Marc Lawrence American character actor Date of Birth: 17.02.1910 Country: USA

Biography of Mark Lawrence

Mark Lawrence, an iconic American actor, was known for his portrayal of society's villains. He often appeared in films under the pseudonyms F. A. Foss and Mark S. Lawrence. Born as Max Goldsmith on February 17, 1910, in New York City, USA, Lawrence was the son of Minerva Norma Goldsmith (nee Sugarman), a Polish-Jewish mother, and Simon Goldsmith, a Russian-Jewish father. During his education, Lawrence participated in several school plays at the City College of New York.

In 1930, Lawrence met another young actor, John Garfield, with whom he later performed in a series of plays before signing a contract with Columbia Pictures. Lawrence entered the film industry in 1931, earlier than his friend, and for the next six years, he played the role of villains, thanks to his distinctive appearance - a freckled face and a contemplative look. He excelled at portraying gangsters and mafia bosses, feeling confident in this persona.

Later, Lawrence came under scrutiny for his political beliefs. After being summoned by the House Un-American Activities Committee, he admitted to having been a member of the Communist Party and was blacklisted. He went to Europe but did not cease his acting career. Following the end of the blacklist era, Lawrence returned to the United States and continued to play his signature gangster characters.

In the two James Bond films, "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971) with Sean Connery and "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974) with Roger Moore, Lawrence portrayed familiar criminal characters. In John Schlesinger's thriller "Marathon Man" (1976) with Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier, he played a member of a criminal gang named Erhard. In 1979, Lawrence appeared in the comedy film "Hot Stuff" directed by Dom DeLuise, where he once again remained true to his typecasting and portrayed a stereotypical boss of a Miami gang.

One of Lawrence's last roles was Mr. Zimo in the science fiction television series "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" in the episode titled "Badda-Bing Badda-Bang." He also appeared in the series "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Throughout his career as a "cinematic gangster," Lawrence appeared in films such as "If I Had a Million," "The Jimpson Key," "Let's Dance," "Don't Gamble with Love," "Desire," "Under Two Flags," "Life Begins with Love," "Convicted," "Sergeant Madden," "Red, Hot and Blue," "Two Mafiosi Against Al Capone," "Meet Danny Wilson," and "The Big Heat."

In 1991, Lawrence released his autobiographical book "Long Time No See: Confessions of a Hollywood Gangster." Additionally, his persona was used in the novella "The Beautiful and the Profane" published in 2002. Lawrence's last appearance on the big screen was in the comedy film "Looney Tunes: Back in Action" (2003) with Brendan Fraser, where he portrayed the vice president of the Acme Corporation.

Mark Lawrence passed away from heart failure at the age of 95 on November 27, 2007. He was buried in the Westwood Memorial Park in California. His daughter, Tony Lawrence, was once married to actor Billy Bob Thornton.