Here is a rare very early vintage original double weight 8" by 10" photo of actor Robert Mitchum (1917-1997), from the 1950s. Hand signed in fountain pen. I believe it to be Mitchum's signature, but am listing as secretarial out of an abundance of caution. Direct from a 50s estate collection. Robert Mitchum was an underrated American leading man of enormous ability, who sublimated his talents beneath an air of disinterest. He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Ann Harriet (Gunderson), a Norwegian immigrant, and James Thomas Mitchum, a shipyard/railroad worker. His father died in a train accident when he was two, and Robert and his siblings (including brother John Mitchum, later also an actor) were raised by his mother and stepfather (a British army major) in Connecticut, New York, and Delaware. An early contempt for authority led to discipline problems, and Mitchum spent good portions of his teen years adventuring on the open road. He later claimed that on one of these trips, at the age of 14, he was charged with vagrancy and sentenced to a Georgia chain gang, from which he escaped. Working a wide variety of jobs (including ghostwriter for astrologist Carroll Righter), Mitchum discovered acting in a Long Beach, California, amateur theater company. He worked at Lockheed Aircraft, where job stress caused him to suffer temporary blindness. About this time he began to obtain small roles in films, appearing in dozens within a very brief time. In 1945, he was cast as Lt. Walker in Story of G.I. Joe (1945) and received an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor. His star ascended rapidly, and he became an icon of 1940s film noir, though equally adept at westerns and romantic dramas. His apparently lazy style and seen-it-all demeanor proved highly attractive to men and women, and by the 1950s, he was a true superstar despite a brief prison term for marijuana usage in 1949, which seemed to enhance rather than diminish his "bad boy" appeal. Though seemingly dismissive of "art," he worked in tremendously artistically thoughtful projects such as Charles Laughton's The Night of the Hunter (1955) and even co-wrote and composed an oratorio produced at the Hollywood Bowl by Orson Welles. A master of accents and seemingly unconcerned about his star image, he played in both forgettable and unforgettable films with unswerving nonchalance, leading many to overlook the prodigious talent he can bring to a project that he finds compelling. He moved into television in the 1980s as his film opportunities diminished, winning new fans with The Winds of War (1983) and War and Remembrance (1988). His sons James Mitchum and Christopher Mitchum are actors, as is his grandson Bentley Mitchum. His last film was James Dean: Race with Destiny (1997) with Casper Van Dien as James Dean. Minor corner and edge wear, small mark lower left corner. Rare.

Will ship worldwide. I always combine shipping on multiple orders.

Filmography:

1997James Dean: Race with Destiny
George Stevens
 1995The Marshal (TV Series)
Frank MacBride
- The New Marshal (1995) ... Frank MacBride
 1995The Sunset Boys
Ernest Bogan
 1995Dead Man
John Dickinson
 1995Backfire!
Marshal Marc Marshall
 1992-1994African Skies (TV Series)
Sam Dutton
- Poker Face (1994) ... Sam Dutton
- Star Turn (1994) ... Sam Dutton
- Natural Beauty (1994) ... Sam Dutton
