How tall was Charles Bronson

Gerald S said on 7/May/23
Alain Delon had a good 3cm on Bronson in Farewell, Friend and Red Sun. 5'10" peak for Delon and 5'8.75" peak for Bronson works.

Gerald S said on 27/Apr/23
Rob, what are your thoughts on Vincent Gardenia? 5'6.75"?

I thought 5'9" Paul Dooley had a very good two inches on Gardenia in Death Wish.

Gerald S said on 18/Apr/23
Rob, what are your thoughts on Stuart Margolin? 5'8"?

I thought Charles Bronson had a good inch on Margolin in Death Wish.

Gerald S said on 11/Mar/23
Curtis did look a good inch taller than Bronson in You Can’t Win Em All’ because Curtis probably had an extra inch of footwear. Curtis was wearing boots with heels, whilst Bronson was wearing flat shoes.

Arch Stanton said on 6/Mar/23
Hard to see Bronson and Tony Curtis the same height in You Can't Win Em' All, if Bronson is 5'8.75 Curtis looks nearer 5 ft 10. There's a comparison at 35 minutes on Youtube. He must have worked out a few hours a day and been on a strict diet to look like he did Berta, there's no way around that, genetics or not. Baffling why somebody who tried that hard with his body would smoke and drink!!

berta said on 12/Jan/23
dont know what height he was. he could look " short" most of the time. a guy like stallon was easily taller than him. He could have been 175 but thats the highest. 174 could be closer. He must have been on a diet all his life and put some time in the gym because he was very ripped. even in his 50s.

Danimal said on 3/Jan/23
Could look close to 5'10" in certain movies. If you go back to a post I made August 24, 2018 (on this page), I provided a lot of proof of him looking 5'9 3/4" at the age of 46.

Costa said on 3/Dec/22
Between 5’8” and 5’9” of pure bone and muscle.

MaskDeMasque 5'9.5 said on 19/Nov/22
Looks 174-175 range in great escape. I can buy robs listing.

Sinclair said on 10/Nov/22
Like Alain Delon, Bronson seemed to get taller as he got older! I can still buy 5'8.75" for Bronson, in any case. Delon was a full inch taller, verging on 5'10".

Sinclair said on 30/Jul/22
Rob, any thoughts on Wynn's height when with Bronson at around 16:42?

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I presently cannot go with a full 5'11" for Wynn. Granted Wynn was probably a tad over 5'10", at least in his earlier days.

Sinclair said on 15/Jul/22
Rob, at 1:04:10, you can find another comparison between Bronson and Ventura, again signalling 5’7.25” for the latter.

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Sinclair said on 2/Jul/22
Rob, how tall does Lino Ventura look in these photos with Bronson?

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I can understand 5’8.75” for Bronson but a full 5’9” is questionable, especially if you consider Bronson in Pat and Mike and Vera Cruz (two films early in his career where he comes across as more 5’8” range).

Bronson did have more or less 2 inches on Jill Ireland but maybe she wasn’t the full 5’7” she was thought to be? I could buy as low as 5’6.5” for her.

Tech noir said on 1/May/22
Not a tall guy but a solid guy definitely. Was a keep fit type. 5-8 never looked short or tall.

Richie said on 15/Apr/22
I'm going to cause controversy and say a weak 5'10", Bronson was taller than Chuck Norris & approxiametly three inches shorter than 6'1" Lee Marvin, Bob Tessier had two inches on him. That is quite a lot of evidence, though not tall, i don't think Bronson was as short as people think.

Sinclair said on 7/Apr/22
I enjoy pondering over this one. I keep on coming back to slap bang in the middle of 5’8” and 5’9” for Bronson but if I had to choose if he was more 5’8” or more 5’9”, I’d have to choose 5’8” because he looked no more than this height in his early films and wore very sizeable footwear throughout the majority of his career.

