Burt Lancaster, who died on 20 October 1994, just two weeks short of his 81st birthday, had one of the most storied & successful careers of any leading man in Hollywood history.

A late bloomer in the film industry, Burt Lancaster did not star in his first film until he was 32 years of age, having previously found employment as an acrobat in a circus.

He went onto make his name in ‘The Killers’ in 1946. Subsequently being nominated for Oscars in four of his films, ‘From Here To Eternity’ (1953), The Birdman Of Alcatraz (1962), Atlantic City (1981) and ‘Elmer Gantry’ (1960).

Refusing predictable roles, he took on a catalogue of varied performances across many genres: from big budget disaster films, to dark film noirs, through to his swansong as the aged gambler in ‘Atlantic City’.

Burton Lancaster was born in East Harlem, New York on November 2nd 1913, the son of a postal worker, he was the youngest of four children.

Following stints in the circus and the army, Mr Lancaster decided to pursue an acting career. Shortly after making his Broadway debut in ‘A Sound Of Hunting’ he secured a contract with Paramount.

His breakthrough performance came in noir classic ‘The Killers’. Subsequent ‘tough guy’ roles in ‘Brute Force’ and ‘Desert Fury’ (both 1947) further established his growing reputation in Hollywood and enhanced his leading man status.

However Mr Lancaster was consistently keen to challenge himself with more varied roles, this led to the formation of his own production company, Hecht-Lancaster, which he set up in 1948 with his manager Harold Hecht. The company would go on to produce several films of note, including ‘Marty’, which went on to win 4 Oscars, including ‘Best Picture’.

His next Oscar nomination arrived in 1953, with ‘From Here To Eternity’, starring alongside Montgomery Clift and a rejuvenated Frank Sinatra . A personal ambition was realised for Mr Lancaster in 1955, as he made his directorial debut with ‘The Kentuckian’, however it was not a success and he did not direct again for 19 years.

Success struck again in 1957 with an appearance in ‘Gunfight at the O.K Corral’ alongside Kirk Douglas. Later that same year Mr Lancaster delivered one of his most memorable performances alongside Tony Curtis in ‘The Sweet Smell Of Success’.

This critical highpoint was followed in 1960 with an Oscar for Best Actor in ‘Elmer Gantry’. Sadly however, his marriage broke down in 1969.

During the 60s and 70s Mr Lancaster’s star began to fade, although he still starred in the occasional hit film such as Airport (1970), however there was still time for an encore performance, his starring role in ‘Atlantic City’ in 1980 proved his swansong.

His 1989 appearance in ‘Field Of Dreams’ was to prove his last significant role. A year later he married his third wife, Susie Scherer. Later that year he was paralysed by a stroke – after which Susie remained a tower of strength.

Mr Lancaster’s perfectionism led to his gaining a reputation as someone who could be a difficult character on set. However he was firm to his beliefs. He remained a renowned liberal activist throughout his life.

He remains perhaps one of the last great stars of the Studio Era in Hollywood, who defied categorisation and never allowed himself to be typecast.

Describing him, David Thomson said he was "Brave, vigorous, handsome, and an actor of great range, Lancaster never yielded in his immaculate splendor, proud to be a movie actor. He was one of the great stars. Perhaps the last."