- Noah and the Arc (1994) ... Sam Dutton
- Head in the Sand (1994) ... Sam Dutton
Show all 52 episodes
 1994Woman of Desire
Walter / Husband
 1993Tombstone
Narrator (voice)
 1992Les sept péchés capitaux
Dieu
 1991Cape Fear
Lieutenant Elgart
 1990Waiting for the Wind (Short)
Walter
 1990A Family for Joe (TV Series)
Joe Whitaker
- Having a Baby (1990) ... Joe Whitaker
- Night School (1990) ... Joe Whitaker
- Once a Bum (1990) ... Joe Whitaker
- Law and Order (1990) ... Joe Whitaker
- Life of the Party (1990) ... Joe Whitaker
Show all 9 episodes
 1990Midnight Ride
Dr. Hardy
 1990Présumé dangereux
Prof. Forrester
 1990A Family for Joe (TV Movie)
Joe Whitaker
 1989Jake Spanner, Private Eye (TV Movie)
Jake Spanner
 1988-1989War and Remembrance (TV Mini-Series)
Victor 'Pug' Henry
- Part XII (1989) ... Victor 'Pug' Henry
- Part XI (1989) ... Victor 'Pug' Henry (credit only)
- Part X (1989) ... Victor 'Pug' Henry
- Part IX (1989) ... Victor 'Pug' Henry
- Part VIII (1989) ... Victor 'Pug' Henry
Show all 12 episodes
 1989Brotherhood of the Rose (TV Mini-Series)
John Eliot
- Part II (1989) ... John Eliot
- Part I (1989) ... John Eliot
 1988Scrooged
Preston Rhinelander
 1988Mr. North
Mr. Bosworth
 1987The Equalizer (TV Series)
Richard Dyson
- Mission: McCall: Part 2 (1987) ... Richard Dyson (uncredited)
- Mission: McCall: Part 1 (1987) ... Richard Dyson
 1986Thompson's Last Run (TV Movie)
Johnny Thompson
 1985North & South: Book 1, North & South (TV Mini-Series)
Patrick Flynn
- Episode #1.6 (1985) ... Patrick Flynn (credit only)
- Episode #1.5 (1985) ... Patrick Flynn (credit only)
- Episode #1.4 (1985) ... Patrick Flynn (credit only)
- Episode #1.3 (1985) ... Patrick Flynn (credit only)
- Episode #1.2 (1985) ... Patrick Flynn
Show all 6 episodes
 1985Promises to Keep (TV Movie)
Jack Palmer
 1985Reunion at Fairborough (TV Movie)
Carl Hostrup
 1985The Hearst and Davies Affair (TV Movie)
William Randolph Hearst
 1984Maria's Lovers
Ivan's Father
 1984The Ambassador
Peter Hacker
 1983A Killer in the Family (TV Movie)
Gary Tison
 1983The Winds of War (TV Mini-Series)
Victor 'Pug' Henry
- Into the Maelstrom (1983) ... Victor 'Pug' Henry
- The Changing of the Guard (1983) ... Victor 'Pug' Henry
- Of Love and War (1983) ... Victor 'Pug' Henry
- Defiance (1983) ... Victor 'Pug' Henry
- Cataclysm (1983) ... Victor 'Pug' Henry
Show all 7 episodes
 1982That Championship Season
Coach Delaney
 1982One Shoe Makes It Murder (TV Movie)
Harold Shillman
 1980Nightkill
Donner / Rodriguez
 1980Agency
Ted Quinn
 1979Breakthrough
Col. Rogers
 1978Matilda
Duke Parkhurst
 1978The Big Sleep
Philip Marlowe
 1977The Amsterdam Kill
Larry Quinlan (as Law Bat Mai Cham)
 1976The Last Tycoon
Pat Brady
 1976Midway
Admiral William F. Halsey
 1975Farewell, My Lovely
Marlowe
 1974The Yakuza
Harry Kilmer
 1973America on the Rocks (TV Movie)
Narrator
 1973The Friends of Eddie Coyle
Eddie 'Fingers' Coyle
 1972The Wrath of God
Father Oliver Van Horne
 1971Going Home
Harry K. Graham
 1970Ryan's Daughter
Charles
 1969The Good Guys and the Bad Guys
Flagg
 1969Young Billy Young
Deputy Ben Kane
 1968Secret Ceremony
Albert
 1968Anzio
Dick Ennis (war correspondent, International Press)
 19685 Card Stud
Rev. Rudd
 1968Villa Rides
Lee Arnold
 1967The Way West
Dick Summers
 1966El Dorado
El Dorado Sheriff J.P. Harrah
 1965Mister Moses
Joe Moses
 1964What a Way to Go!
Rod Anderson, Jr.
