Edward G. Robinson Movies

Want to know the best Edward G. Robinson movies?  How about the worst Edward G. Robinson movies?  Curious about Edward G. Robinson ’s box office grosses or which Edward G. Robinson movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Edward G. Robinson movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.

Seems like I have been getting requests to do a Edward G. Robinson movie page for years.  One of the reasons that I have not done a page on him is lack of box office information on many of his 1930s movies…which was the peak of his career.  Well…about 4 months ago, I secured some of the Warner Brothers and MGM box office ledgers. Those ledgers contained many of Robinson’s movies from the 1930s…..so I am finally able to publish a Edward G. Robinson movie page.

Edward G. Robinson (1893-1973) is one of AFI’s (American Film Institute) Top 50 Greatest Screen Legends.  When you read descriptions of Robinson you find words like:  pug-faced, snarling, small, squat, robust and not handsome.  So it is even more impressive that Robinson became one of the greatest movie stars ever.  During his peak days, Robinson could walk on screen and dominate it despite lacking your typical Hollywood good looks.  His IMDb page shows 112 acting credits from 1916-1973. This page will rank Edward G. Robinson movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television appearances, shorts, cameos and movies that were not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings.

Edward G. Robinson in 1944's Double Indemnity
Edward G. Robinson in 1944’s Double Indemnity

Edward G. Robinson Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.

Edward G. Robinson Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table

The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.

  • Sort Edward G. Robinson movies by titles and that movie’s trailers
  • Sort Edward G. Robinson movies by co-stars of his movies
  • Sort Edward G. Robinson movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
  • Sort Edward G. Robinson movies by yearly domestic box office rank
  • Sort Edward G. Robinson movies how they were received by critics and audiences.  60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie
  • Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Edward G. Robinson movie received.
  • Sort Edward G. Robinson movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score.  UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
  • If Co-Star has a link…it will take you to that person’s UMR page
Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson in 1973's Soylent Green
Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson in 1973’s Soylent Green

Possibly Interesting Facts About Edward G. Robinson

1. Emanuel Goldenberg was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1893.  In 1903 his family moved to the New York City.  Growing up he wanted to be a rabbi.  When he won an American Academy of Dramatic Arts scholarship he switched his attentions to acting.

2.  Edward G. Robinson ‘s path to stardom…Cliff Notes style.  After winning his acting scholarship, he made his Broadway debut in 1915 using the name E.G. Robinson.  In 1927 he appeared in the play The Racket….he played a gangster.  Hollywood took notice and he started regularly appearing in movies in 1929 usually playing a gangster.  In 1931 he played Caesar Enrico “Rico” Bandello in Little Caesar.  Little Caesar was a huge success and turned Robinson into a star.  He would make movies for the next 42 years.

3.  Edward G. Robinson was never nominated for an Oscar®.   Of the AFI’s 25 Screen Legend Actors…Robinson is the only serious actor not to ever get an Oscar® nomination.  The Marx Brothers and Buster Keaton are the only other two AFI Screen Legends without an Oscar® nomination.  Two months after his death he was awarded an Honorary Oscar®.  The Academy screwed that one up.

4.  Edward G. Robinson and Homer Simpson?  Yep there is a connection.  The inspiration for the voice of Chief Clancy Wiggum on The Simpsons is Edward G. Robinson…so says Hank Azaria who provides the voice for Chief Wiggum.

5. Edward G. Robinson was married two times.  His first marriage was to Gladys Lloyd from 1927 to 1956….they had a son together.  His second marriage is to Jane Robinson from 1958 until his death in 1973.

6. Edward G. Robinson was the original choice to play Dr. Zaius in 1968’s Planet of the Apes.  He filmed one scene in complete ape makeup with Charlton Heston but had to pull out of the role due to health concerns.  Now that would be a great extra DVD feature.

7.  Edward G. Robinson is pictured on a 33¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, issued 24 October 2000.

8.  To check out Edward G. Robinson’s movie career through his movie posters…I highly recommend checking out this movie link from Steve Lensman.  Edward G. Robinson Movie Posters.

9.  Check out Edward G. Robinson ‘s career compared to current and classic actors.  Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.

10.  Edward G. Robinson died two weeks after finishing his role in 1973’s Soylent Green. Charlton Heston delivered the eulogy.  He choose a line from Julius Caesar to read during the memorial service.  “His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, This was a man.”

Edward G. Robinson Box Office Grosses – Adjusted World Wide

Steve Lensman’s Edward G. Robinson You Tube Video

Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences. 

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48 thoughts on “Edward G. Robinson Movies”

  1. This page brings back memories. My dad and granddad used to watch his gangster movies all the time when I was growing up. Along with Cagney’s and Bogart’s gangster movies all the time. It was really cool when he would watch movies that starred it least two them. Did they ever make a movie with all three of them? I don’t think so. You should do one of these things on Bogart and Cagney.

    Reply

    1. Hey Solomon….very cool….thanks for sharing those memories. The three did not make a movie together. Cagney and Robinson made one together. Cagney and Bogart made many together…..and Bogart and Robinson did many together. I can only imagine how epic a Cagney, Bogart, and Robinson movie would have been. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply

  2. Thanks for doing a page on Edward G. Robinson. One of my favorite actors and my favorite movie gangster. A nice tribute page.

    Reply

    1. Hey Lyle….glad you like my Robinson tribute page. I think Edward G. Robinson and gangster will always be associated with each other.

      Reply

  3. Your father and I enjoyed THE PRIZE with Paul Newman – he played two roles and did a very good job. I have seen quite a few of his movies – not the older ones. Solvent Green was a good movie too but I did not like the ending. THANKS FOR ANOTHER GREAT JOB! As a note I understand he had a great art collection……………………right!!!

    Reply

    1. Hey Bern1960….You don’t like the ending of Soylent Green….that is a great ending….everybody needs protein in their diet……lol. You are correct…he was a huge collector of paintings…..he lost lots of his paintings in the first divorce….but he still had a great collection that he passed to his family when he died. Glad you liked The Prize. That is easily the better of the two Newman/Robinson movies. Thanks as always for checking out my latest page.

      Reply

  5. Huge EGR fan here. The fact that he never got a Academy Award nomination has always made me mad. I feel he could and should have got a nomination for any of these performances. Little Caesar, Dr. Ehrlic’s Magic Bullet, Double Indemnity, Our Vines Have Tender Grapes, Key Largo
    and The Cincinatti Kid. An enjoyable EGR tribute page. I am sharing this with some fellow EGR fans.

    Reply

    1. Hey EGR FAN….I actually have a movie page that lists 10 Classic Actors who never got but should have gotten an Oscar nomination….and I listed Edward G. Robinson. I have to admit that I have only seen 10 Edward G. Robinson movies….but I have seen 4 of the 6 that you mentioned. I agree with you 100% that Robinson was worthy of a Best Supporting Actor nom for Double Indemnity, Key Largo and The Cincy Kid. I appreciate you stopping by and commenting.

      Reply

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