Lee Marvin.

Lee Marvin — Actor

Born 19 Feb 1924 New York City, United States

Died 29 Aug 1987 Tucson, United States

Citizenship United States

Would Be 102 yr If Living

22 min read

Reading time

4,347

Words

Apr 11, 2026

Published

122

Film credits

4

Awards

TL;DR

Lee Marvin, a U.S. Marine wounded at Saipan, won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual role in the 1965 western comedy Cat Ballou. He starred in tough-guy roles in The Dirty Dozen 1967, Point Blank 1967, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962. His career also included a musical hit with Wandering Star. Marvin died of a heart attack in 1987 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Identity & family.

KIN · 4

Names, aliases, and relatives of Lee Marvin — birth name, kin, and personal ties.

Parents: Courtenay Washington Davidge Lamont Waltman Marvin
Spouses: Pamela Marvin Betty Ebeling

At a glance.

STATS

Lee Marvin by the numbers — life, work, and family.

63 Years lived

122 Film credits

4 Awards

2 Marriages

Who was Lee Marvin?

BIOGRAPHY

Lee Marvin — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.

Early life

Lee Marvin was born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr. on February 19, 1924, in New York City. His father, Lamont Waltman Marvin, was a marketing executive, and his mother, Courtenay Washington Davidge, was a fashion writer. As a teenager he was expelled from multiple schools for bad behavior and attended institutions including Manumit School and Oakwood Friends School.

At age 18, in August 1942, Marvin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. He served with the 4th Marine Division in the Pacific Theater, participating in the invasions of 21 islands. During the Battle of Saipan he was wounded and nearly died; most of his unit was killed. After 13 months of therapy he received a Purple Heart and a medical discharge.

Career

Marvin’s acting career began by chance in upstate New York when, working as a plumber’s apprentice, he was asked to replace a sick actor at a community theater. He caught the bug, studied at the American Theater Wing in Greenwich Village, and made his film debut in You’re in the Navy Now 1951. Villainous roles in The Big Heat 1953 and The Wild One 1953 drew attention.

He landed the lead in TV series M Squad 1957-1960 and returned to feature films with prominent parts in The Comancheros 1961 and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962. His dual comic performance in the 1965 western Cat Ballou made him a star and won the Academy Award for Best Actor, the first Oscar for playing two roles. He then starred in The Professionals 1966, The Dirty Dozen 1967, Point Blank 1967, Hell in the Pacific 1968, and Monte Walsh 1970.

Later credits include The Big Red One 1980, Death Hunt 1981, and Gorky Park 1983. His final film role was in The Delta Force 1986. He also had a surprise hit with the song Wandering Star from Paint Your Wagon 1969, which sold over a million copies.

Personal life

Marvin married Betty Ebeling on April 5, 1952; they had three children: Christopher, Claudia, and Courtenay. The marriage ended in divorce on January 4, 1967. He then married Pamela Marvin on October 18, 1970, and remained with her until his death. He had a six-year relationship with Michelle Triola; a 1979 palimony case resulted in a $104,000 award but denied her claim to half his earnings.

Marvin was a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson and twice a descendant of male-line relatives of George Washington. He was named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee, his first cousin four times removed. He publicly supported gay rights in a 1969 Playboy interview and opposed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. He struggled with alcoholism and smoked up to six packs of cigarettes a day.

Legacy

Lee Marvin’s tough-guy persona with comedic range influenced generations. Actor Jeff Bridges said watching Marvin and Robert Ryan in The Iceman Cometh 1973 inspired him to commit to acting. Marvin’s roles in Point Blank and The Dirty Dozen redefined the Hollywood leading man, paving the way for nontraditional stars.

Four of his films were selected for the National Film Registry: The Big Heat 1953, Bad Day at Black Rock 1955, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962, and Point Blank 1967. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Marvin remains the first actor to win an Oscar for playing two characters in the same film.

Filmography.

FILMS · 122

The complete filmography of Lee Marvin — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.

TV

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962
TV

Bonanza

1959
TV

Top of the Pops

1964
TV

The Mike Douglas Show

1961
TV

Golden Globe Awards

1944
TV

Dragnet

1951
TV

Wagon Train

1957
TV

The Virginian

1962
TV

Wogan

1982
TV

The Twilight Zone

1959
TV

Combat!

1962
TV

Climax!

