Born Ermes Effron Borgnine, on January 24, 1917, in Hamden, Connecticut. His parents, Charles and Anna, immigrated to America from Italy at the turn of the century. The family settled in Connecticut, where Borgnine attended public school in New Haven. Upon graduating from high school, in 1935, he joined the Navy as an apprentice seaman.
After ten years in service, Borgnine returned to Connecticut and continued his education by enrolling at the Randall School of Dramatic Art in Hartford. Beginning in 1946, he spent four years honing his craft at the Barter Theatre in Abington, Virginia. While there, Borgnine encountered his first professional acting experience, initially appearing in bit parts, and eventually graduating to starring roles.
The young character actor soon landed a part on Broadway in the comedy Harvey, which led to appearances on New York television shows like Philco Television Playhouse and Captain Video and His Video Rangers. In 1951, he headed west to Hollywood, where he made his feature debut in the documentary The Whistle at Eaton Falls.
Two years later, Borgnine landed the role of a lifetime in From Here to Eternity, opposite A-list actors Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, and Burt Lancaster. His brutish portrayal of Fatso Judson earned him critical acclaim and established him as a bankable actor.With the success of the film, Hecht-Lancaster Productions signed Borgnine to a seven-year contract.
Borgnine soon found himself typecast as a brooding villain in such roles as Strabo in 1954’s Roman epic Demetrius and the Gladiators, opposite Susan Hayward and Victor Mature.Later that year, he was placed in similarly unattractive parts, including Johnny Guitar with Joan Crawford, and the Western Vera Cruz with Gary Cooper.
In 1955, Borgnine was relieved to land an out-of-character role as a sympathetic butcher looking for love in Paddy Chayefsky's heartwarming story, Marty. His sensitive performance transformed him from a stereotyped character actor to a Hollywood leading man, earning him an Academy Award as Best Actor, as well as top honors from the New York Film Critics Circle, the Cannes Film Festival, and the British Film Academy.
Over the next year, Borgnine was disappointed when Hecht-Lancaster cast him in a number of lightweight movie roles, including The Best Things in Life Are Free with Dan Dailey, Sheree North, and Gordon MacRae. He felt that his contract limited his career and, in 1957, he sued the production company. Borgnine was forced to pay nearly half a million dollars, but he was free to pursue the roles that he wanted.
In 1962, Borgnine was offered the lead in a new television comedy, McHale’s Navy, about a gregarious boat captain and his crew of bumbling Navy misfits. The show quickly moved to the top of the ratings, and Borgnine had found his niche in television. In 1964, the success of the TV show spawned a full-length feature adaptation, which featured Borgnine in the title role. After McHale’s Navy ended its run in 1966, Borgnine quickly transitioned back to the big screen, taking on a powerful role as General Worden in 1967’s The Dirty Dozen.
In the 1970s Borgnine found success on the small screen with his appearance in a number of highly acclaimed television movies, including The Trackers (1971), Legend in Granite: The Vince Lombardi Story (1973), and The Ghost Flight of 401 (1978). After working steadily through the decade, he landed a starring role as a helicopter pilot in the 1984 hit series Airwolf, opposite Jan-Michael Vincent. He also reprised his Dirty Dozen character in three television movies, including The Next Mission (1985), The Deadly Mission (1987), and The Fatal Mission (1988).
In 1995, Borgnine was introduced to a whole new generation as “Manny the doorman” on the NBC sitcom The Single Guy. Most recently he has appeared in the features Gattaca (1997) and BASEketball (1998); and has lent his voice to such animated films as All Dogs Go To Heaven 2 (1996) and Small Soldiers (1998).
In addition to his prolific film and TV career, Borgnine has recently spent a portion of each year exploring America in his luxury motor coach. He has chronicled his findings in the documentary Ernest Borgnine on the Bus.
Borgnine lives in Beverly Hills with his fifth wife, Tova, whom he married in 1972. He was previously married to Rhoda Kemins (1949-58), actress Katy Jurado (1959-1963), Ethel Merman (1964), and Donna Rancourt (1965-1972). He has one daughter with Kemins and two children with Rancourt.