I mentioned it before and I’ll mention it again, in Pat and Mike, Katharine Hepburn’s character refers to Charles Bronson’s as the little one, several times. 5’9” is not little now, let alone in 1952. Spencer Tracy was also a shade under 5’9” and a fair bit taller than Bronson in that film, though the footwear seemed to be on Tracy’s side in that instance. I also doubt Susan George was over 5’3” and Elvis Presley was 5’11.5” if lucky. Even so, I’m ultimately sticking with 5’8.5” for Bronson, Michael Winner was probably that height too, he mightn’t have bothered rounding down when calling them 5’9”.

Arch Stanton said on 8/Jan/22
Not many barefoot examples of him looking 5'9 though...

Ian C. said on 8/Jan/22
Actually, Arch, it is pretty easy to find shots where Bronson looked five foot nine. In The Great Escape, he stands next to James Coburn (six foot one) and does seem to be the required three inches shorter than Coburn. So, five foot nine. But, referencing yet again the movie Vera Cruz, he is in a shot with Jack Elam (whom Rob has at six foot), and Elam was at least four inches taller.

So Charles Buchinsky was (suspiciously) shorter than Charles Bronson. Buchinsky should have his own page, as he is a different man.

Arch Stanton said on 7/Jan/22
Watch Lola (Twinky) with Susan George. Bronson is barefoot in that and looks about 5 ft 9.

Arch Stanton said on 7/Jan/22
So you think Sinatra and Bronson were the same height? I think Bronson would have been noticeably taller. Sinatra was roughly average height for his generation I think, in good footwear and posture with his build he didn't look short a lot of time.

Ian C. said on 7/Jan/22
Referencing Vera Cruz (1954)again, and Bronson can be seen in an array of seven men (two of whom are Jack Elam and Ernest Borgnine) and Bronson/Buchinsky is the shortest man in the group. So I'm going to double down and say that Bronson was shorter than five foot eight, and may have been closer to five foot seven.

Rich Paul said on 6/Jan/22
Bronson was 5 inches shorter than Lee Marvin in The Dirty Dozen. Production stills show Bronson wearing lifts. I’d say he was max 5-7. Marvin was 6-2. Lifts made Bronson 5-9. Watch him in his early films. He was obviously short.

Ian C. said on 6/Jan/22
I have at least five TV streaming services going at any time, so I have plenty of access to old movies from the early 50s, when Bronson was in his early thirties and still acting under the name Buchinsky. Bronson, who was always compelling because of brutal good looks and considerable charisma, appeared in at least a hundred movies and TV episodes before he became a major movie star. There are quite a few movies that he made before he changed his name from Buchinsky to Bronson and, if you look at the movies he made when he was Buchinksy, he appears noticeably shorter than after he became Bronson.

Five foot seven and a half, which is what I believe to be Bronson's real height, can be scaled upwards with a variety of tricks, including special shoes. Frank Sinatra was five foot seven and a half, and yet was a successful leading man, sometimes in action movies. Watch Sinatra and, unless you're looking for it, you don't really notice what a little guy he was.

And Bronson, despite being short, was not a little guy. Muscles on the muscles, and a natural dignity and surly menace to equal Lee Marvin. Immerse him in a stellar cast, as he was in The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape, and he easily steals all his scenes from the actors he was paid to support. Check out House of Wax, when he was still Buchinsky, and he steals his scenes even though he is playing a mute. Bronson had so much charisma that he didn't need dialogue.

So anyway, my theory is that, when his roles in movies got larger, he changed his name and also his height, bringing him up to Paul Newman level.

Arch Stanton said on 5/Jan/22
Borgnine is an enigma, he could actually look 5'10.5-5'11 in a lot of films. See him with Bronson here though we can't see footwear or ground level Click Here

Ian C. said on 5/Jan/22
Five foot seven and a half. Bronson, then appearing under his birth name, Charles Buchinsky, can be seen in the movie Vera Cruz (1954) standing right next to Ernest Borgnine on a level floor. Borgnine was two inches taller, and Rob has Borgine at five foot nine and half.

