---
name: "Richard Widmark"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/richard-widmark"
fi1m_id: "richard-widmark"
imdb_id: "nm0001847"
tmdb_id: 12149
wikidata_id: "Q320036"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "26 December 1914"
died: "24 March 2008"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 70
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-09-25T05:17:45.103409+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."
---

# Richard Widmark

## Identity

Richard Widmark

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/richard-widmark
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** richard-widmark
- **IMDb ID:** nm0001847
- **TMDB ID:** 12149
- **Wikidata ID:** Q320036
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Widmark, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q320036, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001847/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12149

Actor. Born 26 December 1914 in Sunrise Township, Minnesota, USA. Died 24 March 2008.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 26 December 1914, Sunrise Township, Minnesota, USA
- **Died:** 24 March 2008
- **Active:** 1953–1962
- **Also known as:** Ричард Уидмарк, Richard Weedt Widmark, ریچارد ویدمارک, 理查德·威德马克, 李察·威麥
- **Golden Globes:** 1 Golden Globe (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 70, as actor, over 4 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 84 (1), 1960s 65 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 70 to 62 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 3 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** History 2, Western 2, Adventure 1, Crime 1, Drama 1, Thriller 1
- **Screen time:** 11 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $18m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Widmark, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q320036, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001847/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12149

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*Pickup on South Street*](https://film.one/film/pickup-on-south-street.md) (84)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Judgment at Nuremberg*](https://film.one/film/judgment-at-nuremberg.md) (82)
- **Pluto TV:** [*The Alamo*](https://film.one/film/the-alamo.md) (50)

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

## Fi1m on Richard Widmark

> Richard Widmark made authority look tense and villainy disturbingly amused. We value the hardness he carried between those parts, though the giggling menace of his debut can obscure how much he did afterwards.

An angled stance and an insolent way of moving make Richard Widmark difficult to relax around. The giggling Tommy Udo in *Kiss of Death* (1947), his film debut, made that discomfort explicit. We value him just as much when he takes it into respectable company, playing men whose authority comes with an uncomfortable degree of tension. The debut made him memorable, but the persistent association with villains can obscure how useful that same hardness became in other parts.

His early noir roles gave way to heroic leads, Westerns and supporting parts in the 1950s and 1960s. Harry Fabian, the desperate hustler of *Night and the City* (1950), and Skip McCoy in Samuel Fuller's *Pickup on South Street* (1953) belong to the earlier stretch. Then came Captain Eric Finlander in *The Bedford Incident* (1965), which Widmark produced and starred in alongside Sidney Poitier. The shift towards authority did not require him to become reassuring.

In *Judgment at Nuremberg* (1961), Stanley Kramer puts that tension to work in Colonel Tad Lawson, the American prosecutor. We found Widmark's determination stirring, because Lawson gives the film's questions about responsibility someone prepared to press them. His toughness suits a part that needs persistence, and there is no need to make the man ingratiating. Within Kramer's ensemble, this is a useful distinction: Widmark can give the prosecution force without making the entire drama adopt his certainty. It is strong supporting work, with a clear task and an actor who knows how firmly to pursue it.

Spencer Tracy and Montgomery Clift are the chief reasons the film's questions remain difficult to put aside. That leaves Widmark free to keep Lawson determined rather than supply every shade of doubt himself. The speeches do sometimes labour points already made, a weakness Widmark's forcefulness cannot fix. Give *Judgment at Nuremberg* its full 191 minutes, but choose an evening when there is some patience to spare.

## Biography

Richard Widmark was an American actor and producer. Born on 26 December 1914 in Sunrise Township, Minnesota, he began his career in radio and on the stage before making his film debut in 1947.

He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the psychopathic killer Tommy Udo in *Kiss of Death* (1947). Early in his career he was frequently cast in villainous or anti-hero parts in film noirs such as *Night and the City* (1950) and *Pickup on South Street* (1953), later taking on a wider range of leading and supporting roles in westerns, dramas and other genres. Notable credits include *Judgment at Nuremberg* (1961), in which he played Col. Tad Lawson, *How the West Was Won* (1962) and *The Alamo* (1960).

Widmark received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame in 2002. He died on 24 March 2008 in Roxbury, Connecticut.

