Richard Widmark

Just a word (from Nige) to mark the death of Richard Widmark, one of those great, capable, characterful, instantly recognisable screen presences who are easily taken for granted - until you realise that they're not making them any more. Nor are they making film stars as publicity shy as Widmark - these days it's more a case of strategically backing into the limelight. Widmark vowed never to appear in a talk show, and he stuck to it. He also stuck to his first wife for nearly 55 years. He made few public comments, but here's one: 'I know I've made kind of a half-assed career out of violence, but I abhor violence.' Half-assed it wasn't. RIP.