Oscar winning actor Ernest Borgnine dies at 95

TV and film actor Ernest Borgnine, who contributed over 60 years of his life to the entertainment industry, has died.

00:00 09 July 2012

TV and film actor Ernest Borgnine, who contributed over 60 years of his life to the entertainment industry, has died.

 

His spokesman Harry Flynn told the Associated Press the sad news earlier today. Flynn reported that the actor died of renal failure in a hospital in Los Angeles. His family was by his side in his final moments. He was 95.

 

According to his family, he was in “excellent health until a recent illness.”

 

Even at his old age, the actor continued acting until 2009, when he appeared in the hospital drama series, ER. Prior to this, he had played numerous roles in various films including The Wild Bunch and The Poseidon Adventure. His TV appearances included McHale’s Navy, which was a hit in the US, and Airwolf, the 1980s series in which he starred as Dominic Santini – the role he is best remembered for.

 

His best role yet, however, was in the film Marty, which won him an Oscar back in 1955.

 

His manager commented, “The industry has lost someone great, the caliber of which we will never see again. A true icon. But more importantly, the world has lost a sage and loving man who taught us all how to grow young.”

 

Several fellow stars have commented on the esteemed actor’s death via Twitter. These include fellow Oscar winner MarleeMatlin, Kirstie Alley, Joe Mantegna, Mark Gatiss, Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, William Shatner, James Corden, and so many others.

 

The son of immigrants from Italian, Ernest was born ErmesEffronBorgnino in Connecticut. The family eventually charged the name to Borgnine. He served in the US Navy in 1935, and officially started acting after the end of World War II.