Edward G. Robinson

Biography

Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893 – January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-born American actor and political activist. Although he played a wide range of characters, he is best remembered for his roles as a gangster, most notably in his star-making film Little Caesar (1931). Robinson's career saw a decline during the 1950s Red Scare when he was threatened with blacklisting. Experiencing underemployment, he turned towards minor roles in B movies until he eventually returned to the mainstream by playing one of Moses' adversaries Dathan in Cecil B. DeMille's religious epic The Ten Commandments (1956). He was ranked number 24 in the American Film Institute's list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classic American cinema. Never having been nominated for an Academy Award during his 60-year career, he became a posthumous recipient of an Honorary Oscar in 1973, two months after his death. Robinson was Jewish and a staunch critic of fascist and Nazi ideologies that were on the rise in the 1930s. He donating more than $250,000 to 850 political and charitable organizations between 1939 and 1949, hosted a gathering at his home to sign a declaration calling for a boycott of all German-made products, frequently appeared at Soviet and American war relief rallies, delivered radio addresses in over six languages to Nazi-occupied European countries, and traveled to Normandy to entertain the troops, becoming the first movie star to go there for the USO. Robin was also an outspoken supporter of the civil rights movement, and regularly campaigned to overcome segregation.

Known For

The Lucy Show

Golden Globe Awards

Batman

Climax!

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

Night Gallery

The Ed Sullivan Show

What's My Line?

All Movies (133)