 1964The Winston Affair
Lt. Col. Barney Adams
 1963Rampage
Harry Stanton
 1963The List of Adrian Messenger
Slattery
 1962Two for the Seesaw
Jerry Ryan
 1962The Longest Day
Brig. Gen. Norman Cota
 1962Cape Fear
Max Cady
 1961The Last Time I Saw Archie
Archie Hall
 1960The Grass Is Greener
Charles Delacro
 1960The Sundowners
Paddy Carmody
 1960The Night Fighters
Dermot O'Neill
 1960Home from the Hill
Captain Wade Hunnicutt
 1959The Wonderful Country
Martin Brady
 1959The Angry Hills
Mike Morrison
 1958The Hunters
Major Cleve Saville
 1958Thunder Road
Lucas Doolin
 1957The Enemy Below
Capt. Murrell
 1957Fire Down Below
Felix Bowers
 1957Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
Corporal Allison USMC
 1956Bandido!
Wilson
 1956Foreign Intrigue
Dave Bishop
 1955Man with the Gun
Clint Tollinger
 1955The Night of the Hunter
Harry Powell
 1955Not as a Stranger
Lucas Marsh
 1954Track of the Cat
Curt Bridges
 1954River of No Return
Matt Calder
 1953Second Chance
Russ Lambert
 1953White Witch Doctor
John 'Lonni' Douglas
 1953She Couldn't Say No
Doctor Robert Sellers
 1953Angel Face
Frank Jessup
 1952The Lusty Men
Jeff McCloud
 1952One Minute to Zero
Col. Steve Janowski
 1952Macao
Nick Cochran
 1951The Racket
Captain Thomas McQuigg
 1951His Kind of Woman
Dan Milner
 1951My Forbidden Past
Dr. Mark Lucas
 1950Where Danger Lives
Jeff Cameron
 1949Holiday Affair
Steve Mason
 1949The Big Steal
Lt. Duke Halliday
 1949The Red Pony
Billy Buck
 1948Blood on the Moon
Jim Garry
 1948Rachel and the Stranger
Jim
 1947Out of the Past
Jeff
 1947Desire Me
Paul Aubert
 1947Crossfire
Keeley
 1947Pursued
Jeb Rand
 1946The Locket
Norman Clyde
 1946Undercurrent
Michael Garroway
 1946Till the End of Time
William Tabeshaw
 1945West of the Pecos
Pecos Smith
 1945Story of G.I. Joe
Lt. Walker
 1944Nevada
Jim Lacy aka Nevada (as Bob Mitchum)
 1944Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Bob Gray
 1944Girl Rush
Jimmy Smith
 1944When Strangers Marry
Fred Graham
 1944Mr. Winkle Goes to War
Corporal (uncredited)
 1944Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore
CPO Jeff Daniels
 1943To the People of the United States (Documentary short)
Bomber Ground Crew (uncredited)
 1943'Gung Ho!': The Story of Carlson's Makin Island Raiders
Pig-Iron
 1943Riders of the Deadline
Nick Drago (as Bob Mitchum)
 1943Cry 'Havoc'
Dying Soldier in Connie's Arms (uncredited)
 1943The Dancing Masters
Mickey Halligan (uncredited)
 1943Minesweeper
Seaman Chuck Ryan (uncredited)
 1943False Colors
Rip Austin (as Bob Mitchum)
 1943Doughboys in Ireland
Ernie Jones (as Bob Mitchum)
 1943Bar 20
Richard Adams (as Bob Mitchum)
 1943Corvette K-225
Sheppard (uncredited)
 1943Beyond the Last Frontier
Trigger Dolan (as Bob Mitchum)
 1943The Lone Star Trail
Ben Slocum (as Bob Mitchum)
 1943We've Never Been Licked
Panhandle Mitchell (as Bob Mitchum)
 1943Colt Comrades
Dirk Mason (as Bob Mitchum)
 1943Leather Burners
Randall - Henchman (uncredited)
 1943Follow the Band
Tate Winters (as Bob Mitchum)
 1943Border Patrol
Quinn (as Bob Mitchum)
 1943Aerial Gunner
Sgt. Benson (uncredited)
 1943Hoppy Serves a Writ
Rigney (as Bob Mitchum)
 1943The Human Comedy
Quentin 'Horse' Gilford (uncredited)