If you passed Robert Bronzi on the street you would definitely do a double take thinking that you have just passed the late actor Charles Bronson. Bronzi has taken Hollywood by storm recently and has starred in films like “Death Kiss”, Once Upon a Time in Deadwood” and most recently the horror film “Cry Havoc”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with the Bronson doppelganger to discuss his films and likeness to Charles Bronson.
Mike Gencarelli: How does it feel to be called “The Hungarian Charles Bronson”?
Robert Bronzi: In my home town people know me as Robert or Bronzi because that is my stage name. Also, when I’m traveling in the country a lot of people want to take a photo with me, they congratulate me and wish me luck. I have to say it’s a very good feeling.
MG: When did you first get confronted about your likeness to Charles Bronson?
RB: As young man, pretty much my whole life. So I cut my hair and moustache like Bronson. Many years ago in Hungary I worked as a horse breeder and horse trainer. At the horse breeding center we had a lot of visitors every day, people told me “hey boy ! you know you look like Charles Bronson? ” I worked with my very good friend Peter, he would always say that I looked like him and he began to call me Bronzi. So he gave me my nick name . After that everyone called me Bronzi and it became my artist name.
MG: Give us some background on your life before you started making movies in Hollywood?
RB: I’m an actor, musician and stuntman. I have done a lot of different and interesting things in my life. I worked in Hungary as a horse breeder and horse trainer. I performed at western shows in Hungary and Spain in different pieces. I’m an accordionist, I played music in bars, at festivals, weddings and private parties.
MG: Tell us what was it like filming in Western Leone, near Almeria, Spain, which was the site of much of the filming of the famous Sergio Leone/Charles Bronson western ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST?
RB: Well, I really enjoyed filming in Almeria as I worked there for quite a few years in the western village of TEXAS HOLLYWOOD TABERNAS as a stunt performer. There I met some of my acquaintances, my old colleagues, and a few of them are also featured in the film, and my acting partners are also wonderful and talented people. Every time I go to Almeria I feel like if I am going home. I really like that place and Spain too.
MG: How was it going from a revenge western to a horror movie like CRY HAVOC?
RB: My first western style movie was shot some years ago, also with Rene Perez . The name of the film was From Hell To The Wild West .This is a western movie with horror elements. CRY HAVOC is a horror and action movie without western elements. For me that was a new challenge, a new role what I tried to do with my best ability as an actor.
MG: You have worked with director Rene Perez on four films now; tell us about how this collaboration started?
RB: Rene Perez saw my photo on the Saloon wall in Spain in the western village where I worked as a stunt performer. He thought it was a photo of Charles Bronson years ago hand asked the owner about the photo. When Rene found out it wasn’t Bronson, it was me, he told the owner,“I want to meet this guy”.
MG: I read you train in judo and Muay Thai; tell us about how you keep in shape?
RB: I work hard to keep my body in shape. In Hungary I have some good friends that help me get ready for the movies. They teach me martial arts such as judo and Thai boxing, and three times a week I visit the gym.
MG: What do you do when you are not acting?
RB: I have got some preferred hobbies. For example: Riding, archery, fishing, playing on my accordion and walking in the forest. I would also like to mention that I ‘m a member of a traditional preservation team in Hungary. When I have time I go with them to attend the traditional festivals where I use my sword, my replica firearms and of course my bow in the live show. Also I have different costumes from the very old times.
MG: What films do you have planned upcoming after CRY HAVOC?
RB: Currently I’m working on a few new projects. I can’t say much but in the near future you will see a lot of Bronzi action films .
FAQs
Known by fans through three names — Bronzi, The Bronz, and Robert Bronzarelli — one man has managed to have cinephiles do double-takes for years, all because he shares a face with the late great Charles Bronson. The actor, whose real name is Robert Kovacs, rose to fame (so to speak), from a very humble background.
What ethnicity was Charles Bronson? ›
Bronson was born Charles Dennis Buchinski in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania in the Pittsburgh Tri-State area. During the McCarthy hearings he changed his last name to Bronson as all Slavic names were suspect. He was one of 15 children born to a Lithuanian immigrant father of Lipka Tatar ancestry and a Lithuanian mother.
