Ernest Borgnine 1917-2012

Oscar-winning actor Ernest Borgnine died earlier today of kidney failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, in the company of his wife Tova, and his children.  I remember Borgnine playing the title character of the TV show McHale's Navy, and for his portrayal of NFL football coach Vince Lombardi in the TV movie Legend in Granite, but those roles were but a small part of his body of work.

Borgnine, originally named Ermes Effron Borgnino, was born in Connecticut to parents who had immigrated from Italy.  He spent ten years in the United States Navy, including a re-enlistment after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  He won an Oscar for portraying the title role in the 1955 movie Marty.  During the 1980's, he was a regular on the show Airwolf.  He was married five times, including a marriage to actress Ethel Merman that lasted a month.

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