Actor Richard Widmark dies

Mar. 26 - The actor, who earned an Oscar nomination playing a psychopath in 1947 film "Kiss of Death," has died aged 93, a medical official in his home state of Connecticut said on Wednesday.

Widmark was slightly built during his prime and brought an edgy nervousness to the outcasts and heavies he played in Hollywood's film noir heyday -- a list of roles that The New York Times once described as a "gallery of reprobates." Widmark's most memorable role may well have been his first.

As Tommy Udo, he gleefully pushed a wheelchair-bound woman down a flight of stairs in "Kiss of Death" with a maniacal laugh that made a lasting impression on moviegoers.

In the 1950s he branched out from the heavy roles with parts in military and adventure films like "The Halls of Montezuma," "The Frogmen" and "Red Skies of Montana."

He was also a fan of Westerns and appeared in "Garden of Evil" with Gary Cooper, "Broken Lance" with Spencer Tracy, "The Alamo" with John Wayne, John Ford's "Cheyenne Autumn" and "How the West Was Won."