1954
TV

The Untouchables

1959
TV

Studio One

1948

Showing 14 of 122 View all 122 films

Awards & honors.

AWARDS · 4

Every award, honor, and recognition received by Lee Marvin — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.

Purple Heart
Academy Award for Best Actor
Silver Bear
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy

Notable quotes.

QUOTES · 23

A wall of memorable lines from Lee Marvin — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.

Tequila. Straight. There’s a Real Polite Drink. You Keep Drinking Until You Finally Take One More and It Just Won’t Go Down. Then You Know You’ve Reached Your Limit.
Ah, Stardom! They Put Your Name on a Star in the Sidewalk on Hollywood Boulevard and You Walk Down and Find a Pile of Dog Manure on It. That Tells the Whole Story, Baby.
If I Have Any Appeal at All, It’s to the Fellow Who Takes Out the Garbage.
Stimulation? Thursdays. Motivation? Thursdays. Paydays. That’s It. It’s Important Not to Think Too Much About What You Do. You See, with My Way of Thinking There Are Always Thursdays No Matter How the Picture Works Out.
There Was That Very Credible Virility of Guys Like Spencer Tracy or Humphrey Bogart. I Don’t Think That I Could One Day Resemble Them, but in Life and in Movies I Profoundly Admired Bogart, Both Personally and Professionally.
The Mood of Sickness Is in the Audience; the Filmmaker Is Only Reflecting the Climate of Society. You Don’t Make Films to Change a Nation; You Make Films to Be Historically True to Their Time. That’s What Makes Them Current and Commercial. If the Audience Responds to It, Baby, You Know Where the Sickness Is. Criminal Violence Always Attracts a Crowd, Though People Are Afraid to Admit It. the Bigger the Crowd, the More the Shoving; the More the Shoving, the More Irate the Viewer Becomes Till Eventually He’s Part of the Riot. the Current Cycle of Crime Films Is a Vicarious Way to Participate in the Current Crime Wave Without Committing a Crime Yourself. That Feeling Is Latent Within Each of Us. Everybody Wants to Get Even with Somebody. Because of the Wave of Riots, the Distrust, the Various Assassinations and the Lack of Socially Acceptable Answers to Them. so You Go See It on Film.
I Don’t Take Pledges; I Quit Drinking Every Morning and I Start Again Every Evening. I Wonder How Long They’ll Stay on the Wagon. Don’t Get Me Wrong, Though; I’ve Always Been Against Senseless Violence Myself. When I Incorporate Violence in My Performances, I Make Sure There’s a Point to It. If I Were Playing a Heavy, Say a Cowboy Bad Guy, I Would Commit Some Senseless Crime so That I’d Have to Be Destroyed in the Third or Fourth Reel. Holding up the Stagecoach, for Example, and Shooting the Old Lady Because She Turned Her Back on Me. so I’m Against Pointless Violence, Too. Apropos the Current Debate, I Found Myself Involved in a Conversation the Other Night About Sirhan Sirhan. Some Older Woman Said That They Ought to Take Him Out and Shoot Him. I Just Looked at Her and Smiled. She Was the One Who Talked About Peace and Nonviolence. but When It Hits Her, Baby, She’s Ready to Kill.
The Big Adventure in My Mind at That Time Was Over the Possibility of the North Pole or the South Pole or the Australian Bush Safari; the Horizon Was Taken Away from Me by Being Married. to Me, Marriage Symbolized the End of the Road. I Was Still a Dreamer, but I Saw Myself Marking Time Until I Fell into the Ditch. Now That I’m Alone, More or Less, I Don’t Have to Think About That Anymore. I Can Be More Concerned with Myself and My Own Feelings Again. but I’m 44 Now; I Hope by the Time I’m 45, the Urgency of Self Discovery Will Become Less Intense, That I’ll Become Less Important to Myself, in the Sense of the Quandary of Thinking It All Out. Maybe I’ll Know a Little Bit More by Then, so I Don’t Have to Sit on the Porch and Waste Time Thinking About It.
