Gritty brilliance: Lee Marvin, the versatile Oscar-winner who died at 63 in 1987, is the subject of a new biography, a film-series retrospective and a Turner Classic Movies marathon.

Lee Marvin “is the guy who started it all in terms of modern American cinema violence,” according to Dwayne Epstein, the author of a new biography of the iconic actor.

Take Marvin’s intense performance as the sadistic gangster Vince Stone in Fritz Lang’s gritty 1953 film noir “The Big Heat,” which is as visceral and shocking today as it was 60 years ago. In the famous “coffee scene,” Marvin goes into an animalistic rage when he believes his girlfriend (Gloria Grahame) has told a former cop (Glenn Ford) about his nefarious activities. He twists her arm to get confirmation, but she refuses to say anything.

Here’s the full story from Susan King.

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   Incredible. Can’t believe I’ve never seen that…

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