Things You Didn’t Know about Ernest Borgnine

He was more than just another pretty face.

Creative Commons: Greg Hernandez (Greg in Hollywood)

A lot of the pieces I’ve done about actors has been about handsome leading men. Ernest Borgnine doesn’t quite fit that profile. He was a character actor who occasionally played the lead. His appearance gave him an everyman quality. Sometimes he played an everyman with a real mean streak, but still, an everyman.

Borgnine’s career spanned more than 60 years so, there were bound to be some interesting tidbits along the way. So, let’s take a look.

1: After high school, Borgnine spent almost 10 years in the Navy.

Maybe he was a method actor and was preparing for his role in “McHale’s Navy.” Whoops, that’s not right.

2: After his Navy days, Borgnine came back home to his parents’ home, without a job.

After seeing the world, it seems his parents’ couch looked pretty good.

3: Ernest received his third Primetime Emmy Award nomination at the age of 92.

At 92, Ernie was still a primetime player.

4: Borgnine was a member of the Loyal Order of Moose at their…