Lawrence Tierney: Hollywood's Real-Life Tough Guy

by Burt Kearns

Lawrence Tierney (1919–2002) was the kind of actor whose natural swagger and gruff disposition made him the perfect fit for the Hollywood "tough guy" archetype. Known for his erratic and oftentimes violent nature, Tierney drew upon his bellicose reputation throughout his career―a reputation that made him one of the most feared and mythologized characters in the industry.

Born in Brooklyn to Irish American parents, Tierney worked in theater productions in New York before moving to Hollywood, where he signed with RKO Radio Pictures in 1943. His biggest roles would come in Dillinger (1945), in which he played 1930s gangster and bank robber John Dillinger, and Robert Wise's film noir classic Born to Kill (1947).

Despite his natural talents, Tierney was trouble from the start, struggling with alcoholism and mental instability that emboldened him to start fights whenever and wherever he could. The continued bouts of alcohol-fueled rage, his subsequent stints in jail, and his continued attempts at rehabilitation curtailed his acting career. Unable to find work throughout much of the 1960s, he did a stint in Europe before eventually returning to New York, where he took odd jobs as a construction worker, bartender, and hansom cab driver.

In the mid-1980s Tierney returned to acting. With a somewhat cooler head, he established himself again with recurring roles in shows such as Seinfeld and Star The Next Generation . He would take on his final projects as a septuagenarian in Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Armageddon (1998), where his on-set behavior would once again draw the ire of his colleagues and studio representatives. He would go down swinging just shy of his eighty-third birthday, his tough-guy image solidly intact until the end.

In Lawrence Hollywood's Real-Life Tough Guy , author Burt Kearns traces Tierney's storied life from his days as Dillinger, to his clash with Quentin Tarantino at the end of his film career, to his final public appearances. The first official biography of the late actor, the book draws on the writings of Hollywood reporters and gossip columnists who first reported on Tierney's antics, and exclusive interviews with surviving colleagues, friends, family members―and victims. Through their words and his research, Kearns paints a portrait of Tierney's brutish behavior and the industry's reaction to the pugnacious star, drawing parallels―and the line―between the man and the characters that made him a Hollywood legend.

Genres: Biography

432 pages, Hardcover

Published December 6, 2022

Reviews

[Ezekiel Tyrus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've long been fascinated by Lawrence Tierney in the same way I've long been fascinated by brutes like Ty Cobb and Oliver Reed. Tierney was an exceptionally talented B-actor during Hollywood's Golden Era of the 30s into Hollywood Indie Film era of the 1990s. With his good looks and obvious talent, he probably could've been one of the biggest actors of all-time but because of his terrible behavior, and it is terrible, he was a notorious, violent drunk and had some personality disorder or undiagnosed mental illness but reading this book, which I read over a weekend, is at times laugh out loud and other times, very sad. You want to root for him but then read another story of Tierney being antagonistic and pissing off all the wrong people. And yet, the actor never stopped getting work as an actor because he was a great actor. Great, entertaining read that reads like a character study of an actor who probably could've been bigger than Brando or Bogart who kept self-destructing over and over again till he became a legend. I probably will reread this book again.

[Chuck Pickerill · Rating 4 out of 5]

In April of 1945 a film based on the life of notorious gangster John Dillinger debuted on movie screens across the country. The popularity of the film made the man who played Dillinger, Lawrence Tierney a known name to the movie going public. Tierney would play more hard-boiled roles as the years progressed, but he had more things to offer than the typical B movie actor. Tierney was tall and handsome with chiseled features. He also had a presence that made him one of the toughest guys on screen. He seemed destined to be one of the top actors in Hollywood, but his demons would constantly trip him up and he would spend more time standing in front of a judge than a movie camera.

In "Lawrence Tierney: Hollywood's Real-Life Tough Guy," Burt Kearns provides the reader with the life and times of Tierney has he rises and falls in Hollywood and New York City through the 1940's, 50's and early 60's along with a rejuvenation in the 1980's and 90's. Through it all he provides a thoughtful and engaging portrait of the actor which could have easily devolved into a newspaper police blotter. It's amazing how many brawls and brushes with the law Tierney had throughout his life almost all brought on with drinking too much alcohol. Despite these incidents Tierney would be given many chances by both Hollywood and the courts to redeem himself, but just when people thought he turned a corner he would be involved in another brawl or incident. One interesting part of the book is that Kearns provides a detailed account of how the various newspaper gossip columnists covered Tierney in their columns. This provides the reader with insight on what the mood in Hollywood was towards Tierney at the time. We also get illuminating insight on Tierney's parents and brothers including his younger brother Gerard who went by the stage name Scott Brady and acted in Hollywood for decades. If I had one criticism, I would have like to have known more about Tierney's movies especially some of the lesser-known films.

Ultimately, there is sense of sadness that hangs over the book as Tierney could never really control his problems with alcohol and it prevented him from having a more successful career in Hollywood. His perseverance though is admirable as he continued to get acting parts throughout his life including roles in "Reservoir Dogs" and a guest spot on "Seinfeld." Die-hard noir fans will be pleased with this book as Kearns provides an entertaining and well researched portrait of one of Hollywood's wildest actors.

[Matthew Wilder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certain types of beautiful losers really annoy me. Nicholas Ray made several very fine films, but he got second and third and nineteenth chances that Orson Welles and Sam Peckinpah didn’t get because—his particular kind of dissolution appealed to film financiers? Some impossible to peg sexual charisma? He didn’t really deserve to be paid for royally fucking up by directing ginormous Samuel Bronston epics at the end of his life. Or rather: Orson and Sam did too!

Lawrence Tierney was a big, burly, striking guy who seemed to be composed of barely contained rage. He worked on and off for fifty years and in between was blind drunk and crazy violent. Did he deserve a 300 page biography as if he were Cary fucking Grant? This chap writes nicely but shit! I’d say not!

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out well enough, but became 400 pages of Tierney not being able to handle his alcohol, getting into fights and then getting arrested. Repeat.

I have no idea how he never spent more time in jail/prison.

I did find the picture inserts very amusing

[John C. Malcolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Give it 3and a half stars.One too many trips to the pokey for me.It was fun
Watching his old films from my dvd collection while reading the book.This
Guy was a piece of work!

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is well written and researched book.The is however a major problem.From the early fifties till Reservoir Dogs resurrected his career,all he seemed to do was get drunk brawl.and land in jail.He was an alcoholic and probably had mental health issues.So the book becomes very repetitive.
Definitely not the sort of person that you would want to meet in real life.