the directions and for the endless hours that both myself and my wife spent watching his films. He paused, looked back to me and smiled with a wave of his hand. We drove off in silence....how lucky were we......

[@tectorgorch8698]

I love Stanley Baker, nice to see him in here!?!?

[@sharendonnelly7770]

Loved his acting, such an under acclaimed talent that created unforgettable characters. One of my all-time favorite actors.

[@frankmorris2603]

Hard Times is the best fight movie made in my opinion. Bronson number one for realistic choreography and hardman persona.

[@rushmore3927]

Im still love how that .32 caliber pistol in Death Wish launched them like a 50 caliber 😂

[@derekstocker6661]

Very well done on this, great video and very informative and well illustrated. I loved anything he did, to me he was the ultimate quiet but tough guy and his films will be valued for ever by so many who want a good story with action!

[@GuilePatrick]

Bronson made a Christmas film.."Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." It was actually good in my opinion... It changed the macho persona he had..He became more gentle and caring... But that's just me... Great video btw...

[@12thDecember]

I was never a fan of Bronson's "tough guy" persona. Thank you for showing who he really was as a person. Although it stinks what he and Jill did to McCallum, Bronson and Ireland were a lovely couple.♥

[@ECO473]

I guess the sweet irony for McCallum is that he outlived them both by decades.

[@plasticweapon]

mccallum was glad to be rid of her. bronson's wife was hurt a lot worse, but i think she was well rid of him too.

[@dancouger3677]

Click bait ! Where’s the terrifying occurrences in Mr Majestyk ?!?

[@XavierKatzone]

Very nicely done-THANKS! 👏🏻👏🏻❤️

[@johnnycee5179]

Bronson was a star to me before America recognized him and I live in America.

[@burkejones8277]

I was in the Marines with a guy from Vermont. In high school, he worked at a motorcycle shop. He said Bronson was probably the strongest person he ever met. He came to pick up a dirt bike they had done some work on, and he picked it up and set it in the bed of the truck like it was nothing.

[@tago69mago671]

What I love about a lot of the old school actors is they have a back story. Growing up in poverty, working regular jobs for years, serving their country during wartime and behaving like regular joes and getting into scrapes and living a life before acting. A lot had no ambition to act and fell into it and realised it paid better than working. I'm sure their prior lives gave them something to draw on to act. Life experience can never beat imagination!

[@andrewdavies5835]

They don't make 'em like this anymore.

[@dubhmoore575]

Sweet ❤ thats a lovely video, u made my day 😇

[@RedcoatT]

The explosion promised was nothing more than a ill-judged remark.

[@aVerveQuest]

I remember watching death wish 3 and seeing Charles Bronson running down the street doing his own stunts in his 60s. He looked 40, and live like a man of 35.

[@Smegextasy]

Good sir, you honor the legacy of Mr Bronson. Well done! I loved Charles Bronson, I could not bear watching the vigilante movies as for the level of violence against women fried my 10 year old brain. Those movies made me hate injustice and to honor the chaste and sanctity of females and human beings in general. Thank you in retrospective Mr Bronson for the burning expression of all the evil that men do!

[@PainInTheS]

They don't make 'em like that anymore!

[@grahamwatts8836]

There was only one Charles Bronson, great man/actor, I love Mr Majestic, a struggling farmer, who he ended up dealing with a nasty mob hit man.

[@smang7866]

Charles Bronson was my granny’s crush🤗

[@rhondajohnson8310]

Mine too

[@sheilagravely5621]

This granny's too.❤❤😊

[@katanaki3059]

I’m a granny and hell yeah!

[@judychristensen5689]

Same, same 😊

[@Goji-eletienne]

Low-key, it would've been interesting to see Bronson as either Mongo or Hedley Lamar in Blazing Saddles 😂😂😂

[@tony.bickert]

Once Upon a Time in the West sealed his legacy.

[@DrMichaelWidlanski]

Well done. Despite being an action hero, he could show sensitivity and vulnerability too. As the "tunnel king" in Great Escape for example.

[@gabbymordi9752]

Where are the real, stoic men of America? Charles Bronson: All gone with me.

[@sarlaccstapeworm990]

I THOUGHT (just by the title & thumbnail, I guess) that this was gonna be one of those A.I. narrated, fulla $#it type videos... I'm SO glad I was wrong!! 😂 I love anything "Bronson"! It was really great to see an entertaining, mini-biography type video that was this nicely narrated! Great video!! 👍

[@snakebait5118]

I own a 2010 Frontier and it's been faithful since I bought it. I'll buy another one if I can afford it!

[@buckminsterfullerene2149]

Proud to be Lithuanian 🇱🇹