Anthony Quinn dead

BOSTON, JUNE 4. Anthony Quinn, the barrel-chested Oscar winner remembered for his roles as the earthy hero of Zorba the Greek and the fierce Bedouin leader in Lawrence of Arabia, has died. He was 86.

Quinn's death was reported by Providence, Rhode Island, Mayor, Mr. Vincent ``buddy'' Cianci. He said Quinn died of respiratory failure at a Boston hospital.

- AP

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An actor with a lust for life

PROVIDENCE (RHODE ISLAND), JUNE 4. Two-time Oscar winner, Mr. Anthony Quinn, who died in Boston on Sunday, was a shoeshine boy and preacher who became an international leading man with a film career spanning six decades. Both Mr. Quinn's screen presence and personal style were larger than life. The barrel-chested actor fathered 13 children and starred in 100 feature films, including the fierce Bedouin leader in ``Lawrence of Arabia'' in 1962 and the earthy hero of the 1964 film ``Zorba the Greek.''

He won his first Oscar for his work in the 1952 film ``Viva Zapata!'' as the brother of the Mexican revolutionary leader, Emiliano Zapata. He picked up his second award for supporting actor in the stylish 1956 drama ``Lust for Life.'' In a 1987 interview, Mr. Quinn said he reached most of the goals he set for himself as a young boy. ``I never satisfied that kid but I think he and I have made a deal now,'' he said, referring to his younger self. ``It's like climbing a mountain: I didn't take him up Mount Everest, but I took him up Mount Whitney. And I think that's not bad.''

Born in Mexico and raised in poverty in East Los Angeles, Mr. Quinn went from stage and B-movie roles to become an international leading man renowned for his big-man sensitivity and honest acting style. In a film career that stretched more than 50 years, Mr. Quinn portrayed characters including kings, Indians, a pope, a boxer and an artist. ``I never get the girl,'' Mr. Quinn once joked in an interview. ``I wind up with a country instead.''

To many, Mr. Quinn's Oscar-nominated characterisation of the Greek peasant Zorba in 1964 remained his most memorable role. The Ouzo-drinking and bouzouki-dancing Zorba was Mr. Quinn's favourite role as well, so much so that he returned to the stage in 1983 in a revival of the musical inspired by the film.

As a child, he shined shoes, sold papers and preached. After working as a movie extra, he met and married the adopted daughter of director Cecil B. De Mille, Katherine. A real-life artist, sculptor and author, his role as painter Paul Gauguin in the 1956 film ``Lust for Life'' earned him his second Oscar. He was on screen in the film for only eight minutes. In 1978, he played a character closely resembling the late shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis in ``The Greek Tycoon.'' As his film career slowed in recent years, Mr. Quinn devoted most of his time to painting and sculpting.

Mr. Quinn's second marriage, to Ms Iolanda Quinn, ended in 1997 after 31 years. He is survived by his wife, Ms Kathy Benvin, who is the mother of his 13 children.

- AP

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