Burton Stephen Lancaster: A Biography
Burt Lancaster was born on the November 2nd 1913 in New York, New York.
He was a tough street kid who took an early interest in gymnastics. He joined
the circus as an acrobat and worked there until he was injured. It was in the
Army during WW2 that he was introduced to the USO and acting.
It was amidst the swirl of film history that Stephen was born: Charlie
Chaplin was starting his career at Keystone; Cecil B. DeMille was sending a
telegram to Jesse Lasky and Sam Goldwyn asking "authority to rent barn in a place
called Hollywood for seventy-five dollars a month"; D.W. Griffith was leaving
Biograph to direct for Mutual.
But Burt Lancaster did not enter the acting -world until he was in his
thirties. His late start in the industry in no way hindered him. Early in his
career he was a vaudville performer and acrobat, but in his Hollywood resume'
he can boast titles such as actor, producer, and director, and writer. He earned an
Oscar® for his role opposite Shirley Jones in Elmer Gantry.
Burton Stephen Lancaster passed away on October 20th, 1994, in Century City,
California; he rests at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Memorial
Park, in Los Angeles. He will be missed.
The Actor
The Producer
The Director
The Writer
Awards
A Biography
Burt's Resting Place
Main Link page
Title Page