---
name: "Burt Lancaster"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/burt-lancaster"
fi1m_id: "burt-lancaster"
imdb_id: "nm0000044"
tmdb_id: 13784
wikidata_id: "Q160528"
roles: ["Actor","Producer"]
born: "2 November 1913"
died: "20 October 1994"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 14
average_fi1m_score: 80
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 13
updated: "2026-09-26T15:00:26.347033+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Burt Lancaster

## Identity

Burt Lancaster

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/burt-lancaster
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** burt-lancaster
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000044
- **TMDB ID:** 13784
- **Wikidata ID:** Q160528
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Lancaster, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q160528, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000044/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/13784

Actor and producer. Born 2 November 1913 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 20 October 1994.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor, Producer
- **Born:** 2 November 1913, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 20 October 1994
- **Active:** 1946–1989
- **Also known as:** Burton Stephen Lancaster, Берт Ланкастер, برت لنکستر, 伯特·兰卡斯特
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 14: 13 acting, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Deborah Kerr](https://film.one/person/deborah-kerr.md), [Delbert Mann](https://film.one/person/delbert-mann.md), [Hal B. Wallis](https://film.one/person/hal-b-wallis.md), [Harold Hecht](https://film.one/person/harold-hecht.md), [James Hill](https://film.one/person/james-hill-14568.md), [Richard Brooks](https://film.one/person/richard-brooks-3632.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 3 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 80, as actor, over 13 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1940s 84 (1), 1950s 80 (4), 1960s 83 (3), 1970s 63 (2), 1980s 85 (4)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 80 to 76 across 11 titles
- **Score spread:** 8 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 9 of 13 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 12, Romance 4, Crime 2, History 2, Thriller 2, Action 1
- **Screen time:** 31 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $257m across 8 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Lancaster, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q160528, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000044/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/13784

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Sweet Smell of Success*](https://film.one/film/sweet-smell-of-success.md) (88), [*Separate Tables*](https://film.one/film/separate-tables.md) (74), [*1900*](https://film.one/film/1900.md) (70)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Local Hero*](https://film.one/film/local-hero.md) (86), [*From Here to Eternity*](https://film.one/film/from-here-to-eternity.md) (83), [*Judgment at Nuremberg*](https://film.one/film/judgment-at-nuremberg.md) (82)
- **AMC+:** [*Field of Dreams*](https://film.one/film/field-of-dreams.md) (83)
- **Pluto TV:** [*Elmer Gantry*](https://film.one/film/elmer-gantry.md) (78)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Burt Lancaster

> Burt Lancaster brought an acrobat’s grace to tough men and could let vulnerability show through a forceful voice. We like him most when he allows that strength to look fallible; *Local Hero* is a particularly warm way in.

In *Local Hero* (1983), Burt Lancaster seems entirely at ease with Felix Happer’s silliness. The eccentric oil executive gives an actor with that voice and that physical assurance plenty of opportunity to overwhelm a gentle comedy. Lancaster does not insist on being the whole entertainment. We laughed because he seems so comfortable with Happer’s foolishness, without asking us to admire his willingness to play it. Bill Forsyth gets something rewarding from him here: a forceful actor who need not have every scene arranged around him.

The early roles often put his physical strength first. His circus background helps explain the grace of his movement, though *The Killers* (1946), his film debut, already established a tough man who could seem vulnerable. *The Crimson Pirate* (1952) belongs to the athletic leading-man phase that could also limit him. The smile, carrying voice and clipped delivery were distinctive tools, but the delivery could become too theatrical.

From the late 1950s, the parts became more complicated. The ruthless J.J. Hunsecker of *Sweet Smell of Success* (1957) and the charismatic con-man evangelist of *Elmer Gantry* (1960) gave his assertiveness less reassuring uses. Luchino Visconti’s *The Leopard* (1963) cast him as Prince Fabrizio Corbera of Salina, part of a career that came to include international productions. These parts asked for more than athletic confidence, and they are worth remembering whenever the broad smile threatens to become our whole picture of him.

Forsyth gives him colleagues worth listening to in *Local Hero*. Peter Riegert plays Mac MacIntyre steadily enough to let the eccentrics around him get on with it, while Denis Lawson gives Gordon Urquhart a useful briskness. Lancaster fits into this company because he seems happy to be one source of the humour, not the only one. Our reservation is with the film’s fondness for eccentricity, which sometimes softens the questions raised by its coastal property deal. Start here if the grander Lancaster has kept you at a distance; Happer is good company.