• Away with Words2026 · as Edward G. Robinson
• Rat Pack2022 · as Self (archive footage)
• Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored2013 · as Self (archive footage)
• 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year2009 · as Self (archive footage)
• Warner at War2008 · as (archive footage)
• Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film2008 · as Self (archive footage)
• You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story2008 · as Self (archive footage)
• Little Caesar: End of Rico, Beginning of the Antihero2005 · as Self (archive footage)
• Checking Out: Grand Hotel2004 · as Self (archive footage)
• Pulp Cinema2001 · as Self (archive footage)
• Frank Capra's American Dream1997 · as Self (archive footage)
• Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line1997 · as Self (archive footage)
• Bogart: The Untold Story1997 · as Self (archive footage)
• Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire1991 · as Self (archive footage)
• Movie Tough Guys1991 · as Self (archive footage)
• Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage1983 · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?1975 · as Self (archive footage)
• Soylent Green1973 · as Sol Roth
• A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green'1973 · as Self
• Neither by Day Nor by Night1972 · as Father
• Hollywood: The Dream Factory1972 · as Self (archive footage)
• Mooch Goes to Hollywood1971
• Song of Norway1970 · as Krogstad
• The Old Man Who Cried Wolf1970 · as Emile Pulska
• Operation Heartbeat1969 · as Dr. Lee Forestman
• Mackenna's Gold1969 · as Old Adams
• It's Your Move1968 · as Sir George McDowell
• Never a Dull Moment1968 · as Leo Joseph Smooth
• The Biggest Bundle of Them All1968 · as Professor Samuels
• Operation San Pietro1967 · as Joe Ventura
• Grand Slam1967 · as Prof. James Anders
• The Blonde from Peking1967 · as CIA Chief Douglas
• Planet of the Apes Test Reel1966 · as Dr. Zaius
• The Cincinnati Kid1965 · as Lancey Howard
• Born a Man1965 · as Narrator
• Cheyenne Autumn1964 · as Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz
• The Outrage1964 · as Con Man
• Good Neighbor Sam1964 · as Simon Nurdlinger
• Robin and the 7 Hoods1964 · as Big Jim Stevens (uncredited)
• The Prize1963 · as Max Stratman/Walter Stratman
• Sammy Going South1963 · as Cocky Wainwright
• Two Weeks in Another Town1962 · as Maurice Kruger
• My Geisha1962 · as Sam Lewis
• Pepe1960 · as Edward G. Robinson
• Seven Thieves1960 · as Theo Wilkins
• The Right Man1960 · as Theodore Roosevelt
• Israel1959 · as Self - Narrator
• A Hole in the Head1959 · as Mario Manetta
• The Ten Commandments1956 · as Dathan
• Nightmare1956 · as Rene Bressard
• Hell on Frisco Bay1955 · as Victor Amato
• Illegal1955 · as Victor Scott
• A Bullet for Joey1955 · as Raoul Leduc
• Tight Spot1955 · as Lloyd Hallett
• The Violent Men1955 · as Lee Wilkison
• Black Tuesday1954 · as Vincent Canelli
• A Star Is Born World Premiere1954 · as Self
• The Glass Web1953 · as Henry Hayes
• Big Leaguer1953 · as John B 'Hans' Lobert
• Vice Squad1953 · as Capt. 'Barnie' Barnaby
• Actors and Sin1952 · as Maurice Tillayou (segment Actor's Blood)
• My Daughter Joy1950 · as George Constantin
• It's a Great Feeling1949 · as Edward G. Robinson (uncredited)
• House of Strangers1949 · as Gino Monetti
• Night Has a Thousand Eyes1948 · as John Triton
• Key Largo1948 · as Johnny Rocco
• All My Sons1948 · as Joe Keller
• Blow-Ups of 19471947 · as Self
• The Red House1947 · as Pete Morgan
• Okay for Sound1946
• The Stranger1946 · as Federal Agent Wilson
• Scarlet Street1945 · as Christopher Cross
• Journey Together1945 · as Dean McWilliams
• Our Vines Have Tender Grapes1945 · as Martinius Jacobson
• The Woman in the Window1944 · as Professor Richard Wanley
• Mr. Winkle Goes to War1944 · as Wilbert Winkle
• Double Indemnity1944 · as Barton Keyes
• Tampico1944 · as Capt. Bart Manson
• Flesh and Fantasy1943 · as Marshall Tyler (segment 2)
• Destroyer1943 · as Steven 'Boley' Boleslavski
• Breakdowns of 19421942 · as Self
• Tales of Manhattan1942 · as Larry Browne
• Larceny, Inc.1942 · as 'Pressure' Maxwell
• Moscow Strikes Back1942 · as Narrator (English version) (voice)
• Breakdowns of 19411941 · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Unholy Partners1941 · as Bruce Corey
• Polo with the Stars1941 · as Self - Watching Polo Match
• Manpower1941 · as Hank McHenry
• The Sea Wolf1941 · as 'Wolf' Larsen
• A Dispatch from Reuters1940 · as Paul Julius Reuter
• Brother Orchid1940 · as Little John T. 'Johnny' Sarto
• Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet1940 · as Dr. Paul Ehrlich
• Breakdowns of 19391939 · as Self
• Blackmail1939 · as John R. Ingram
• From the Ends of the Earth1939 · as Self
• Confessions of a Nazi Spy1939 · as Edward 'Ed' Renard
• I Am the Law1938 · as John Lindsay
• The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse1938 · as Dr. T.S. Clitterhouse
• A Slight Case of Murder1938 · as Remy Marko
• The Last Gangster1937 · as Joe Krozac
• Kid Galahad1937 · as Nick 'Nicky' Donati
• A Day at Santa Anita1937 · as Edward G. Robinson (uncredited)
• Thunder in the City1937 · as Dan Armstrong
• The First Gangster and the Last Gangster1937 · as Himself
• Breakdowns of 19361936 · as Self
• Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)1936 · as Self
• Bullets or Ballots1936 · as Johnny Blake
• Barbary Coast1935 · as Luis Chamalis
• The Whole Town's Talking1935 · as Arthur Ferguson 'Jonesy' Jones / 'Killer' Mannion
• The Man with Two Faces1934 · as Damon Welles / Jules Chautard
• Dark Hazard1934 · as Jim 'Buck' Turner
• I Loved a Woman1933 · as John Mansfield Hayden
• The Little Giant1933 · as James Francis 'Bugs' / 'Jim' Ahearn
• Silver Dollar1932 · as Yates Martin
• Tiger Shark1932 · as Mike Mascarenhas
• Two Seconds1932 · as John Allen
• The Hatchet Man1932 · as Wong Low Get
• Five Star Final1931 · as Joseph W. Randall
• How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 10: 'Trouble Shots'1931 · as Self - Golfer (uncredited)
• Smart Money1931 · as Nick 'The Barber' Venizelos
• Round About Hollywood1931 · as Self
• The Stolen Jools1931 · as Gangster
• Little Caesar1931 · as Caesar Enrico 'Rico' Bandello aka 'Little Caesar'
• The Widow from Chicago1930 · as Dominic
• East Is West1930 · as Charlie Yong
• Outside the Law1930 · as Cobra Collins
• An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Bros. Silver Jubilee1930 · as Self
• Every Woman's Longing1930 · as Tony
• A Lady to Love1930 · as Tony
• The Night Ride1930 · as Tony Garotta
• The Hole in the Wall1929 · as The Fox
• The Bright Shawl1923 · as Domingo Escobar
• Arms and the Woman1916 · as Factory Worker

All TV Shows (22)

• Night Gallery1970 · as Abraham Goldman
• The Silent Force1970
• Bracken's World1969
• Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In1968 · as Self
• Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In1968 · as Self (uncredited)
• Batman1966 · as Edward G. Robinson (uncredited)
• The Hollywood Palace1964 · as Self
• The Lucy Show1962 · as Edward G. Robinson
• The Detectives1959 · as 'Big Jim' Riva
• NBC Sunday Showcase1959 · as Daniel Webster
• Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre1956 · as Victor Bers
• The Steve Allen Show1956 · as Self
• Climax!1954 · as Josef Vadassy
• The Oscars1953 · as Self
• General Electric Theater1953 · as Bert Alquist
• The Ford Television Theatre1952 · as John Derwent
• The Ford Television Theatre1952 · as Baron
• This Is Your Life1952 · as Self
• Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Sir Wilfrid Robarts
• What's My Line?1950 · as Self
• The Ed Sullivan Show1948 · as Self
• Golden Globe Awards1944 · as Self - Presenter