Edward G. Robinson
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- December 12, 1893
- Died
- January 26, 1973
- Birthplace
- Bucarest, Roumanie
Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893 – January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-born American actor and political activist. Although he played a wide range of characters, he is best remembered for his roles as a gangster, most notably in his star-making film Little Caesar (1931). Robinson's career saw a decline during the 1950s Red Scare when he was threatened with blacklisting. Experiencing underemployment, he turned towards minor roles in B movies until he eventually returned to the mainstream by playing one of Moses' adversaries Dathan in Cecil B. DeMille's religious epic The Ten Commandments (1956). He was ranked number 24 in the American Film Institute's list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classic American cinema. Never having been nominated for an Academy Award during his 60-year career, he became a posthumous recipient of an Honorary Oscar in 1973, two months after his death. Robinson was Jewish and a staunch critic of fascist and Nazi ideologies that were on the rise in the 1930s. He donating more than $250,000 to 850 political and charitable organizations between 1939 and 1949, hosted a gathering at his home to sign a declaration calling for a boycott of all German-made products, frequently appeared at Soviet and American war relief rallies, delivered radio addresses in over six languages to Nazi-occupied European countries, and traveled to Normandy to entertain the troops, becoming the first movie star to go there for the USO. Robin was also an outspoken supporter of the civil rights movement, and regularly campaigned to overcome segregation.
Filmography
Away with Words 2026
as Edward G. Robinson
Rat Pack 2022
as Self (archive footage)
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored 2013
as Self (archive footage)
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year 2009
as Self (archive footage)
Warner at War 2008
as (archive footage)
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film 2008
as Self (archive footage)
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story 2008
as Self (archive footage)
Little Caesar: End of Rico, Beginning of the Antihero 2005
as Self (archive footage)
- Checking Out: Grand Hotel
Checking Out: Grand Hotel 2004
as Self (archive footage)
- Pulp Cinema
Pulp Cinema 2001
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Capra's American Dream 1997
as Self (archive footage)
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line 1997
as Self (archive footage)
Bogart: The Untold Story 1997
as Self (archive footage)
Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire 1991
as Self (archive footage)
Movie Tough Guys 1991
as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage 1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? 1975
as Self (archive footage)
Soylent Green 1973
as Sol Roth
A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green' 1973
as Self
Neither by Day Nor by Night 1972
as Father
Hollywood: The Dream Factory 1972
as Self (archive footage)
Mooch Goes to Hollywood 1971
Actor
Song of Norway 1970
as Krogstad
The Old Man Who Cried Wolf 1970
as Emile Pulska
Operation Heartbeat 1969
as Dr. Lee Forestman
Mackenna's Gold 1969
as Old Adams
It's Your Move 1968
as Sir George McDowell
Never a Dull Moment 1968
as Leo Joseph Smooth
The Biggest Bundle of Them All 1968
as Professor Samuels
Operation San Pietro 1967
as Joe Ventura
Grand Slam 1967
as Prof. James Anders
The Blonde from Peking 1967
as CIA Chief Douglas
Planet of the Apes Test Reel 1966
as Dr. Zaius
The Cincinnati Kid 1965
as Lancey Howard
Born a Man 1965
as Narrator
Cheyenne Autumn 1964
as Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz
The Outrage 1964
as Con Man
Good Neighbor Sam 1964
as Simon Nurdlinger
Robin and the 7 Hoods 1964
as Big Jim Stevens (uncredited)
The Prize 1963
as Max Stratman/Walter Stratman
Sammy Going South 1963
as Cocky Wainwright
Two Weeks in Another Town 1962
as Maurice Kruger