## Biography

Burt Lancaster (born Burton Stephen Lancaster) was an American actor. He was born on 2 November 1913 in New York City and died on 20 October 1994 in Century City, California.

Lancaster began his film career in the mid-1940s with *The Killers* (1946). He appeared in *From Here to Eternity* (1953), *Sweet Smell of Success* (1957), *Judgment at Nuremberg* (1961), *The Leopard* (1963), *1900* (1976) and *Local Hero* (1983) as Felix Happer. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for *Elmer Gantry* (1960) and received further nominations for *From Here to Eternity* and *Birdman of Alcatraz* (1962). He also won BAFTA Awards for *Birdman of Alcatraz* and *Atlantic City* (1980).

With Harold Hecht and James Hill he formed the production company Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, which produced films including *Marty* (1955) and *Sweet Smell of Success*. Lancaster directed *The Kentuckian* (1955) and *The Midnight Man* (1974).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, britannica.com.*

## On Fi1m (14)

### Performed in (13) — the average rests on these

- *Field of Dreams* (1989), Fi1m 83, as Doc "Moonlight" Graham — [page](https://film.one/film/field-of-dreams.md)
- *Local Hero* (1983), Fi1m 86, as Felix Happer — [page](https://film.one/film/local-hero.md)
- *Atlantic City* (1980), Fi1m 86, as Lou — [page](https://film.one/film/atlantic-city.md)
- *1900* (1976), Fi1m 70, as Alfredo Berlinghieri the Elder — [page](https://film.one/film/1900.md)
- *Airport* (1970), Fi1m 56, as Mel Bakersfeld — [page](https://film.one/film/airport.md)
- *The Leopard* (1963), Fi1m 88, as Prince Fabrizio Corbera of Salina — [page](https://film.one/film/the-leopard.md)
- *Judgment at Nuremberg* (1961), Fi1m 82, as Ernst Janning — [page](https://film.one/film/judgment-at-nuremberg.md)
- *Elmer Gantry* (1960), Fi1m 78, as Elmer Gantry — [page](https://film.one/film/elmer-gantry.md)
- *Separate Tables* (1958), Fi1m 74, as John Malcolm — [page](https://film.one/film/separate-tables.md)
- *Sweet Smell of Success* (1957), Fi1m 88, as J.J. Hunsecker — [page](https://film.one/film/sweet-smell-of-success.md)
- *The Rose Tattoo* (1955), Fi1m 76, as Alvaro Mangiacavallo — [page](https://film.one/film/the-rose-tattoo.md)
- *From Here to Eternity* (1953), Fi1m 83, as 1st Sgt. Milton Warden — [page](https://film.one/film/from-here-to-eternity.md)
- *The Killers* (1946), Fi1m 84, as 'Swede' Andersen — [page](https://film.one/film/the-killers.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Kiss of the Spider Woman* (1985), Fi1m 84, Thanks — [page](https://film.one/film/kiss-of-the-spider-woman.md)

