Burgess Meredith

Burgess Meredith was born November 16, 1907 (118 years ago today) in Cleveland, Ohio.  It was the same year as John Wayne and my mother.

Burgess Meredith's stage performances on Broadway in New York City attracted the attention of several Hollywood film producers. Unlike most other movie actors, Meredith never signed a long-term contract with a single studio, preferring to work on individual film projects.

In 1939, Meredith portrayed George in the film Of Mice and Men.  To save his friend Lennie from a lynch mob, George kills him.

In 1941, Meredith is Harry in the Ginger Rogers romantic comedy, Tom, Dick and Harry.  With a last minute kiss, he wins the girl. 

In 1945, Meredith acted as Ernie Pyle, a real life journalist, in the drama, The Story of G.I. Joe.  Pyle is allowed to accompany C Company, 18th Infantry of the US Army all the way to the front lines against Germany during World War II.

In 1966, Meredith portrayed the villainous Penguin in that year's film version of Batman.

In 1976, Meredith won the part of Mickey, Rocky Balboa's trainer, in the box office hit, Rocky.  He had some great lines, such as "you're gonna eat lightnin' and you're gonna crap thunder" plus "women weaken legs."  

Before he became famous, Rocky worked as a collector for a loan shark.  But it is not until Mickey calls him out for it that he truly sees he needs to change.

Mickey dismisses Rocky as someone with talent who became a "leg breaker" instead. When Rocky insists it is a way to make a living, Mickey spits back "It's a waste of life."  That is one of my favorite movie lines.

Meredith's last film role was Grandpa, near the end of his life, in Grumpier Old Men (1995), as Jack Lemmon's father.  "You realize that pretty soon you'll be gone and that all you'll have is the experiences...that's all there is."

Burgess Meredith died September 9, 1997.