What Transpires Between Two Adults Is Definitely Their Own Business. If a Girl Likes to Have Coca Cola Bottles Shoved in Her Ear, That’s up to Her. the Guy Who’s Doing It Says, Leave Me Alone, I’m Having Fun. Who’s to Deny Him That, as Long as She Doesn’t Scream Murder? a Third Party, Like a Police Officer, Has No Real Reason to Become Involved Unless He’s a Voyeur. All Voyeurs Are Essentially Deviates. You Eliminate the Third Party and There’s No Problem, No Deviation. so Someone Digs Whips. That’s up to Him. or Her. Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd. Too Many of the Archaic Laws We’re Saddled with Go Back to the Days of Witch Burning. I Dare Say the Reason They Burned the Girl at the Stake Was That She Wouldn’t Go Down on the Parson. so He Says, OK, I’ll Get You. and He Does. He Burns Her. Fortunately, He Had a Gold Edged Book on His Arm, so That Makes It Legal. These Same Puritanical Elements Are Responsible for All These Incredible Sex Laws That Are Still on the Books. It’s the Same Kind of Attitude That Makes It Impossible to Imagine Our Parents Having an Affair. We’ve Had Various and Sundry Relationships with the Opposite Sex, yet We Still Cannot Get Through That Barrier of Imagining Mommy and Daddy Balling. the New Morality May Help Change All That, but for Now, It’s Still Nothing More Than a Wind Waiting for a Storm; Go Too Far and It’ll All Turn Back into Exactly What It Was Thirty, Forty, Fifty Years Ago.
People Today Have a More Worldly Point of View Than They Did When They Were Stuck on the Farm or the Block They Lived on in the City. the Larger Than Life Image of the Arrow Shirt Hero Just Doesn’t Cut It Anymore for an Audience That’s Been Around. the Big Breakthrough Was the Believable Masculinity of Guys Like Tracy and Bogart.
When I Hear Our Names Linked, I Feel Almost a Little Embarrassed. Bogart Was Somebody and I’m Somebody Else. the Only Real Parallel Is That He Started Out Pretty Much as I Did, Playing Bad Guys and Heels. as Audiences Warmed to Him, He Metamorphosed into a Good Bad Guy and Finally Became All Good. the Same Thing Seems to Be Happening to Me God Forbid.
Well, I Don’t Think I’ll Ever Be in the Same League with Bogart on Screen or Off, but I Certainly Admired Him as Much Personally as I Did Professionally. His Pleasures Were as Simple as a Truck Driver’s. Like Me, He Enjoyed Getting a Little Juiced with His Cronies Once in a While and Telling Funny Stories and Sneaking Out of the House. He Was the Total Opposite of the Standard Leading Man of the Thirties, Who Would Jump in His Rolls Royce and Buzz off to His Country Estate and Drink Champagne from Slippers and Eat Caviar for Breakfast. Excesses Like That Have Almost Completely Left the Film Community; the Actor of Today Is Much More a Man of the Streets, and I Think That’s All to the Good.
Particularly Now That I Have Enough Bread to Protect My Privacy, I’ve Become More Appreciative of It and More Bugged When It’s Violated. in the Past, Success Was More My Need. Therefore, I Was Just a Pawn in the Hands of My Audience. I’d Do Anything They Wanted Me To, Just to Fulfill Their Expectations of Me. One of the Things That Drove Me to Become an Actor Was That I Was Insecure; I Thought Laughs and Applause Would Give Me the Security I Was Looking For. but as I Grew Older and Wised up and Began to Enjoy Some of the Benefits of Success, I Became Less Concerned with How the Public Responds to Me Collectively Than with Their Private, Individual Response, Which I Can Get Better Sitting at a Bar Talking with a Stranger Than I Can Sitting in an Audience Watching One of My Own Movies. but Now That I’ve Become Well Known, I Can’t Do That so Much Anymore, and I Miss It, Because the People I Like Best Are Those I Don’t Know and Who Don’t Know Me.