## Complete filmography (102)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Airports* (2025), Actor
- *Hollywood sul Tevere* (2009), Actor
- *La Classe américaine* (1993), as José (archive footage)
- *Separate but Equal* (1991), as John W. Davis
- *Separate but Equal* (1991), series, as John W. Davis
- *Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair* (1990), as Leon Klinghoffer
- *The Phantom of the Opera* (1990), series, as Gérard Carrière
- *I promessi sposi* (1989), series, as Cardinal Federigo Borromeo
- *Field of Dreams* (1989), as Doc "Moonlight" Graham — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/field-of-dreams.md)
- *The Jeweller's Shop* (1989), as The Jeweller
- *Rocket Gibraltar* (1988), as Levi Rockwell
- *Control* (1987), as Dr. Herbert Monroe
- *Barnum* (1986), as PT Barnum
- *Fathers and Sons: A German Tragedy* (1986), series, as Geheimrat Carl Julius Deutz
- *Tough Guys* (1986), as Harry Doyle
- *On Wings of Eagles* (1986), series, as Lieutenant Colonel Arthur E. 'Bull' Simons
- *Kiss of the Spider Woman* (1985), Thanks — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/kiss-of-the-spider-woman.md)
- *Little Treasure* (1985), as Delbert Teschmacher
- *Scandal Sheet* (1985), as Harold Fallen
- *Olympic Gala* (1984), Actor
- *The Osterman Weekend* (1983), as Maxwell Danforth
- *Local Hero* (1983), as Felix Happer — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/local-hero.md)
- *Marco Polo* (1982), series, as Teobaldo Visconti
- *Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid* (1982), as (in "The Killers") (archive footage)
- *Race to Oblivion* (1982), Thanks
- *The Skin* (1981), as Generale Clark
- *Cattle Annie and Little Britches* (1981), as Bill Doolin
- *Atlantic City* (1980), as Lou — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/atlantic-city.md)
- *Arthur Miller on Home Ground* (1979), Actor
- *Zulu Dawn* (1979), as Col. Anthony Durnford
- *Go Tell the Spartans* (1978), as Maj. Asa Barker
- *The Island of Dr. Moreau* (1977), as Dr. Paul Moreau
- *Twilight's Last Gleaming* (1977), as Gen. Lawrence Dell
- *Victory at Entebbe* (1976), as Shimon Peres
- *The Cassandra Crossing* (1976), as Col. Stephen Mackenzie
- *1900* (1976), as Alfredo Berlinghieri the Elder — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/1900.md)
- *Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson* (1976), as The Legend Maker (Ned Buntline)
- *Moses the Lawgiver* (1976), as Moses
- *Moses the Lawgiver* (1975), series, as Moses
- *Moses the Lawgiver* (1974), series, as Moses
- *Conversation Piece* (1974), as Professor
- *The Midnight Man* (1974), as Jim Slade · Screenplay, Producer, Director
- *The Fighters* (1974), as Narrator
- *Executive Action* (1973), as Farrington
- *Scorpio* (1973), as Cross
- *Ulzana's Raid* (1972), as McIntosh · Producer
- *Valdez Is Coming* (1971), as Valdez · Executive Producer
- *Lawman* (1971), as Bannock Marshal Jared Maddox
- *Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I* (1971), Actor
- *Airport* (1970), as Mel Bakersfeld — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/airport.md)
- *Big Game America* (1969), as Narrator
- *The Gypsy Moths* (1969), as Mike Rettig
- *Castle Keep* (1969), as Maj. Abraham Falconer
- *Jenny is a Good Thing* (1969), as Narrator
- *The Swimmer* (1968), as Ned Merrill
- *The Scalphunters* (1968), as Joe Bass · Producer
- *The Professionals* (1966), as Dolworth
- *The Hallelujah Trail* (1965), as Col. Thaddeus P. Gearhart
- *The Train* (1964), as Paul Labiche
- *Seven Days in May* (1964), as Gen. James Mattoon Scott
- *The List of Adrian Messenger* (1963), as Protester
- *The Leopard* (1963), as Prince Fabrizio Corbera of Salina — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/the-leopard.md)
- *A Child Is Waiting* (1963), as Dr. Matthew Clark
- *Birdman of Alcatraz* (1962), as Robert Stroud
- *Judgment at Nuremberg* (1961), as Ernst Janning — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/judgment-at-nuremberg.md)
- *The Young Savages* (1961), as Hank Bell
- *Elmer Gantry* (1960), as Elmer Gantry — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/elmer-gantry.md)
- *The Unforgiven* (1960), as Ben Zachary · Producer
- *The Devil's Disciple* (1959), as Anthony Anderson
- *Separate Tables* (1958), as John Malcolm · Producer, Presenter — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/separate-tables.md)
- *Run Silent, Run Deep* (1958), as Lt. Jim Bledsoe
- *Sweet Smell of Success* (1957), as J.J. Hunsecker · Executive Producer — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/sweet-smell-of-success.md)
- *Gunfight at the O.K. Corral* (1957), as Marshal Wyatt Earp
- *The Rainmaker* (1956), as Bill Starbuck
- *Trapeze* (1956), as Mike Ribble
- *The Rose Tattoo* (1955), as Alvaro Mangiacavallo — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/the-rose-tattoo.md)
- *The Kentuckian* (1955), as Elias Wakefield · Director
- *Marty* (1955), Producer
- *Vera Cruz* (1954), as Joe Erin
- *Apache* (1954), as Massai · Producer
- *His Majesty O'Keefe* (1954), as Capt. David Dion O'Keefe
- *Three Sailors and a Girl* (1953), as Marine (uncredited)
- *From Here to Eternity* (1953), as 1st Sgt. Milton Warden — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/from-here-to-eternity.md)
- *South Sea Woman* (1953), as Sgt. James O'Hearn
- *Come Back, Little Sheba* (1953), as Doc Delaney
- *The Crimson Pirate* (1952), as Capt. Vallo (The Crimson Pirate) · Producer
- *Ten Tall Men* (1951), as Sergeant Mike Kincaid
- *Jim Thorpe – All-American* (1951), as Jim Thorpe
- *Vengeance Valley* (1951), as Owen Daybright
- *Mister 880* (1950), as Steve Buchanan
- *The Flame and the Arrow* (1950), as Dardo Bartoli
- *Rope of Sand* (1949), as Michael (Mike) Davis
- *Criss Cross* (1949), as Steve Thompson
- *Kiss the Blood Off My Hands* (1948), as William Earle 'Bill' Saunders
- *Sorry, Wrong Number* (1948), as Henry Stevenson
- *All My Sons* (1948), as Chris Keller
- *I Walk Alone* (1947), as Frankie Madison
- *Variety Girl* (1947), as Burt Lancaster
- *Desert Fury* (1947), as Tom Hanson
- *Brute Force* (1947), as Joe Collins
- *The Killers* (1946), as 'Swede' Andersen — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-killers.md)
- *Handle With Care*, as Narrator