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

## On Fi1m (4)

- *How the West Was Won* (1962), Fi1m 62, as Mike King — [page](https://film.one/film/how-the-west-was-won.md)
- *Judgment at Nuremberg* (1961), Fi1m 82, as Tad Lawson — [page](https://film.one/film/judgment-at-nuremberg.md)
- *The Alamo* (1960), Fi1m 50, as Jim Bowie — [page](https://film.one/film/the-alamo.md)
- *Pickup on South Street* (1953), Fi1m 84, as Skip McCoy — [page](https://film.one/film/pickup-on-south-street.md)

## Complete filmography (83)

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

- *The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller* (2002), as Skip McCoy (archive footage)
- *Linda Darnell: Hollywood's Fallen Angel* (1999), Actor
- *Lincoln* (1992), as Ward Hill Lamon (voice)
- *John Wayne's 'The Alamo'* (1992), as Jim Bowie
- *True Colors* (1991), as Sen. James Stiles
- *Cold Sassy Tree* (1989), as Enoch Rucker Blakeslee
- *Once Upon a Texas Train* (1988), as Capt. Owen Hayes
- *A Gathering of Old Men* (1987), as Sheriff Mapes
- *Blackout* (1985), as Joe Steiner
- *Against All Odds* (1984), as Ben Caxton
- *Who Dares Wins* (1982), as Secretary of State Arthur Currie
- *Hanky Panky* (1982), as Ransom
- *National Lampoon's Movie Madness* (1982), as Stan Nagurski ("Municipalians")
- *A Whale for the Killing* (1981), as Tom Goodenough
- *All God's Children* (1980), as Judge Parke Denison
- *Bear Island* (1979), as Otto Gerran
- *Mr. Horn* (1979), series, as Al Sieber
- *The Swarm* (1978), as General Slater
- *Coma* (1978), as Dr. Harris
- *Rollercoaster* (1977), as Agent Hoyt
- *The Domino Principle* (1977), as Tagge
- *Twilight's Last Gleaming* (1977), as Gen. Martin MacKenzie - Commanding General SA
- *The Sell Out* (1976), as Sam Lucas
- *To the Devil a Daughter* (1976), as John Verney
- *The Last Day* (1975), as Will Spence
- *Murder on the Orient Express* (1974), as Mr. Ratchett
- *The Lives of Benjamin Franklin* (1974), series, as Rebel Benjamin Franklin
- *Brock's Last Case* (1973), as Lieutenant Max Brock
- *When the Legends Die* (1972), as Red Dillon
- *Madigan* (1972), series, as Dan Madigan
- *Directed by John Ford* (1971), as (archive footage)
- *Vanished* (1971), series, as President Paul Roudebush
- *The Moonshine War* (1970), as Dr. Emmett Taulbee
- *Death of a Gunfighter* (1969), as Marshal Frank Patch
- *A Talent for Loving* (1969), as Major William Patten
- *Madigan* (1968), as Det. Daniel Madigan
- *The Way West* (1967), as Lije Evans
- *Alvarez Kelly* (1966), as Col. Tom Rossiter
- *The Bedford Incident* (1965), as Captain Eric Finlander, U.S.N. · Producer
- *Cheyenne Autumn* (1964), as Capt. Thomas Archer
- *The Long Ships* (1964), as Rolfe
- *Flight from Ashiya* (1964), as L:t. Col. Glenn Stevenson
- *How the West Was Won* (1962), as Mike King — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/how-the-west-was-won.md)
- *Exercise No. One* (1962), Actor
- *Judgment at Nuremberg* (1961), as Tad Lawson — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/judgment-at-nuremberg.md)
- *Two Rode Together* (1961), as First Lt. Jim Gary
- *The Secret Ways* (1961), as Michael Reynolds · Producer
- *The Alamo* (1960), as Jim Bowie — Fi1m 50, [page](https://film.one/film/the-alamo.md)
- *Warlock* (1959), as Johnny Gannon
- *The Trap* (1959), as Ralph Anderson
- *The Tunnel of Love* (1958), as August 'Augie' Poole
- *The Law and Jake Wade* (1958), as Clint Hollister
- *Time Limit* (1957), as Col. William Edwards · Producer
- *Saint Joan* (1957), as The Dauphin, Charles VII
- *The Last Wagon* (1956), as Comanche Todd
- *Run for the Sun* (1956), as Michael 'Mike' Latimer
- *Backlash* (1956), as Jim Slater
- *Boy with a Knife* (1956), as Narrator
- *A Prize of Gold* (1955), as Sgt. Joe Lawrence
- *The Cobweb* (1955), as Dr. Stewart 'Mac' McIver
- *Broken Lance* (1954), as Ben Devereaux
- *Garden of Evil* (1954), as Fiske
- *Hell and High Water* (1954), as Capt. Adam Jones
- *Take the High Ground!* (1953), as Sgt. Thorne Ryan
- *Pickup on South Street* (1953), as Skip McCoy — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/pickup-on-south-street.md)
- *Destination Gobi* (1953), as Sam McHale
- *My Pal Gus* (1952), as Dave Jennings
- *O. Henry's Full House* (1952), as Johnny Kernan (segment "The Clarion Call")
- *Don't Bother to Knock* (1952), as Jed Towers
- *Red Skies of Montana* (1952), as Cliff Mason
- *I Love Lucy* (1951), series, as Richard Widmark
- *The Frogmen* (1951), as Lt. Cmdr. John Lawrence
- *Halls of Montezuma* (1951), as Lt. Carl Anderson
- *No Way Out* (1950), as Ray Biddle
- *Panic in the Streets* (1950), as Lt. Cmdr. Clinton 'Clint' Reed M.D.
- *Night and the City* (1950), as Harry Fabian
- *Slattery's Hurricane* (1949), as Lt. Willard Francis Slattery
- *Down to the Sea in Ships* (1949), as Dan Lunceford
- *Yellow Sky* (1948), as Dude
- *Road House* (1948), as Jefferson T. 'Jefty' Robbins
- *The Street with No Name* (1948), as Alec Stiles
- *Kiss of Death* (1947), as Tommy Udo
- *The West of the Imagination*, series, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Richard Widmark](https://film.one/media/person/104815/gallery-a4f0de99638c.jpg) Richard Widmark — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Richard_Widmark_%28SAYRE_11767%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Earle Theater advertisement for the Anerican romantic comedy film The Tunnel of Love (1958) - 2 Dec. 1958 Morning Call, Allentown PA](https://film.one/media/person/104815/gallery-5388cb580f9f.jpg) Earle Theater advertisement for the Anerican romantic comedy film The Tunnel of Love (1958) - 2 Dec. 1958 Morning Call, Allentown PA — Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/1958_-_Earle_Theater_Ad_-_2_Dec_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Apollo Cinerama, Zürich: Première von "Porgy and Bess": von links.: Lys Assia, Moses LaMarr, Eunice Gayson, Anton Eric Scotoni, Sophia Loren, Van Johnson, Alice (1960)](https://film.one/media/person/104815/gallery-0eb7badb2355.jpg) Apollo Cinerama, Zürich: Première von "Porgy and Bess": von links.: Lys Assia, Moses LaMarr, Eunice Gayson, Anton Eric Scotoni, Sophia Loren, Van Johnson, Alice (1960) — Bildcode:
Com_L09-0086-0002-0014
Fotograf:
Gerber, Hans
Titel:
Première von "Porgy and Bess" im Kino Apollo
Beschreibung:
V.l.: Lys Assia, Moses LaMarr, Eunice Gayson, Anton Eric Scotoni, Sophia Loren, Van Johnson, Alice Scott, Richard Widmark, Trevor Howard
Datierung:
27.4.1960
Bildnachweis:

ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv / Fotograf: Gerber, Hans / Com_L09-0086-0002-0014 / CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Apollo_Cinerama_Com_L09-0086-0002-0014.jpg/1280px-Apollo_Cinerama_Com_L09-0086-0002-0014.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![American actor Richard Widmark dancing with his wife, the American scriptwriter Jean Hazlewood. 1950s](https://film.one/media/person/104815/gallery-583ac29a04fb.jpg) American actor Richard Widmark dancing with his wife, the American scriptwriter Jean Hazlewood. 1950s — Unknown (Mondadori Publishers), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Jean_Hazlewood_and_Richard_Widmark_1950s.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Richard Widmark](https://film.one/media/person/104815/gallery-b215705865ee.jpg) Richard Widmark — Image via TMDB
- ![Richard Widmark](https://film.one/media/person/104815/gallery-570f5c80fadb.jpg) Richard Widmark — Image via TMDB
- ![Richard Widmark](https://film.one/media/person/104815/gallery-9db3c63b099e.jpg) Richard Widmark — Image via TMDB
- ![L. to R. : Paul Douglas, Richard Widmark & Alexis Minotis in Panic in the Streets - trailer (cropped screenshot) (1950)](https://film.one/media/person/104815/gallery-be9019b8b6db.jpg) L. to R. : Paul Douglas, Richard Widmark & Alexis Minotis in Panic in the Streets - trailer (cropped screenshot) (1950) — Film trailer screenshot (20th Century Fox), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Paul_Douglas-Alexis_Minotis_%28Panic_in_the_Streets_trailer%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Theatrical release poster for the 1953 film Pickup on South Street.](https://film.one/media/person/104815/gallery-482a54bc6537.jpg) Theatrical release poster for the 1953 film Pickup on South Street. — Illustrator unknown. "Copyright 1953 by Twentieth Century–Fox Film Corp.", Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Pickup_on_South_Street_%281953_poster%29.jpg/1280px-Pickup_on_South_Street_%281953_poster%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1948: Best Supporting Actor (nominated), for *Kiss of Death*

### Golden Globes — 1 won

- 1948: New Star of the Year – Actor (won), for *Kiss of Death*

*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/richard-widmark