Rising174cm said on 21/Dec/21
We have many examples where Bronson isn't being afforded the camera tricks of a leading man and he still looks 5'9"+. As Sinclair mentioned, not only did Michael Winner confirm Bronson was 5'9", but we have the full, candid shot taken on the set of Death Wish 3 where Bronson is looking at least 5'10" with Winner even at 63. That's not in the film, hence no camera tricks as they're not even posing for the camera. Even considering footwear, he cannot be shorter than Winner there. Then there was the side by side full photo at Cannes where Bronson was looking about 1.5" taller than 5'8" Sean Penn six months shy of his 70th birthday. Again that was at an event, not in a film. Same with the photos where Bronson was 65 and still looked 1"-1.5" taller than 5'8.5" Chuck Norris. In the Norris photos, they were indoors and directly side by side so ground level is unlikely to explain that.

And Yul Brynner was notorious for his height complex. Read the story of Brynner building up a dirt mound to stand next to Steve McQueen. Brynner also tried claiming he was basically 6 feet or 5'11.75" and would apparently get angry if anyone questioned it. I don't know how tall Brynner actually was, but if you're talking about height tricks, Brynner was as likely as anyone to employ them.

It's impossible Bronson was only 5'7". If anything, the current listing is a bit conservative. I've posted photos of him offscreen with his wife Jill Ireland, who is listed at 5'7" here, and Bronson really does seem about 2" taller. Footwear was visible in the photos.

Sinclair said on 12/Dec/21
I could go along with a flat 5’8” (Bronson often had big footwear) but nothing under that and I would still lean towards 5’8.5” on account on things like Michael Winner reportedly claiming Bronson as 5’9” and how Bronson looked with Winner, Chuck Norris (who I’d put at 5’8” or under), Sean Penn, Elvis Presley, Susan George etc. In Villa Rides, Bronson barefoot was as tall as 5’7.75” Herbert Lom in shoes and I thought Bronson looked a touch taller than Yul Brynner in that film and Brynner may have worn lifts.

Ian C. said on 7/Dec/21
Bronson must have had nearly 100 roles in movies and TV shows before he became a major star. You can go to one of these early appearances, when he wouldn't have had the benefit of tricks afforded to a leading man to make him seem taller, and he was definitely on the short side. Certainly well under five foot nine.

He was easily an inch shorter than Yul Brynner in Villa Rides and The Magnificent Seven, and Rob has Brynner at five foot eight. I wouldn't go higher than five foot seven for Charles Bronson.

Sinclair said on 2/Dec/21
A very difficult one. I doubt he was ever under 5’8” or over 5’9”. After I watched Mr. Majestyk I walked away with a 5’9” impression, however I recall he wore big boots in that film and many others. In The Dirty Dozen for instance, in the scene with Bronson and Lee Marvin impersonating German officers, Bronson carries a big heel and is still dwarfed by 6’1ish Lee Marvin. He was also dwarfed considerably by 6’1.5” James Coburn in Hard Times. In Pat and Mike, Bronson really doesn’t look over 5’8”, Spencer Tracy has 1-2 inches on Bronson (although Tracy has big footwear) plus Hepburn’s character refers to Bronson’s character a couple of times as the little one, in 1952, I doubt anyone could call 5’9” little. I also do not know how to explain barefoot Robert Duvall being taller than boot-wearing Bronson in Breakout. In Vera Cruz, there is also a few unexplained inches between 5’9.5”? Ernest Borgnine and Bronson and if Borgnine wore lifts, perhaps Bronson would have too. I see how Bronson looks taller than Sean Penn and Chuck Norris but Bronson’s footwear is typically more inflated than average in most photos. In the Michael Winner photo, Bronson looks at least on par with Winner but again I see a big heel on Bronson’s shoe giving him the advantage and with the Norris photo it isn’t a full figure shot, so maybe Bronson was on higher ground or using more inflated footwear and Bronson seems to be practicing better posture. With Alain Delon in Farewell, Friend, Delon and Bronson seem to have similar footwear and 5’9.75” Delon is only about an inch taller than Bronson, so I’d have to go along with 5’8.5” for Bronson. I was tempted for a flat 5’8” but also considering the Elvis Presley photos with Bronson and how Bronson looked about 5’9” with Susan George, I’d hesitate giving Bronson anything lower than 5’8.5”, thus, he held his height very well into old age. Elvis may have been a bit under 182cm and I doubt Susan George was much over if anything over 5’3”.

