Lee Marvin Biography

Fast Facts

• Named after Gen
• Robert E
• Lee
• At age 4, he ran away from home and didn't return until two days later
• Studied violin as a youngster
• As a WWII marine, a Japanese bullet severed a nerve below his spine and he spent 13 months in rehab
• In the late 1940s, while working as a plumber at a community theater in Woodstock, NY, he was asked to fill in for a missing actor, and that sparked his interest in performing
• Studied acting at New York City's American Theatre Wing
• Learned to ride a motorcycle for 1953's The Wild One and later competed in motorcycle races in the desert
• The breakup of his longtime relationship with Michelle Triola led her to sue for financial compensation, a legal battle that set a precedent for future "palimony" suits
• The case was also comic fodder of a 1979 Saturday Night Live "Point Counterpoint" sketch featuring Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin
• Is buried in Arlington National Cemetery next to boxing great Joe Louis
• There's rumored to be a humorous "secret" society called the Sons of Lee Marvin, made up of men who bear a physical resemblance to the late actor
• Members are said to include director Jim Jarmusch and singers Neil Young and Tom Waits