A biography for Richard Widmarkhasn’t been written yet.
“Hoods are good parts because they're always flashy and attract attention. If you've got any ability, you can use that as a stepping stone.”
“Gary Cooper was a good friend. He was a great nature lover. He was like an American Indian, he knew every leaf that was turned over. It was an education to go for a walk with him.”
“You have to compromise all the way. The only thing that counts is the result.”
“Anne Baxter was a very good actress, Donna Reid was great. You couldn't name an actress I wasn't crazy about.”
“Other actors like to rehearse on film-they like 30 or 40 takes. When you get an actor like that, it becomes difficult for me because I'm ready to quit after number two.”
“Ford used to come to work in a big car with two Admiral's flags, on each side of the car. His assistant would be there with his accordion, playing, Hail to the Chief.”
“Kazan was an old friend, I met him in 1938. He picked up radio jobs for eating money, so I met him on a couple of radio shows. Later on I was in a play he directed.”
“I felt pretty comfortable with Westerns, apart from the fact I couldn't ride.”
“I was playing this horrible part. I didn't didn't want to play it because the character was an awful racist. But I'm glad I did it because I met Sidney Poitier.”
“I think a performer should do his work and then shut up.”
“John Ford was so funny that I couldn't wait to go to work in the morning.”
“A lot of actors said they hated the studio system, but I loved it. It was like a college; it was a great place to learn.”
“I loved Jack Ford. I got him in his later days, and he was a total tyrant and a total autocrat and an Irish drunk. But I had a great time.”
“Marilyn was terrible to work with. I was fond of her, she was a nice girl, but she was a damaged girl. She was very difficult. You couldn't get her on the set; she didn't know the words.”
“There was something about Marilyn. She couldn't act her way out of a bag, but she became an icon because something happened between her and the lens, and no one knows what it is.”
“Many of my friends were blacklisted. America should be ashamed of it forever.”
“I was never a part of the Actor's Studio, because two friends of mine started it in 1947 and by that time I'd gone to California.”
“Cheyenne Autumn was received not too successfully. I still think it was a very good movie. It was kinda Ford's apology for the way he had treated Indians in his past pictures.”
“Mankiewicz was a brilliant director.”
“Most movies are made today for teenage boys. Once in a while a good one comes along.”