Jason Robards
Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he gained a reputation as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill. Robards received numerous accolades and is one of 24 performers to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting having earned competitive wins for two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Emmy Award. He was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1979, and earned the National Medal of Arts in 1997, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1999.
Jason Robards | |
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Robards in 1956 | |
| Born | Jason Nelson Robards Jr. July 26, 1922 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 26, 2000 (aged 78) Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Resting place | Oak Lawn Cemetery Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Other names | Jason Robards Jr. |
| Education | Hollywood High School |
| Alma mater | American Academy of Dramatic Arts |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1947–2000 |
| Spouses | Eleanor Pittman
(m. 1948; div. 1958)Rachel Taylor
(m. 1959; div. 1961)Lois O'Connor
(m. 1970) |
| Children | 6, including Sam Robards |
| Parent | Jason Robards Sr. (father) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1940–1946 |
| Rank | Radioman First Class |
| Unit | USS Northampton (CA-26) USS Nashville (CL-43) |
| Battles/wars | World War II
|
| Awards | Navy Good Conduct Medal American Defense Service Medal American Campaign Medal Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal |
Robards started his career in theatre, making his Broadway debut playing James Tyrone Jr. in the 1956 revival of the Eugene O'Neill play Long Day's Journey into Night earning a Theatre World Award. He earned the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role in the Budd Schulberg play Disenchanted (1959). His other Tony-nominated roles were in Long Day's Journey into Night (1956). Toys in the Attic (1960), After the Fall (1964), Hughie (1965), The Country Girl (1972), A Moon for the Misbegotten (1973), and A Touch of the Poet (1978).
He made his feature film debut in The Journey (1959). He went on to win two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayals as Ben Bradlee in All the President's Men (1976), and Dashiell Hammett in Julia (1977). He was Oscar-nominated for playing Howard Hughes in Melvin and Howard (1980). His other notable films include Long Day's Journey into Night (1962), A Thousand Clowns (1965), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Parenthood (1989), Philadelphia (1993), Enemy of the State (1998), and Magnolia (1999).
On television, Robards won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance as Henry Drummond in the NBC television adaptation Inherit the Wind (1988). His other Emmy-nominated roles were in Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1964), A Moon for the Misbegotten (1975), Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977), and F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980).