1. Woodworking Led Him To Act
When he returned from World War II, he worked multiple jobs. One of them was as a carpenter. When he was making arrangements for an acting company, they asked him to help paint some sets. He continued to work with the artists for a long time behind the scenes until he was slowly encouraged to go on stage.
2. He Fostered His Own Myth
When journalists interviewed him, Bronson told them about his days in jail, in all the bare-knuckle fights he was in, or his hobby of throwing knives. However, he was a very private person who never participated in such things, just fed the legend of him. In fact, he only had one amazing hobby: painting.
3. He First Conquered Europe
Although his career began in 1951, many of the titles he worked on in his early days were in supporting roles alongside stars like Steve McQueen or Lee Marvin. But in Europe, he was quite a sensation, mainly in Italy and France where he was known as "El Feo". With Once Upon a Time in the West and the French The Passenger in the Rain, he conquered that market before succeeding in 1974 in the United States when the Anonymous Avenger franchise arrived.
4. Helped Launch Clint Eastwood's Career
Director Sergio Leone was a big fan of Charles Bronson and wanted him to play the Man with No Name in A Fistful of Dollars. Bronson read the script and thought it was terrifying, so he declined the offer. So Leone cast the role to a young Clint Eastwood, and the rest is history. In any case, both later worked on Once Upon a Time in the West.
5. He Changed His Name So He Wouldn't Look Communist
Born as Charles Buchinsky, his first roles were made under that name. For example, he played Igor, Vincent Price's hunchbacked assistant in The Wax Museum. But when Senator Joe McCarthy began his persecution of the communists in the 1950s, Buchinsky thought it would be better to have a last name that sounded less Eastern European and pegged as a potential enemy. So he decided to become Bronson.
6. He Fought In World War II
Charles Bronson fought Nazis in real life before he did in the movies. He was a gunner in an air fleet during World War II. He even received the prestigious Purple Heart awarded by the government for his services.
7. Women couldn't say no
Despite his exotic features, he was a great conqueror. When he was working on The Great Escape with actor David McCallum, Bronson met Jill Ireland, McCallum's wife. "I'm going to marry your wife," he told his castmate. So it was. Ireland soon divorced McCallum and was Bronson's wife of 22 years.