Rising174cm said on 17/Nov/21
Thanks, Rob. I think this is definitely a bit closer and at least puts him taller than Chuck Norris.

Arch Stanton said on 17/Nov/21
Well, I thought he did look a full 5 ft 9 with Susan George barefoot Rising. Some 70s action films I saw him in 5'9 seemed a a bit hight. Weak 5'9 is certainly better than the 5'8 flat he was once listed at anyway.

Rising174cm said on 15/Nov/21
@Arch: Footwear with Michael Winner looks thick, but he looks at least 5'10" with him if Winner was the 5'9" Rob gives him: Click Here I can't imagine Bronson being shorter than Winner seeing them side by side and Winner himself would have seen Bronson without lifts, yet he's confirmed Bronson was 5'9".

Here's the footwear he wore with Sean Penn: Click Here A slight heel on one shoe, but the angle does not look like an elevator. Looking an inch to 1.5" taller in that footwear, Bronson had to have still been taller than Penn at basically 70. And remember, Penn himself was taller than Cruise in the early 80s. That photo is only for showing footwear, but there was a side by side photo that day showing Bronson looking about 1.5" taller.

Footwear with Chuck Norris is unknown, but Bronson winds up looking an inch to 1.5" taller at age 65: Click Here To my knowledge, it's never actually been confirmed that Bronson wore lifts, but it was confirmed by DiFabrizio that Norris did and you can see him in what look like elevator boots at The Expendables 2 premiere at age 72.

I'm accounting for the probability of some footwear advantage when I say he was a full 5'9" because he looks at least 5'10" on set with Winner and generally at least 5'9.5" between 65-70 with Penn and Norris.

Footwear is also visible in these photos of younger Bronson with Jill Ireland: Click Here Click Here In the second pic, Jill's heels definitely aren't smaller and if she's 5'7", Bronson looks at least 5'9" to me. He generally doesn't look to have an elevator-type design to me. Perhaps a slightly big heel to cowboy heel usually.

Rising174cm said on 14/Nov/21
Yeah, he looked a full 5'9" with Elvis without any lifts. Unfortunately, the best picture with Sean Penn has disappeared, but it was a full side by side picture showing Bronson looking at least 5'9", if not 5'9.5" with Penn just 6 months shy of his 70th birthday. The full pic of a 63 year old Bronson on the set of Death Wish 3 with Michael Winner and the pictures of Bronson at 65 with Chuck Norris are still available.

Arch Stanton said on 14/Nov/21
What was his footwear like though Rising? There's several action films I can think of from the 70s where I honestly thought Bronson looked no more than 5 ft 8.

Robby Harris said on 12/Nov/21
Have you ever considered giving him an upgrade, Rob? What prevents you from doing so?

Robby Harris said on 11/Nov/21
Important to reiterate he wore flat boxing shoes with Elvis, so lifts are ruled out.

Robby Harris said on 11/Nov/21
Charles with 5'11.5" Elvis Presley in " Kid Galahad" in 1962:
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Even if we go with a minimum of 5'11" flat for Elvis, he still only looked about 2 inches taller than Bronson, who wore flat boxing shoes in the first pic. That lends more credence to a full 5'9" for Bronson. He looked taller than 5'8.5" in that film. If he was, it would imply Elvis was more 5'10.5" range - which he wasn't.

The Michael Winner photo and Susan George barefoot scene in "Lola" are also one of the most obvious examples that Bronson was pretty much the full 5'9".

Rising174cm said on 8/Nov/21
5'9" flat is definitely most likely. He clearly had more than 1/2" on Sean Penn at almost 70. 65 year old Bronson also looked taller than 5'8.5" Chuck Norris in multiple pics and 5'9" Michael Winner, who confirmed Bronson was 5'9". The barefoot scene with Susan George makes it so this can't simply be explained away by assuming lifts.

Bronson could pass for 5'10" at times. No more or less than 5'9", but he could look it.

Ian C. said on 5/Nov/21
I think I may have caught Mr. Bronson being short. In the movie Apache, made in 1954, Bronson was still using his birth name, which was Buchinsky. He has a scene walking on level ground beside Jean Peters. They were playing Apaches, so we can plausibly assume that they were both wearing moccasins. Google says that Peters was five foot five and a bit. Bronson (or Buchinsky) was no more than an inch and half taller, making him roughly five foot seven. Maybe five foot six-and-half.

