The late, great actor Edward G. Robinson (“Double Indemnity,” “Little Caesar”) may never have won an Oscar, but he now has a 33-cent U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamp, the sixth in the “Legends of Hollywood” series. The illustration is based on a publicity photo from his 1931 film “Five Star Final,” one of more than 100 movies Robinson made throughout his career.
Born Emanuel Goldenberg in Bucharest, Romania, in 1893, he fled pogroms to the Lower East Side at the age of 10; scrapped rabbinical school for plans to become an actor; and became ingrained in the public memory for his vivid gangster portrayals in the 1930s. At his stamp commemoration ceremony, Charlton Heston recalled a compliment from Robinson that he never forgot: While filming “The Ten Commandments,” Robinson told Heston, “For a goy, you played a pretty good Jew.”