My Geisha 1962
as Sam Lewis
Pepe 1960
as Edward G. Robinson
Seven Thieves 1960
as Theo Wilkins
The Right Man 1960
as Theodore Roosevelt
Israel 1959
as Self - Narrator
A Hole in the Head 1959
as Mario Manetta
The Ten Commandments 1956
as Dathan
Nightmare 1956
as Rene Bressard
Hell on Frisco Bay 1955
as Victor Amato
Illegal 1955
as Victor Scott
A Bullet for Joey 1955
as Raoul Leduc
Tight Spot 1955
as Lloyd Hallett
The Violent Men 1955
as Lee Wilkison
Black Tuesday 1954
as Vincent Canelli
A Star Is Born World Premiere 1954
as Self
The Glass Web 1953
as Henry Hayes
Big Leaguer 1953
as John B 'Hans' Lobert
Vice Squad 1953
as Capt. 'Barnie' Barnaby
Actors and Sin 1952
as Maurice Tillayou (segment Actor's Blood)
My Daughter Joy 1950
as George Constantin
It's a Great Feeling 1949
as Edward G. Robinson (uncredited)
House of Strangers 1949
as Gino Monetti
Night Has a Thousand Eyes 1948
as John Triton
Key Largo 1948
as Johnny Rocco
All My Sons 1948
as Joe Keller
Blow-Ups of 1947 1947
as Self
The Red House 1947
as Pete Morgan
Okay for Sound 1946
Actor
The Stranger 1946
as Federal Agent Wilson
Scarlet Street 1945
as Christopher Cross
Journey Together 1945
as Dean McWilliams
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes 1945
as Martinius Jacobson
The Woman in the Window 1944
as Professor Richard Wanley
Mr. Winkle Goes to War 1944
as Wilbert Winkle
Double Indemnity 1944
as Barton Keyes
Tampico 1944
as Capt. Bart Manson
Flesh and Fantasy 1943
as Marshall Tyler (segment 2)
Destroyer 1943
as Steven 'Boley' Boleslavski
Breakdowns of 1942 1942
as Self
Tales of Manhattan 1942
as Larry Browne
Larceny, Inc. 1942
as 'Pressure' Maxwell
Moscow Strikes Back 1942
as Narrator (English version) (voice)
Breakdowns of 1941 1941
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Unholy Partners 1941
as Bruce Corey
- Polo with the Stars
Polo with the Stars 1941
as Self - Watching Polo Match
Manpower 1941
as Hank McHenry
The Sea Wolf 1941
as 'Wolf' Larsen
A Dispatch from Reuters 1940
as Paul Julius Reuter
Brother Orchid 1940
as Little John T. 'Johnny' Sarto
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet 1940
as Dr. Paul Ehrlich
Breakdowns of 1939 1939
as Self
Blackmail 1939
as John R. Ingram
From the Ends of the Earth 1939
as Self
Confessions of a Nazi Spy 1939
as Edward 'Ed' Renard
I Am the Law 1938
as John Lindsay
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse 1938
as Dr. T.S. Clitterhouse
A Slight Case of Murder 1938
as Remy Marko
The Last Gangster 1937
as Joe Krozac
Kid Galahad 1937
as Nick 'Nicky' Donati
A Day at Santa Anita 1937
as Edward G. Robinson (uncredited)
Thunder in the City 1937
as Dan Armstrong
- The First Gangster and the Last Gangster
The First Gangster and the Last Gangster 1937
as Himself
Breakdowns of 1936 1936
as Self
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) 1936
as Self
Bullets or Ballots 1936
as Johnny Blake
Barbary Coast 1935
as Luis Chamalis
The Whole Town's Talking 1935
as Arthur Ferguson 'Jonesy' Jones / 'Killer' Mannion
The Man with Two Faces 1934
as Damon Welles / Jules Chautard
Dark Hazard 1934
as Jim 'Buck' Turner
I Loved a Woman 1933
as John Mansfield Hayden
The Little Giant 1933
as James Francis 'Bugs' / 'Jim' Ahearn
Silver Dollar 1932
as Yates Martin
Tiger Shark 1932
as Mike Mascarenhas
Two Seconds 1932
as John Allen
The Hatchet Man 1932
as Wong Low Get
Five Star Final 1931
as Joseph W. Randall
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 10: 'Trouble Shots' 1931
as Self - Golfer (uncredited)
Smart Money 1931
as Nick 'The Barber' Venizelos
Round About Hollywood 1931
as Self
The Stolen Jools 1931
as Gangster
Little Caesar 1931
as Caesar Enrico 'Rico' Bandello aka 'Little Caesar'
The Widow from Chicago 1930
as Dominic
East Is West 1930
as Charlie Yong
Outside the Law 1930
as Cobra Collins
An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Bros. Silver Jubilee 1930
as Self
Every Woman's Longing 1930
as Tony
A Lady to Love 1930
as Tony
The Night Ride 1930
as Tony Garotta
The Hole in the Wall 1929
as The Fox
The Bright Shawl 1923
as Domingo Escobar
Arms and the Woman 1916
as Factory Worker
Credits from TMDB.