The guy never looked tall. Stronger than my Uncle Bill, tougher than old boots and with masculine authority to burn, but he was short.

Myers Haddonfield said on 4/Nov/21
Not especially tall guy but very solid build. Looked always a dangerous guy. Listing looks correct.

Arch Stanton said on 10/Sep/21
Indeed, but also occasions where he seemed too short and stocky to quite be it. 5'8.5 as a low seems reaosnable to me.

Arch Stanton said on 7/Sep/21
okbymeman said on 30/Oct/20
I swear Rob has something against this guy - he had him listed as 5'8 flat for the longest time and I still think he looked a bit taller than 174cm, at least in movies. You can tell just by his proportions that he was a decent average height.
Editor Rob
I can see why almost 5ft 9 might be possible, he pulled it off at times!

Because Bronson was a known lift wearer and very height conscious, Rob is always suspicious of guys like Bronson and Savalas etc. 5'8.5 is reasonable, there's films I can think of where Brosnan looked a similar sort of height to Sean Penn and 5'7.5-5'8. Brosnon did look about 5 ft 9 barefoot with Susan George, I think that's the best evidence we have of his real height, not as short as he could look at times.

Alan Ainsworth said on 4/Sep/21
Mid to late 80s, so Charles would have been well into his 60s & may have shrunk a mite by then, but my dad played golf with him once. He was a member at Riviera. Jack Nicholson picked my dad as one of his targets to improve his tennis game & played him quite a few times. I'd guess Charles may have been a member too. My dad was struck by how small he seemed. Reckoned 5'5", tops. He was an enthusiastic but lousy golfer and a surprisingly short hitter for his age, even if he middled the ball. Seemingly a quiet, very modest and self-effacing guy on the golf course, where he accepted he was of "occasional weekend hacker" standard. That doesn't really square with the general perception of Mr.Bronson. (Jack Nicholson is/was Jack Nicholson, either on or off the tennis court... and he was about 5'10")

Tall Sam said on 19/Jul/21
Him and Bogart did a lot for the case that shortish 5’8” range guys can be pretty manly and tough seeming, although Bronson was definitely packing a fair bit more muscle.

Ian C. said on 19/Jun/21
Bronson had a small part as a malevolent deaf mute sculptor/killer in House of Wax, when he was 32. Kind of a short guy, but extremely muscular in a way that is seldom seen in anyone not a professional athlete. Five foot eight tops.

And that man could act. He has no dialogue in House of Wax, but easily steals scenes from actors who do, just by conveying a cruel animal cunning.

Leo2001 said on 14/Jun/21
Bronson character was listed as 6 feet in the movie "The Mechanic".

Click Here

Sean said on 15/Mar/21
He did a movie with 5' 11 3/4" Elvis, comparing the two I can't see anything over 5'8" for him. If he looks taller in pictures I suspect lifts.

Rising174cm said on 4/Feb/21
@Richie: I agree 100%. Unfortunately, the best pic of Bronson side by side with 5'8" Sean Penn at Cannes in 1991 has disappeared, but for those that remember it a few years ago, Bronson looked easily 5'9", if not 5'9.5"! But we can still see this shot showing the footwear he was wearing: tinyurl.com/ytx9q5z9 The style of shoe he's wearing does not look like an elevator shoe meaning footwear can't explain Bronson looking at least 5'9" a mere 6 months before his 70th birthday, much like Rob agreed Bronson pulled off 5'9" in his bare feet back in the 70s with Susan George.

So yeah, Bronson was not short, especially for his generation. He was only short when compared to peers like the 6'3" Clint Eastwood and 6'2" Sean Connery. I'll buy his 5'10" listing being a shoe height and the 5'9" figure Michael Winner gave for Bronson being his barefoot height.

