Richard Widmark (1914 - 2008)
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Salomon Olofsson Widmark was born on September 21, 1852, in Gummark, Skellefteå parish, Västerbotten, Sweden? His parents were Olof Olofsson Widmark (1820-1909) and Gustava Gustafsdotter (1830-1915).
Salomon and his four years younger brother, Jonas Oskar, left for America on June 3, 1882, from Gothenburg to Hull, Great Britain, aboard the S/S Pacific. From Hull, they continued their journey by train to Liverpool and then departed on the S/S Scythia, arriving at Castle Garden, New York on June 21, 1882.
Salomon (1852-1912) settled in South Dakota and worked as a laborer, stonemason, and carpenter. There, he met Kari Pedersdatter (1865-1942) from Oppdal, Trondheim, Norway. They got married on January 3, 1889, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Their son, Carl Henry Widmark (1892-1968), was born and raised in Sioux Falls. He met May Barr, and they got married on January 16, 1914. The family later moved to Sunrise Township, Chisago County, Minnesota, and soon after, they had their son Richard Widmark on December 26, 1914, while Donald Henry Widmark (1918-1955) was born in Sioux Falls.
Richard Widmark grew up in Princeton, Illinois, showing great interest in acting and theater during high school and college. With determination and hard work, he became a world-famous film star.
Richard became a highly acclaimed actor and appeared in many films. He achieved a major breakthrough as the sinister gangster Tommy Udo in "Kiss of Death" in 1947, earning him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Richard Widmark passed away at the age of 93 on March 24, 2008, at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut.
