Richard Widmark, RIP (1914-2008)

Although he never acheived the popularity of peers such as John Wayne or Robert Mitchum, Widmark was a successful leading man in his own right, who is probably best known for his roles in The Alamo (1960), Judgement at Nuremburg (1961) and Madigan (1968). Actually, the main reason why true stardom eluded him is that he adapted his performance to suit the movie, rather than picking movies that matched his on screen persona. Widmark never took roles where he simply rode into town, beat the bad guy and won the girl. Instead, he preferred more conflicted roles where there were no easy answers and often no happy ending.

My favorite Widmark movie is Warlock (1959), directed by Edward Dmytryk, where he played a former outlaw who visibly struggled with his loyalties and fears to face his old gang in order to make up for his past crimes.

While his filmography does have its share of embarassing films, every movie benefited from his presence, an achievement equaled by few of his more charismatic peers. Even though there are no Richard Widmark collections available, you could do far worse things with your time than explore the work of an actor who never really received his due.