An iconic figure of post-war Hollywood, actor Robert Mitchum embodied the rugged and solitary anti-heroes of American film noir in a string of classic dramas and mysteries, including “Out of the Past” (1947), “His Kind of Woman” (1952), and “Angel Face.” However, he proved versatile in almost every genre, from Westerns and thrillers – he played two of the scariest villains in screen history: Max Cady in the original “Cape Fear” (1962) and the homicidal false preacher in “Night of the Hunter” (1955 – to comedies and gentle romances like “Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison” (1957), the first of two films
Lived with aunt and uncle on a farm in Woodside, DE
1930
Moved to Manhattan with family
1932
Moved to Rising Sun, DE; ran away from home
1933
Hopped a freight train; ended up in Savannah, GA, where he was arrested sentenced to 180 days on a Georgia chain gang for vagrancy; got away after a month