Famous Like Me > Actor > T > Lawrence Tierney
Profile of Lawrence Tierney
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Name: |
Lawrence Tierney |
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Date of Birth: |
15th March 1919 |
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Place of Birth: |
Brooklyn, New York, USA |
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Profession: |
Actor |
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From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
Lawrence Tierney (March 15, 1919 – February 26, 2002) was an American actor.
Tierney was born in Brooklyn and earned an athletic scholarship to Manhattan College, but he dropped out to travel around the country, bouncing from job to job. In 1943, RKO studios signed Tierney to a contract when a talent scout spotted him among members of the American-Irish Theater.
Early in his career, he appeared in sporting roles in films, including The Ghost Ship and The Falcon Out West.
His starring role in the popular Dillinger led him to play other tough-guy characters in such films such as San Quentin, The Devil Thumbs a Ride, and Born to Kill.
He also played the villain in Cecil B. DeMille's 1952 best-picture Oscar-winner, The Greatest Show on Earth.
But Tierney's run-ins with the law in real life took a toll on his career. Throughout the 1960s and '70s, he was only able to get small parts in movies. He returned to Hollywood in late 1983 and tried to rekindle his acting career by guest-starring on television shows such as Star Trek, Remington Steele, Fame, Hunter, Hill Street Blues, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons.
Tierney died February 26, 2002 in Los Angeles of pneumonia.
Notable films
- Armageddon (1998) (uncredited playing Bruce Willis' father)
- Red (1993)
- Reservoir Dogs (1992)
- The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
- Prizzi's Honor (1985)
- Arthur (1981)
- Gloria (1980)
- Female Jungle (1954)
- The Hoodlum (1951)
- The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947)
- Born to Kill (1947)
- Back to Bataan (1945)
- Dillinger (1945)
- The Falcon Out West (1944) (uncredited)
External Links
- Tierney tribute
- Writer Eddie Muller's take on Tierney
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It uses material from the Wikipedia article Lawrence Tierney
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