Is Charles Bronson alive or dead? ›
Charles Bronson (born November 3, 1921, Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, U.S.—died August 30, 2003, Los Angeles, California) was an American motion-picture and television actor who was best known for his portrayal of tough guys. Born: November 3, 1921, Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Is Robert Kovacs Charles Bronson? ›
No, Robert Bronzi is not related to Charles Bronson (who died in 2003 at the age of 81). ^^^ Robert Bronzi (real name Robert Kovacs) is a Hungarian stuntman and modern Charles Bronson lookalike who became popular for impersonating Bronson in Europe some years ago.
What is Charles Bronson's real name? ›
Charles Bronson(1921-2003) The archetypal screen tough guy with weatherbeaten features--one film critic described his rugged looks as "a Clark Gable who had been left out in the sun too long"--Charles Bronson was born Charles Buchinsky, one of 15 children of struggling parents in Pennsylvania.
Who looks like Charles Bronson in the gardener? ›
Sign in to vote. Needless to say that when you sit down to watch a movie like the 2021 action drama "The Gardener", it is almost solely because of Robert Bronzi's resemblance to Charles Bronson.
How tall was Charles Bronson? ›
He was 5'9". He was 81 years old when he died. His real full name was Charles Dennis Buchinsky Rectified - Karolis was the 1st name, his parents being from Litva, a Balto-Slavic nation, not Tartar. Born Charles Buchinsky, Bronson changed his last name during his early career in the 1950s during the rise of McCarthyism.
What is Action Bronson ethnicity? ›
1983–2010: Early life and career
Ariyan Arslani was born in Flushing, Queens, New York City, on December 2, 1983, to an Albanian Muslim father and an American Jewish mother. Growing up he had been raised in his father's Muslim tradition. He attended Bayside High School, in Bayside, Queens, and graduated in 2002.
What was Charles Bronson jailed for? ›
Bronson was convicted of armed robbery in 1974, aged twenty-two, and sentenced to seven years imprisonment. He was sent to Walton Gaol, and soon ended up in the punishment block after attacking two prisoners without being provoked. He was transferred to Hull in 1975.
Did Charles Bronson serve in the military? ›
Bronson's father, a miner, died when Bronson was young. Bronson himself worked in the mines as well until joining the United States Army Air Forces in 1943 to fight in World War II. After his service, he joined a theatrical troupe and studied acting.
This followed his marriage to Fatema Saira Rehman, a woman who had started to write to him during his time behind bars. In August 2014, Bronson announced he was legally changing his name to Charles Salvador, in tribute to the artist Salvador Dali. He took up art and even started a charity art foundation in that name.
Has Charles Bronson ever seen Bronson? ›
Charles Bronson was not allowed to see the film, but said that if his mother liked it, that would be enough for him. According to Refn, his mother loved it.
Who is Charles Bronson's daughter? ›
Does Charles Bronson have 2 sons? ›
Bronson only has one child, Michael. In 2018, George Bamby went on This Morning, claiming that he is the notorious criminal's son, revealing that a DNA test was 99.8 per cent positive match. However, friends and supporters of Bronson said that Bamby is a "fraud", as reported by The Mirror.
Why did Charles Bronson have an accent? ›
Bronson said English was not spoken at home during his childhood like many other first generation American children with whom he grew up. He once recounted that even as a soldier, his accent was strong enough to make his comrades think he was a foreigner. Besides English, he could speak Lithuanian and Russian.
What actress did Charles Bronson marry? ›
Bronson has been married three times. He got married to Irene Kelsey from 1971 to 1976, then to Saira Ali Ahmed from 2001 to 2005. His third marriage was in 2017 to actress Paula Williamson, who died two years later.
When did Jill Ireland meet Charles Bronson? ›
Charles met Jill Ireland in 1962 when she was married to Scottish actor David McCallum. Reportedly, Bronson, who co-starred with McCallum in “The Great Escape,” told McCallum that he would marry his wife one day. Bronson later married her on October 5, 1968.
