Famous Freemasons

Ernest Borgnine 

Born Ermes Effron Borgnino; (January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012)

​“If you’ve got talent and perseverance, and fate is willing to lend an occasional hand, the rest will take care of itself.”

​Freemasonry and Service to the Craft

Ernest Borgnine was a Freemason, a member of Abingdon Lodge No. 48 in Virginia, a 33rd‑degree Scottish Rite Mason, and a Shriner. He received his 50‑year pin in 2000. He always spoke warmly of the Craft and of Abingdon, where he became a Master Mason.

​Early Struggles and the Road to Acting

Ernest Borgnine wasn’t handsome—something he had to struggle with as an actor. It wouldn’t be hard for him to get a part as a cab driver or an army sergeant, but he would hardly be offered leading roles. He looked like every other American—just another everyday face in a crowd.

As he walked down a New York street in October 1950, he wasn’t even sure why he had gone into acting. He had been going from audition to audition, looking for jobs. He was lucky to work as an actor once a month, and he had a family to feed. If he couldn’t find more work on stage or in the movies, he knew he would have to work for a living at something—sometimes he imagined himself working on one of the tugboats on the Hudson River or loading cargo on one of the docks. He was beginning to believe that the big break would never come.

At the time, he certainly wouldn’t have believed that nearly sixty years later, he would be acting in his 200th screen role at the age of ninety‑two, and that he would be known and loved for his acting by four generations of Americans.

​Breakthrough and Rise to Fame

He certainly wouldn’t have believed that in his very near future he would co‑star with some of Hollywood’s best—actors like Burt Lancaster, William Holden, Spencer Tracy, Lee Marvin, Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford, and many others. He would have laughed out loud if he had been told then that within a dozen years, he would be the star of an Emmy‑winning television show. He would have been seriously concerned about a person’s mental health if he or she had told him that within five years of that moment, he would be standing before the Academy thanking them for the Oscar he had just won for Best Actor.

But all of these things happened to this man because they believed he had a gift, and he had the perseverance to chase his dream of being an actor. However, he never forgot to thank fate for lending an occasional hand, nor has he ever failed to thank his fans for his success.

​How Different Generations Remember Him

He is known by many names depending on the age of those fans. Octogenarians most likely remember him as Marty. Those just eligible for social security know him as McHale. Those in their forties remember him as Dominic Santini, the veteran helicopter pilot. And the little kids are familiar with his voice as Mermaid Man on SpongeBob SquarePants. His completely unbiased best friend for nearly forty years, George “Goober” Lindsay, called him “one of the Great Treasures of the entertainment world.”

​Early Life and Naval Service

Ernest Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnino on January 24, 1917, in Hamden, Connecticut. He was the son of Italian immigrants, Charles and Anna Borgnino. When his parents divorced when he was two years old, he and his mother went back to live in Italy, but five years later they returned to Hamden, Connecticut, where he attended public school.

After graduating from high school, Borgnine joined the United States Navy in 1935 and served six years. He was discharged in 1941. He re‑enlisted when the United States entered World War II and served another four years, reaching the rank of Gunner’s Mate 1st Class. He received several decorations, including the American Campaign Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defence Service Medal with Fleet Clasp, and the World War II Victory Medal.

​Training and Early Theatre Career

After leaving the Navy, he spent a few years trying to figure out what he wanted to do. He began attending the Randall School of Drama in Hartford, Connecticut. Following graduation, he began a performance career at the famous Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. His first role on stage was as the gentleman caller in Tennessee Williams’ Glass Menagerie. In 1949, he debuted on Broadway in the hit play Harvey.

​Personal Life and Marriages

Borgnine was married five times. His longest marriage, over thirty‑five years, has been his last. His shortest, barely a month, was to Ethel Merman in 1964. He said of that marriage: “Biggest mistake of my life. I thought I was marrying Rosemary Clooney.”​

Hollywood Breakthrough: From Here to Eternity

In 1951, Borgnine moved to Los Angeles, where he received his big break in 1953 playing the cruel Sergeant “Fatso” Judson in From Here to Eternity. The movie was a great success and helped Borgnine build a reputation as a dependable character actor, although he usually played villains.​

Oscar Success: Marty (1955)

Even though Borgnine’s roles were usually heavies and villains, in 1955 he was given an opportunity to try something different—and it paid off. He starred as a warm‑hearted butcher in Marty, a part that earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor. He was paid only $5,000 for the role, but said, “I would have done it for nothing.”​

Major Film Roles

The Academy Award opened many doors. He appeared in many classic films with Hollywood’s best: The Vikings, The Flight of the Phoenix, The Dirty Dozen, The Wild Bunch, and The Poseidon Adventure.

Television Career: McHale’s Navy and Airwolf

In 1962, he was offered a part in a television pilot, Seven Against the Sea. It was reworked into the comedy McHale’s Navy, which became a major hit from 1962 to 1966. Borgnine received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1963.

He returned to television in the 1980s as Dominic Santini in Airwolf.​

Travels and Documentary: On the Bus

In his 80s, he travelled the country in an RV, later featured in the documentary Borgnine: On the Bus.

Voice Acting: Mermaid Man

Since 1999, Borgnine provided the voice of Mermaid Man in SpongeBob SquarePants, once again working alongside Tim Conway.​

Later Career and Awards

In 2007, at age 90, he starred in A Grandpa for Christmas, earning a Golden Globe nomination—the oldest nominee ever.​

Freemasonry and Service to the Craft

Ernest Borgnine was a Freemason, a member of Abingdon Lodge No. 48 in Virginia, a 33rd‑degree Scottish Rite Mason, and a Shriner. He received his 50‑year pin in 2000. He always spoke warmly of the Craft and of Abingdon, where he became a Master Mason.