Lee Marvin (February 19, 1924 – August 29, 1987) Tall, white-haired and, at times, just plain mean-looking, Lee Marvin was one of the most rugged heroes of the big screen and one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the late 1960s. A decorated veteran of World War II, Marvin started acting in New York and appeared on Broadway in the early 1950s. In the movies he was first typecast as a brutal thug, usually in westerns and crime dramas such as The Wild One (1954, with Marlon Brando), Bad Day At Black Rock (1955) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962, starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart). After a three-year stint as the star of television's M Squad (1957-60), Marvin gradually moved from villain to hero in the movies and by 1965 had won an Oscar for his dual role in the broad western comedy