He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania , a coal mining town in the Allegheny Mountains. Bronson's father, a miner, died when Bronson was young. After his service, he joined a theatrical troupe and studied acting.
During the s, he played various supporting roles in motion pictures and television, including anthology drama TV series in which he would appear as the main character. Near the end of the decade, he had his first cinematic leading role in Machine-Gun Kelly Bronson also performed in many major television shows, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his supporting role in an episode of General Electric Theater.
Actor Alain Delon who was a fan of Bronson hired him to co-star with him in the French film Adieu l'ami During this time Bronson was the most popular American actor in Europe.
After this period, he returned to the United States to make more films, working with director Michael Winner. In , Bronson starred in the controversial film Death Wish also directed by Winner , about an architect turned vigilante, a role that typified most of the characters he played for the rest of his career. Most critics initially panned the film as exploitative, but the movie was a major box-office success and spawned four sequels. Until his retirement in the late s, Bronson almost exclusively played lead roles in action-oriented films, such as Mr.
Majestyk , Hard Times , St. During this time he often collaborated with director J. Lee Thompson. He also made a number of non-action television films in which he acted against type. His last significant role in cinema was a supporting one in a dramatic film, The Indian Runner ; his performance in it was praised by reviewers.
