Born in
Mexico in 1915 to Irish-Mexican parents, Quinn was raised in Los Angeles
and went on to marry Cecil B. DeMille's adopted daughter. That
didn't advance his career any, so he decided to get serious about his work
by taking on Broadway in the early 1950s. From character parts to
lead roles, he was soon in demand both in America and Europe.
For most people, he will
always be remembered as being Zorba the Greek. His macho image saw
him through several marriages and a life that would have offered up enough
material for several interesting movies. He was an Academy Award®
winner who wasn't afraid to take chances with his extremely diverse acting
career.
In the Western genre, Quinn
portrayed Chief Crazy Horse in They Died with Their Boots On, Chief
Oscelola in Seminole and Emiliano Zapata in Viva Zapata.
Some of this other worthy Western roles were Union Pacific, The
Oxbow Incident, Warlock and The Last Train from Gun Hill. |