U.S. actor Richard Widmark, who was best remembered as the giggling killer in 1947's film noir "Kiss of Death" died at the age of 93.
Widmark's wife, Susan Blanchard, said he died Monday at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut. She would not provide details of his illness and said funeral arrangements are private.
"It was a big shock, but he was 93," Blanchard said.
In this 1984 photo released by Columbia Pictures, actor Richard Widmark appears in a scene from the film "Against All Odds," with actress Jane Greer. Widmark, who was best remembered as the giggling killer in 1947's film noir "Kiss of Death" died at the age of 93. (Photo: chinadaily.com.cn/Agencies)
Widmark earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for his role in "Kiss of Death." He played Tommy Udo, who delighted in pushing an old lady in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs with a maniacal laugh.
"One will remember that nasty little creep with the wild eyes and high-pitched laugh, neurotic to the core, which Richard Widmark has turned into one of his finest roles," Raymond Borde and Etienne Chaumeton wrote in "A Panorama of American Film Noir 1941-1953."
Actress Shirley Jones, who co-starred with Widmark in "Two Rode Together" and became a good friend, said she was devastated about Widmark's death.
"He was a down-to-earth guy, and I respected him for that," Jones said in a phone interview from Los Angeles. "He was a real guy, but he was such a wonderful actor."
A.C. Lyles, a producer with Paramount Pictures, worked with Widmark on the 1975 western "The Last Day."
"Dick was just one of the nicest guys I ever worked with: very, very professional, very, very prepared and he couldn't have been more cooperative," Lyles said.
Widmark's long career was marked by playing villains, tough guys and cowboys.
He appeared in 20 Fox films from 1957 to 1964. Among them: "The Street with No Name," "Road House," "Yellow Sky," "Down to the Sea in Ships."
After leaving Fox, Widmark's career continued to flourish. He starred (as Jim Bowie) with John Wayne in "The Alamo," with James Stewart in John Ford's "Two Rode Together," as the U.S. prosecutor in "Judgment at Nuremberg."
Widmark was also in some TV films, including "Cold Sassy Tree" and "Once Upon a Texas Train." In later years, he appeared sparingly in films and TV, saying "the whole moviemaking process irritating ...I don't want to spend them sitting around a movie set for 12 hours to do two minutes of film."
(Xinhua News Agency/Agencies March 27,2008)