Milestones

DIED. Charles Bronson, 81, macho movie actor whose steely glare might have relegated him to villain roles but instead helped make him the top action star of the 1970s; in Los Angeles. Born Charles Buchinsky, the 11th of 15 siblings in a Lithuanian immigrant family, Bronson followed his father to work in the coal mines of South Pennsylvania before serving as a tail gunner in World War II. Longing to escape the deprivations of his childhood, he went to Hollywood and landed supporting roles in The Magnificent Seven , The Great Escape and The Dirty Dozen . In Europe, Bronson made movies that...