The Biography of Robert Mitchum

Robert Mitchum was an American film actor, singer, author, and composer. Among his famous works is the well known and popular quote “Beef….Its what’s what for dinner.” Robert was born August 6th 1917 in Bridgeport Connecticut under the constellation Leo. Leo born people are well known for being the center of attention and naturally finding their way into the spot light in their chosen profession. Throughout Robert’s childhood he became well known as a trouble maker and a prankster. At the age of his 12 he was sent to go live with his grandparents in Felton, Delaware only to later move in with his sister in New York a year later in 1930. This was due to an incident that Robert had with his principal in his middle school. After finding himself in a chain gang for being arrested for vagrancy, he escaped to return to his family in Delaware after the fact thereof nearly cost him the loss of his leg.

In 1936, Robert moved in with his sister in Long Beach, California where he began work as a ghost writer for the astrologer Carrol Righter. It was the help of his sister Julie that convinced him to begin participating his free time to the local theater guild of Long Beach, California and to start writing of few of his own playwrights. He discover he a knack and a talent for poetry and practiced this skill through writing lyrics to music which later led to the success of his music career as well.

Robert became a legend in film noir with his work “When Strangers Marry”, John Brahm’s “The Locket”, “Out of the Past”, “Rachel and the Stranger,” and “The Red Pony.” It was during his film noir career that Robert Mitchum once again got into trouble with the law and was sentenced to 43 days on a California Prison Farm. This hardly affected the success of his career but was seen as an embarrassment by the studio, which they ordered Robert to clean up his act.

Robert was the classic ‘bad boy’, from getting into fights to being arrested for marijuana use (1949). All this attention only enhanced his appeal and made him more of an attention gatherer in the box office. A true character with a ton a charisma, Robert eventually passed away in 1997 on July 1st. He is survived by three children and will forever be noted as number 23 on the American Film Institute’s list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time.

Sources:

“Robert Mitchum.” A biography by George Eels.


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