As a young child, Bronson did not initially know how to speak English and only learned it in his teens. His mother, Mary Valinsky, whose parents were born in Lithuania, was born in the anthracite coal mining town of Tamaqua in northeastern Pennsylvania.īronson was the first member of his family to graduate from high school.
His father was from the town of Druskininkai. He was one of 15 children born to a Lithuanian immigrant father of Lipka Tatar ancestry and a Lithuanian mother. During the McCarthy hearings he changed his last name to Bronson, fearing that Buchinsky sounded 'too Russian.' 4.2 Selected television series appearancesīronson was born Charles Dennis Buchinsky in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny Mountain Coal region north of Johnstown PA.4.1 Feature length films made for television.2.5 Cannon Films era and final roles, 1981-1994.2.4 Death Wish series and departure from UA, 1974–1980.2.3 European roles and rise with United Artists, 1968–1973.