I Can’t Stand Myself. If I Could, I’d Play the Same Guy in All My Roles. I Don’t Even Like My Own Company; I’ve Got Nothing New to Tell Myself. nor Do I Like the Company of Other Actors; If I Don’t Like Myself, How Could I Like Them? Since I Can’t Go Out in Public as Much as I Used To, I Do Most of My Socializing with the Working Stiffs on the Set During a Movie the Stunt Men, the Gaffers, the Propmen. These Behind the Scenes Guys Keep Me Straight. They’re Working Men; from Their Attitudes and the Discussions I Have with Them, I Get a Sense of What I Must Do with My Current Role or My Next One. It Keeps Me on Their Level the Level of the Public. so I Shoot the Bull with Them, Hoist a Few Drinks, Share Some Laughs Instead of Going into My Dressing Room and Picking up the Phone and Calling Paris While I Drink the Chilled Champagne. It Keeps Me from Becoming a Star.
You Don’t Like People Because They’re Beautiful or They’ve Got Money or Don’t Have Money but Because They’re Straight and Honest and You Feel at Ease with Them. Money Is All a Transient Thing, Anyway. After a Certain Amount of Income, Money Ceases to Have Any Meaning. Once I Settle Whatever My Expenses Are for the Year, All the Dollars Above That Just Become a Bunch of Zeros. They Don’t Make You Any Happier or Better as a Human Being.
If I Had a $5 Pistol and a Guy Offered Me $10 for It, I’d Be a Fool Not to Sell It to Him, Right? If They’re Willing to Pay Me $1 Million a Picture, Baby, I’ll Take It.
I Remember the Uniform of Flesh, Not the Clothing. I Remember the Men. the War Effort, at That Time, Was a Condoned Worldwide Effort for Peace and Freedom. but Uniforms, Even Then, Seemed to Take Identity Away from the Individual. It’s the Mentality of the Uniform That I Don’t Like; I Attack the Uniform as a Symbol of That Mentality. I Feel the Same Way About the Police Mentality, but Instead of Attacking It, I Avoid It; You’re in Trouble If You Give the Cops an Excuse to Unload on You.
The World Has Gone by Quite a Few Days Since I Was a Kid. I Was Raised in New York in the Twenties and the Early Thirties in a Very Class and Race Conscious Area. Your Address Meant Something and Your Background. I Heard All the Bigoted Remarks by the Time I Was Five or Six. Kids Talking. Adults Grumbling, That so and so Prick! Growing up and Discovering That the Other Races, Creeds and Colors Weren’t Really Any Worse Than Mine Was a Revelation for Me. I Still Can’t Say That All the Stereotypes Aren’t True, but They’re More Often False Than True.
Fear Is Possibly the Greatest Motivation There Is. But, as I Said Before, by Pretending Not to Fear, You Can Make It Work for You and Get the Job Done. Every Actor Is Full of Doubts About Himself, and I’m No Exception. If You See Those Fears in Yourself and Expose Them the Audience Can Associate with You More Deeply Than If You Try to Play It Safe and Pretend to Be the Invincible Tough Guy. to Show My Strength Is Nothing; to Show My Weakness Is Everything. I Suppose It Takes a Certain Kind of Strength to Admit Your Fears, but I Really Don’t Think It’s Anything More Than Simple Honesty.
You Have to Remember There Are Tremendous Chasms Between the Peaks. I’ve Lost My Grip Before and It Could Happen Again. It’s a Long Way Down and It Gets Deeper Every Time. to Be a Failure When I Was 30 Isn’t Like Being a Failure When I’m 44. There’s More to Lose and Less Time to Get It Back.
I Don’t Want Any More Than I’ve Got Coming to Me, and I Don’t Understand Those Who Do. Like, Why Would Anyone Want to Undergo a Heart Transplant? a Person Would Have to Have Led a Pretty Empty Life to Be That Frightened of Dying. How Would You Like to Be Walking Around with a 17 Year Old Broad’s Heart in Your Chest, Just to Live a Few Years Longer? You Wouldn’t Know Whether to Menstruate or Ejaculate. Jesus, Give Me My Span of Years and Knock Me Down When It’s All Over. You’ve Got to Make Room for the Other Guy. I Know That When My Ashes Are Blown Away or They Stuff Me in a Sewer, It’s Not Going to Hurt. I’ve Had the Simple Pleasure of Being Present When the Sun Was Shining and the Rain Was Falling. I’ve Had Mine, and Nobody Can Take It Away from Me.
I Love Marlon Brando. Never Seen Him Bad, Just Less Good.
You Don’t Make TV Shows for Fun You Make Them for Money.

