Charles Bronson was a big-screen action hero unlike any other, with the star appearing in such
classic films as The Magnificent Seven and the Death Wish series over the course of his career.
Charles’ tough-guy image painted him as a guy who wasn’t afraid of holding a grudge, and he matched
this persona in his day-to-day life. One of the men that Charles held a grudge against the most
was actor James Garner, who he appeared alongside in the classic action film The Great Escape. Join
Facts Verse as we explore how Charles Bronson held his bitter grudges until the very end.
Charles Bronson and James Garner Didn’t Get Along The 1963 action war film The Great Escape is
generally considered to be one of the best of its kind, specifically from around the time
period. The film was a starring vehicle for legendary action star Steve McQueen,
though it also utilized a stunning ensemble cast of supporting characters. Besides Steve McQueen,
the film also featured such notable performers as Charles Bronson and
James Garner. Though neither star was on the same level as Steve McQueen at this point,
they were well on their way. Sadly, Charles and James couldn't get along on the film's set.
Charles and James’ relationship on the set of The Great Escape was so poor that James continued
telling horror stories about the production for decades. Following Charles’ death in the early
2000s, James took the opportunity to speak more about his poor relationship with the late-action
star than ever before in his autobiography. James’ autobiography was filled with negative stories
about Charles Bronson from around the time of The Great Escape’s filming. James also allegedly
had some issues with Steve McQueen on the set of the film, though he and Steve were good friends.
James was eventually able to forgive Steve for his egotistical demeanor on the set of the feature.
After all, Steve McQueen was the film's star, and it wouldn't have been nearly the success that it
ended up being without him. Steve's egotistical demeanor on the film set merely came from the
fact that the actor took the role so seriously.
Meanwhile, Charles' egotistical demeanor was a completely different story.
While Charles Bronson was no slouch in the entertainment industry around the time that he
was filming his role in The Great Escape, he was no Steve McQueen. However, it seems like the actor
was acting just as egotistical on the set of the film as the lead, if not even more so! Not only
was Charles’ egotistical demeanor uncalled for given the fact that he wasn’t the film’s star,
but it also hindered the production instead of helping it. It seems that Charles’ bad
attitude during the production of the film had little to do with how seriously he took the role
and had more to do with him wanting to be the biggest man on the film’s set.
Charles Bronson’s Ego Was Bigger Than Steve McQueen’s
According to James Garner, his good friend Steve McQueen may have been a slight nuisance
on the set of The Great Escape due to his growing ego, but he was nothing compared to the horror
that was Charles Bronson. James said Charles’ belligerent behavior during filming lasted
throughout the entirety of the film’s production. Still, the picture ended up being a big success.
The film followed a group of soldiers attempting to escape from a German POW camp during World
War II, and is still considered a classic today. Prior to the feature, Charles Bronson
was best known for his appearance in the 1960 Western film The Magnificent Seven, while James
Garner was best known for his work as the titular character in the hit television series Maverick.
Given that James Garner had been the star of Maverick and Charles Bronson had merely been
a supporting player in a handful of notable pictures, James was arguably the bigger star
between the two when it came time to film The Great Escape. This might’ve made Charles feel
more defensive than he would’ve otherwise, as it made him the least experienced and least valuable
member of The Great Escape’s ensemble cast. Perhaps to make up for this lack of value, Charles
turned his tough-guy demeanor up to 11 while working on the film’s set.
However, this didn’t help make the star very popular with his costars on the picture.
According to the late James Garner, Charles Bronson was a mean man who loved to use and
abuse people. In turn, the two would grow to form a grudge against each other over the course
of The Great Escape’s production that lasted for the rest of their lives. If you’re enjoying this
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Charles Bronson Tried to Cheat at Poker One of the horror stories that the late James
Garner shared regarding Charles Bronson involved a time around the filming of The Great Escape when
the two became involved in a poker game. The poker game was taking place at James’ house shortly
after the filming of the movie was finished. It’s unclear why James ended up inviting Charles to his
house to play poker after the negative experience of filming The Great Escape together, though he
certainly didn’t invite Charles back over to his house again! During the poker game, James
claimed that Charles rudely tried to pull out one of his bets when it was already too late.
If Charles had gotten his way, it would’ve spelled disaster for another player in the game,
who was a young stagehand that was much less wealthy than the film star was. James ended up
insisting that Charles play by the rules and pay out to the young man. Charles was allegedly forced
to pay the young man $50, which he rightfully owed him given the rules of the game. However, Charles
was so mad that James forced him to play by the rules that he ended up exploding.
The incident very nearly resulted in Charles and James getting in a fistfight.
The negative experience of filming The Great Escape, combined with this subsequent experience
playing poker, caused James Garner to never look at Charles Bronson the same way again.
Similarly, Charles held a grudge against James for the remainder of his days.
Charles swore that he was never going to work with James again, and he ended up making good
on the promise. However, the two did end up running into each other several years later
while they were out with their respective wives. James was out with his wife Lois Clarke,
while Charles was out with his wife Jill Ireland. When the two couples ran into each other,
they ended up eating dinner together. Lois and Jill got along just fine and had plenty
to talk about. However, James and Charles had to grit their teeth through the dinner.
Following the release of The Great Escape, Charles Bronson would go on to achieve greater fame than
ever before thanks to his lead role in the 1968 Western film Once Upon a Time in the West. The
film was directed by Sergio Leone, who had tried to get Charles to play the role in his Dollars
Trilogy that ended up going to Clint Eastwood many years prior. Charles had turned down the role in
the Spaghetti Western series, which proved the vehicle that made Clint Eastwood a star. When The
Good, the Bad and the Ugly was filming, Sergio thought of Charles yet again.
This time, Sergio tried to get Charles to play the role that ended up going to Lee Van Cleef.
Finally, Sergio was able to get Charles to work with him on Once Upon a Time in the West,
and the results were incredible. In the 1970s,
Charles became a verified Hollywood megastar thanks to 1974’s Death Wish.
Did Charles Bronson Have a Death Wish? 1974’s Death Wish starred Charles Bronson
in the role of Paul Kersey, who was a man who certainly knew how to hold a
grudge. However, Paul Kersey held grudges for much better reasons than the actor who portrayed him
did. Death Wish was a major success and paved the way for a franchise. Charles appeared in
a total of five Death Wish pictures over the course of the ensuing two decades,
ending with 1994’s Death Wish V: The Face of Death. While the original film had been
a hit with critics and audiences alike, the sequels all received rather dismal reviews.
Charles Bronson’s authentic tough-guy demeanor came as a result of his troubled upbringing.
Charles was one of 15 children born to a poor coal miner, and he was forced to start working
in the coalmines himself at a rather young age. When it came time for Charles to start school,
his family was so poor that the young child was forced to wear one of his sister’s dresses
so as not to show up to class naked. This predictably resulted in Charles becoming
the laughing stock of his class, which in turn hardened the boy significantly.
Charles was eventually able to leave the coalmines behind for the silver screen,
and he never looked back. Charles Bronson met his aforementioned second wife Jill Ireland during the
filming of The Great Escape. At the time, Jill was married to actor David McCallum, who also
had a supporting role in the film. Legend has it that Charles turned to David McCallum during the
picture’s filming and told him point blank that he intended to marry the man’s wife. Charles ended up
stealing Jill away from the man, and Charles and Jill remained married until Jill’s death in 1990.
Unless you had a death wish, you certainly didn’t want to get on Charles Bronson’s bad side! Now
it’s time to hear from you: did you know
that Charles Bronson turned down the role of the Man with No Name in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy
and that he stole second wife Jill Ireland from one of his costars in The Great Escape?
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