Jason Robards

Jason Robards (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American stage, film and television actor. He is known on stage for his interpretations of Eugene O'Neill plays, and in cinema for the best supporting actor Oscars he won two consecutive years. He is one of the few actors to receive all three Oscar, Tony and Emmy awards.

He was born in Chicago, the son of actor Jason Robards Sr. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1940 and served as a radio operator in the Pacific throughout World War II. He was among the survivors when the cruiser USS Northampton he was on was sunk at the Battle of Tassafaronga in late 1942. After leaving the navy in 1946, he studied acting.

Stage and cinema

He made his breakthrough in 1956: the same year, he gained attention both for his role as Hickey in The Iceman Cometh and as Jamie Tyrone in the Broadway premiere of Long Day's Journey into Night. These two productions established him as one of O'Neill's principal interpreters. He won a Tony Award for his performance in 1959's The Disenchanted.

In cinema, A Thousand Clowns (1965), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and Tora! Torah! Torah! He played in productions such as (1970). He won two consecutive Oscars, at the 1977 and 1978 ceremonies, for his portrayals of Washington Post editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee in All the President's Men and the following year as writer Dashiell Hammett in Julia.

He was nominated once again for his role as Howard Hughes in Melvin and Howard (1980). On television, he won an Emmy for 1988's Inherit the Wind; His recent films include Philadelphia (1993) and Magnolia (1999).

He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1997 and the Kennedy Center honorary award in 1999. He died of lung cancer on December 26, 2000, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, at the age of 78.