Did you know?

FACTS · 31

Little-known facts about Lee Marvin — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.

During World War II Marvin served as a Marine in the Pacific theater and participated in invasions of 21 islands. He nearly died from wounds at the Battle of Saipan and spent 13 months recovering.
Marvin was Steven Spielberg’s first choice to play Quint in Jaws 1975.
His body was interred next to Joe Louis at Arlington National Cemetery.
He learned to act in the Marines by trying to appear unafraid in combat, earning a Purple Heart at Saipan.
He could not ride a motorcycle for The Wild One 1953 but quickly learned, later competing in desert races on a Triumph Tiger Cub.
Marvin hated The Dirty Dozen 1967, made only for money, and preferred Hell in the Pacific 1968 and The Big Red One 1980 for their anti-war themes.
Jeff Bridges said watching Marvin and Robert Ryan in The Iceman Cometh 1973 made him commit to acting, noting their kindness despite tough personas.
Marvin was a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson and twice a descendant of male-line relatives of George Washington.
He was named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee, his first cousin four times removed.
Burt Lancaster and he clashed during The Professionals 1966 due to Marvin’s alcoholism; director Richard Brooks intervened fearing Lancaster would throw him off the mountain.
John Boorman originally wanted Marvin and Marlon Brando for Deliverance 1972, but Marvin said they were too old.
He turned down the role of Col. Douglas Mortimer in For a Few Dollars More 1965 to star in Cat Ballou 1965.
He turned down The Wild Bunch 1969 to make Paint Your Wagon 1969, which was a notorious failure despite his $1 million plus percentage deal.
He turned down the lead in Patton 1970 because he did not want to glorify war.
His recording of Wandering Star became a surprise hit, earning a Gold Record for one million copies sold in 1969.
He turned down Dirty Harry 1971 and Death Wish 1974 due to their vigilante themes.
He was one of the first Hollywood celebrities to declare support for the gay rights movement in a 1969 Playboy interview.
He revisited Saipan in 1967, guided by P.F. Kluge, who later wrote Eddie and the Cruisers.
He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
He kept only four souvenirs from his career: his Oscar for Cat Ballou, a citation from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, his Gold Record for Wandering Star, and a high-heeled shoe Vivien Leigh beat him with in Ship of Fools.
His acting career began by chance when, as a plumber’s assistant, he replaced a sick actor at a community theater and joined the company for seven dollars a week.
He turned down two films directed by William Friedkin: The French Connection 1971 and Sorcerer 1977.
He turned down Col. Trautman in First Blood 1982 because he didn’t want to play a colonel.
His best friend from the Marines, John Miara, was the model for Maj. Reisman in The Dirty Dozen.
He moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1975 and went into semi-retirement after The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday 1976.
He appeared in four films selected for the National Film Registry: The Big Heat, Bad Day at Black Rock, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and Point Blank.
In December 1986 he underwent intestinal surgery; no malignancy was found.
He was the first actor to win an Oscar for playing two roles in the same film Cat Ballou.
He bonded with Vivien Leigh on Ship of Fools; when he tore up her antique playing cards, she was enchanted rather than disturbed.
At death he had been hospitalized since August 13, 1987 with a run-down condition related to the flu before a sudden heart attack.
Despite his tough image, he won the Best Actor Oscar for a comedic performance.

You wanted to know.

FAQ · 30

Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Lee Marvin.

What is Lee Marvin's birth date?

Lee Marvin was born on February 19, 1924 in New York City. He was named Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.
Where was Lee Marvin born?

Lee Marvin was born in New York City, New York, USA. He was raised in a well-to-do family with ancestors including Thomas Jefferson.
When did Lee Marvin die?

Lee Marvin died on August 29, 1987 in Tucson, Arizona. He was 63 years old at the time.
How did Lee Marvin die?

Lee Marvin died of a heart attack at Tucson Medical Center. He had been hospitalized since August 13 with a run-down condition related to the flu.
Where did Lee Marvin die?

Lee Marvin died in Tucson, Arizona, USA. He had moved to Tucson in 1975 and lived there until his death.
What was Lee Marvin's occupation?

Lee Marvin was an actor and soundtrack artist. He is best known for his film roles and also had a surprise hit with the song Wandering Star.
What nationality was Lee Marvin?

Lee Marvin was an American. He was born in New York City and served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II.
Who were Lee Marvin's parents?

Lee Marvin’s parents were Lamont Waltman Marvin, a marketing executive, and Courtenay Washington Davidge, a fashion writer. His father was named after him.
Who was Lee Marvin married to?

Lee Marvin was married twice: first to Betty Ebeling from 1952 to 1967, and then to Pamela Marvin from 1970 until his death in 1987. He also had a long relationship with Michelle Triola.
Did Lee Marvin have children?

