VETERAN ACTOR RICHARD WIDMARK DEAD AT 93

Richard Widmark, whose character in Kiss of Death, Tommy Udo, famously pushed an old lady in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs while giggling all the while, has died after a lengthy illness at age 93. In its obituary, the Associated Press quoted Widmark as saying about the scene in a 1961 interview, "I played the part the way I did because the script struck me as funny and the part I played made me laugh. The guy was such a ridiculous beast." The role won him his only Oscar -- for best supporting actor. Years later he told the AP that although he had made a career out playing killers, cops and gunslingers, he was nevertheless "an ardent supporter of gun control. It seems incredible to me that we are the only civilized nation that does not put some effective control on guns."



27/03/2008