ROXBURY, Conn., March 26 (UPI) -- Richard Widmark, who became a star in his 1947 debut as a memorable movie villain, has died at 93 at his home in Roxbury, Conn., his family said.
Widmark -- who was nominated for a supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of the sadistic tough guy Tommy Udo in "Kiss of Death" -- died Monday, The New York Times reported. Widmark's wife, Susan Blanchard, announced his death Wednesday morning.
She said his condition had worsened since he suffered a fractured a vertebra in recent months.
Widmark had been a professional radio actor before his 1947 film debut in "Kiss of Death." He went on to play similarly deranged characters, as well as a variety of good-guys -- but even those characters often were flawed.
In real life, the Times said, Widmark was a "mild-mannered" man who was married to his college sweetheart for 55 years until her death in 1977.
His movie credits included "Panic in the Streets" (1950), "The Alamo" (1960) and "Judgment at Nuremberg" (1961). He starred in the 1968 detective movie "Madigan" and then recreated the role for a TV series of the same name in 1972.
Widmark was born Dec. 26, 1914, in Sunrise, Minn. He played football and acted in school plays at Lake Forest College in Illinois -- where he taught in the drama department before going to New York in 1938.