Yes, Lee Marvin had three children with his first wife Betty Ebeling: Christopher, Claudia, and Courtenay Marvin. He became a father at age 28.
Where did Lee Marvin go to school?

Lee Marvin attended Saint Leo University, Oakwood Friends School, and Manumit School. He was expelled from several schools as a teenager for bad behavior.
What awards did Lee Marvin win?

Lee Marvin won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Cat Ballou 1965, a Golden Globe, a Silver Bear, and the Purple Heart for his World War II service.
What is Lee Marvin best known for?

Lee Marvin is best known for his dual role in Cat Ballou, which earned him an Oscar, and for tough-guy films like The Dirty Dozen and Point Blank.
How tall was Lee Marvin?

Lee Marvin was 6 feet 1 inch 1.86 m tall. His height contributed to his commanding screen presence.
What was Lee Marvin's birth name?

Lee Marvin’s birth name was Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr. He was named after his father and was also named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
Did Lee Marvin serve in the military?

Yes, Lee Marvin served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He was a sniper, participated in the invasions of 21 islands, and was wounded at Saipan.
How many Oscars did Lee Marvin win?

Lee Marvin won one Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Cat Ballou 1965. He was the first actor to win for playing two roles.
What was Lee Marvin's role in The Dirty Dozen?

In The Dirty Dozen 1967, Lee Marvin played Major Reisman, the leader of a group of convicts trained for a suicide mission during World War II. He based the character on his Marine friend John Miara.
Did Lee Marvin sing?

Yes, Lee Marvin sang the song Wandering Star from the film Paint Your Wagon 1969. It became a surprise hit, selling over a million copies and earning a Gold Record.
Why did Lee Marvin turn down the role in Patton?

Lee Marvin turned down the lead role of General George S. Patton in Patton 1970 because he did not want to glorify war. He held strong anti-war beliefs.
What was the palimony case involving Lee Marvin?

In 1979, Michelle Triola sued Lee Marvin for palimony after their six-year relationship. The court awarded her $104,000 for rehabilitation but denied her claim to half his $3.6 million earnings. The case drew national attention.
Where is Lee Marvin buried?

Lee Marvin is buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. His grave is next to boxer Joe Louis.
What was Lee Marvin's first film?

Lee Marvin’s film debut was in You’re in the Navy Now 1951. He later gained attention for villain roles in The Big Heat and The Wild One both 1953.
Did Lee Marvin win a Golden Globe?

Yes, Lee Marvin won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his role in Cat Ballou 1965. He also won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
What films of Lee Marvin are in the National Film Registry?

Four of Lee Marvin’s films are in the National Film Registry: The Big Heat 1953, Bad Day at Black Rock 1955, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962, and Point Blank 1967.
Was Lee Marvin an alcoholic?

Yes, Lee Marvin struggled with alcoholism, which caused problems during the filming of The Professionals 1966. Director Richard Brooks had to intervene because of his behavior.
Who influenced Lee Marvin's acting career?

Lee Marvin credited his Marine Corps experience with teaching him how to act unafraid. He also studied at the American Theater Wing in New York after catching the acting bug in community theater.
Did Lee Marvin have any descendants?

Yes, Lee Marvin had three children: Christopher, Claudia, and Courtenay. His first wife Betty Ebeling later wrote that Marvin left only $10,000 in his will for them.
What was Lee Marvin's relationship with Marlon Brando?

Lee Marvin and Marlon Brando co-starred in The Wild One 1953, where Marvin learned to ride a motorcycle to keep up with Brando. John Boorman later wanted them for Deliverance but Marvin felt they were too old.
How did Lee Marvin start acting?

Lee Marvin started acting by chance while working as a plumber’s apprentice in upstate New York. He replaced a sick actor in a community theater production and joined the company for $7 a week.

View all 30 questions View fewer questions

Audited & updated by

Michael is the last person to read a profile before it goes live, which makes him the one who catches what everyone else missed. 5 years as a copy editor has given him a sharp sense for what's off. A wrong year, a vague credit, a sentence that almost makes sense but doesn't quite. He's especially thorough with filmographies. He'll tell you that's where most of the errors hide. He's right.

Published on April 11, 2026

Report an issue

If something on this page looks off, we genuinely want to know about it. Send us a quick email with the celebrity's name, the detail that seems incorrect, and any sources you're referencing. We review every report and update the page as soon as we can.

Report an issue