Charles Bronson, Hollywood Actor, Passes Away at Age 81

Charles Bronson, the Hollywood action film actor, passed away at the age of 81 due to pneumonia. His publicist stated that Mr. Bronson died on Saturday in a hospital in Los Angeles. Before gaining fame in America, he was a well-known and popular actor in Europe. Charles Bronson starred in films such as Adieu, L'Ami (Farewell, Friend) and the hit spaghetti western Once Upon a Time in the West. He made a name for himself in cinema by playing tough heroic roles, particularly remembered for his loud and memorable performance in the Death Wish series, which premiered in 1970. He also appeared in films like The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, and The Sandpiper. In 1971, Mr. Bronson received a special Golden Globe award as the world's most popular actor. Mr. Bronson was born in 1922 in Pennsylvania, in an area near coal mining, to a Lithuanian immigrant family. He was named Charles Buchinsky and was the eleventh of 15 children. Mr. Bronson later married Hollywood actress Jill Ireland and remained with her until her death from breast cancer in 1990.