Lancaster, Burt (Burton Stephen Lancaster), 1913–94, American film actor, b. New York City. A superb athlete, he began his career as an acrobat. Best known for his roles as a cerebral tough guy, he achieved stardom as a washed-up boxer in his first film, The Killers (1946). Lancaster showed his versatility in a wide variety of roles in more than 70 films—dramas, westerns, action pictures, war movies, and many more—during his long career. He won the Academy Award for best actor for his compelling portrayal of a corrupt preacher in Elmer Gantry (1960) and was nominated for Oscars for From Here to Eternity (1953), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), and Atlantic City (1981). Among his other films are All My Sons (1948), The Rose Tattoo (1955), Trapeze (1956), The Leopard (1963), The Swimmer (1968), 1900 (1976), Local Hero (1983), and Field of Dreams (1989). Beginning in the late 1970s, Lancaster made a graceful transition from leading-man roles to character parts, the most notable of which was a gangster past his prime in the elegiac Atlantic City.

Bibliography

See biographies by R. Windeler (1985), G. Fishgall (1995), R. Karney (1996), and K. Buford (2000).

Lancaster, Burt(on Stephen)

(born Nov. 2, 1913, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 20, 1994, Century City, Calif.) U.S. film actor. He toured with circuses as an acrobat in the 1930s and served in North Africa and Italy during World War II. He first appeared in movie houses in The Killers (1946), which made him a star. He was noted for his portrayals of physically tough, emotionally sensitive characters. Lancaster's many films include Come Back, Little Sheba (1952), From Here to Eternity (1953), The Rose Tattoo (1955), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Elmer Gantry (1960, Academy Award), The Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Leopard (1963), Atlantic City (1981), Local Hero (1983), and Field of Dreams (1989).

Lancaster, (Burton Stephen) Burt (1913–94) movie actor, producer; born in New York. A former circus and vaudeville acrobat, he returned from World War II overseas duty and appeared on Broadway in A Sound of Hunting (1945). His first movie was The Killers (1946); he went on to become a major Hollywood star, ranging from acrobatic swashbucklers to brooding dramas that gained him four Academy Award nominations with one Oscar for Elmer Gantry (1960). In his later years his reputation was even higher among international directors and audiences.