## Gallery

- ![Burt Lancaster](https://film.one/media/person/59736/gallery-03683d151def.jpg) Burt Lancaster — Hal Wallis Productions, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Burt_Lancaster_-_publicity_1947.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Earle Theater advertisement for the American film The Killers (1946) - 20 Oct. 1946 Morning Call, Allentown PA](https://film.one/media/person/59736/gallery-8022b9a3af57.jpg) Earle Theater advertisement for the American film The Killers (1946) - 20 Oct. 1946 Morning Call, Allentown PA — Universal Pictures, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/1946_-_Earle_Theater_Ad_-_20_Oct_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Earle Theater ad for the film Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948).](https://film.one/media/person/59736/gallery-dd222d6f996e.jpg) Earle Theater ad for the film Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948). — Self Scanned, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/1948_-_Earle_Theater_-_10_Nov_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg/1280px-1948_-_Earle_Theater_-_10_Nov_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![59 German telephone cards, the front and back on four pictures. (2017)](https://film.one/media/person/59736/gallery-b72cfba681de.jpg) 59 German telephone cards, the front and back on four pictures. (2017) — Riquix, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/59_Telefonkarten-2-4.jpg/1280px-59_Telefonkarten-2-4.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Burt Lancaster](https://film.one/media/person/59736/gallery-74922ffd2fd5.jpg) Burt Lancaster — Image via TMDB
- ![Burt Lancaster](https://film.one/media/person/59736/gallery-8705b935226b.jpg) Burt Lancaster — Image via TMDB
- ![Burt Lancaster](https://film.one/media/person/59736/gallery-6de2a73b284a.jpg) Burt Lancaster — Image via TMDB
- ![Soviet fighter pilot Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin and Burton Stephen Lancaster during documentary filming "The Unknown War", episode 9 War in the Air. Moscow, (1978)](https://film.one/media/person/59736/gallery-75ba1535846a.jpg) Soviet fighter pilot Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin and Burton Stephen Lancaster during documentary filming "The Unknown War", episode 9 War in the Air. Moscow, (1978) — Leo Medvedev/Лев Леонидович Медведев, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/AIPokryshkin-01.jpg/1280px-AIPokryshkin-01.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![L. to R. : Louisa Horton, Edward G. Robinson, Chester Erskine (producer) & Burt Lancaster on the set of All My Sons (1948) - publicity still.](https://film.one/media/person/59736/gallery-4a9bd3d98b24.jpg) L. to R. : Louisa Horton, Edward G. Robinson, Chester Erskine (producer) & Burt Lancaster on the set of All My Sons (1948) - publicity still. — unknown (Universal Pictures), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/All_My_Sons_%281948%29_1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Burt Lancaster](https://film.one/media/person/59736/gallery-ebaba7078ed1.jpg) Burt Lancaster — Image via TMDB
- ![Burt Lancaster](https://film.one/media/person/59736/gallery-7c1e4eb7bbf3.jpg) Burt Lancaster — Image via TMDB
- ![Burt Lancaster](https://film.one/media/person/59736/gallery-049f7863fdbc.jpg) Burt Lancaster — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 3 nominated

- 1982: Best Actor (nominated), for *Atlantic City*
- 1963: Best Actor (nominated), for *Birdman of Alcatraz*
- 1961: Best Actor (won), for *Elmer Gantry*
- 1954: Best Actor (nominated), for *From Here to Eternity*

### Other awards — 2 won

- Golden Boot Awards 1995: Golden Boot Awards (won)
- Theatre World Award 1946: Theatre World Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/burt-lancaster