He was the biggest movie star in my world from 1973 into the 90s.  There’s not much more I can say about Charles Bronson that I’ve not written already.  He was the inspiration for my first ever fictional character (Jeremiah Bronson) when I was 14 and my first fictional novel (I Know Why the Dogwoods Blush), as I wrote about in the early days of my blog, December 21, 2009:

Jeremiah Bronson — Thanks, Charlie!

I recently paid homage to him as the primary ingredient missing in the 2011 remake of one of his classic films, The Mechanic:

The Mechanic (2011) Rocks, but Still Misses “Something” Special!

In short, the late, great Charles Bronson will ALWAYS be the first image I see when I think of an uncompromising, “make your own destiny” tough guy.  Whether he was a cowboy (The Magnificent Seven, Once Upon A Time in the West, Red Sun), an Indian (Drumbeat, Chato’s Land), a mafioso (The Valachi Papers, The Family), a professional assassin (The Mechanic, The Evil That Men Do), a vigilante (Death Wish series), a cop (The Stone Killers, From Ten Till Midnight), a fighter (Hard Times), or a soldier (Battle of the Bulge, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape), he was in charge and fearless.  As a young writer in my teenage years, he was a tremendous inspiration on the characters I wanted my “heroes” to portray.

Deacon Void may be 100% English, but if you look deep inside, rest assured you’ll see just a touch of tough guy Charlie Bronson!

A toast to the hero of my teenage years! Here's to you, Charlie Bronson!

Why do people enjoy my films?  Because audiences like to see the bad guys get their comeuppance.

Charles Bronson (1921-2003)

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