Blind Item #8 - Reader Blind - Old Hollywood

The best word to describe this classic actor who was in a number of great films as a leading man is underrated.  I say this because even though he still commands a dedicated fan base and stills shows up on many greatest lists two decades or so since this actor passed away and going further back many decades to when he was at his peak popularity, he was never really thought of as technically a great actor.  This is wrong, his threatening rough exterior with a sleepy, dangerous look always contributed to edgy and iconic performances. It could be argued that two of his best film performances in fact were as villains.

This actor told a lot of stories about his early life, some were true and some were embellished.  One story he sometimes told after a few drinks was of an experience he had as a teenager when he was a hobo sneaking rides on trains and how he had to beat a man to death who tried to rob him.  He was never formally tied to this.