Anthony Quinn biography

Synopsis

Anthony Quinn was born on April 21, 1915, in Chihuahua, Mexico, but his family settled in Los Angeles shortly after his birth. Quinn's acting career began in 1936 in a play with Mae West. On film, he won Best Supporting Actor Oscars for his roles in Viva Zapata! (1952) and Lust for Life (1956). He also had memorable roles in Zorba the Greek (1964) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Quinn died in 2001.

Early Life

Actor Anthony Ruldolph Oaxaca Quinn was born on April 21, 1915, in Chihuahua, Mexico. Quinn and his family left Mexico for the United States shortly after his birth and eventually settled in Los Angeles, California. His father died when he was only nine years old. Quinn then quit school and worked odd jobs to help support his family.

Career Highlights

In 1936, Quinn made the leap into the acting profession. That year he had a role in the play Clean Beds with Mae West and appeared in the film Parole! This opened the door to other film roles, often playing the part of the bad guy.

Quinn did some of his finest film work in the 1950s and 1960s. He played Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata in Viva Zapata (1952), a performance that won him the Academy Award for Actor in a Supporting Role. Quinn received that same honor again in 1956 for his portrayal of the painter Paul Gauguin in Lust for Life with Kirk Douglas. He was also nominated for Best Actor in 1957 for Wild Is the Wind and in 1964 for Zorba the Greek. Quinn achieved box-office success with starring roles in The Guns of Navarone (1961) with Gregory Peck and David Niven and Laurence of Arabia (1962) with Peter O'Toole.

Later Years

During the course of his career, Quinn appeared in more than 200 films. In his later years, he took on fewer acting roles and pursued his interest in art by painting, sculpting, and designing jewelry. Married three times, Quinn is said to have fathered 13 children. He died of respiratory failure on June 3, 2001, in Boston, Massachusetts.