Richie said on 3/Feb/21
@Rising147cm I certainly wouldn't argue with you & Bronson may not quite have reached an official 5'10" barefoot, but there was enough evidence to suggest he wasn't quite as short as people believed, he stood up well with Bob Tessier in Hard Times and Tessier was 6'1", i'll keep with 5'10" or perhaps a smidge below minus footwear.

Rising174cm said on 22/Jan/21
Jill Ireland being listed here at 5'7" is more proof that a 5'9" listing for Bronson would match the other listings here much better. Both full photos with each of their footwear visible: Click Here Click Here Bronson has a standard cowboy-type heel in the second pic while Jill has some sort of low to medium heel that certainly wouldn't add less. He was definitely at least solid 2" taller.

Rising174cm said on 20/Jan/21
@Richie: I don't think movie height charts are trustworthy, however Bronson could pass for 5'10" even after that movie was made so it's possible he hit 5'11" in shoes. In any event, you're right: he was definitely taller than Norris at 65 and certainly no shorter than Winner who is not only listed 5'9" here but said himself that Bronson was also 5'9". However, Norris was apparently only 5'8.5" according to Air Force Records and his height here, though Chuck also claimed 5'10"

I can't agree that he was his official 5'10" barefoot, but since he could look it even into the 65-70 range and pulled off 5'9" in bare feet, I wouldn't give him any less. Imo, he probably wore 2" footwear on occasion to hit 5'11" in shoes and look a legit 5'10".

Richie said on 19/Jan/21
Height chart in Death Wish 3 shows Bronson at 5'11" in shoes, if that is anything to go by, he would be 5'10" flat. He was taller than Chuck Norris & Michael Winner, both of whom were 5'9" legits. I'm going to be a spoiler & say 5'10" solid, though not tall, i don't think he was as short as people believed.

Rising174cm said on 29/Dec/20
My mistake. I meant to mention the timestamps for the scene with Bronson barefoot with Susan George. You see him barefoot from about 7:14 to 7:48.

Rising174cm said on 29/Dec/20
Here's the full photo with Michael Winner, whom Rob does give a 5'9" listing: Click Here Considering how much time Winner spent with Bronson, he's the best source we have. If anything, Bronson and Winner should have their listings reversed, especially since that's a 63 year old Bronson and a 49 year old Winner. No way Bronson was shorter and Winner didn't think he was shorter either.


The photos with Chuck Norris, whose Air Force records apparently confirm he was 5'8.5", were taken in December of 1986: Click Here Click Here Bronson could look as tall as 5'9.5"-5'10" there!

And here's a 50 year old Bronson barefoot with Susan George in shoes: Click Here If she's 5'3.5" then she'd be comfortably over 5'4" in shoes, possibly 5'5" making Bronson an easy 5'9"+ there. This makes it difficult to dismiss all of this as lifts, which Winner surely saw Bronson without as well.

Unfortunately, the best pic of Bronson and Penn has disappeared, but a basically 70 year old Bronson looked about 1.5" taller.

Rising174cm said on 24/Dec/20
Bronson was visibly taller than 5'8" Sean Penn half a year before his 70th birthday and clearly taller than 5'8.5" Chuck Norris around age 65 so if a 65-70 year old Bronson was still pulling off a solid 5'9" then I'd have to say Michael Winner and the earlier comment were both right - Bronson was 5'9", which he also looked in bare feet.

Jack jacker said on 7/Nov/20
STRONG 177CM IN DEATH WISH 4 !!!!!

okbymeman said on 30/Oct/20
I swear Rob has something against this guy - he had him listed as 5'8 flat for the longest time and I still think he looked a bit taller than 174cm, at least in movies. You can tell just by his proportions that he was a decent average height.

Ian C. said on 19/Oct/20
In the movie, Villa Rides, Arch, Brynner and Bronson are shown from head-to-toe, standing on a level floor, and Brynner was an inch taller. In the Magnificent Seven, Brynner and Bronson can be seen standing next to each other (although outside, so you can't tell if the ground is level.) But again, Brynner was taller. of course, Brynner has been exposed here at Celebrity Heights as a flagrant height liar, so chances are he wore lifts.

Bronson must have had close to a hundred roles in movies and TV shows as a supporting player, and he looks short in most of them. He probably magically grew a couple of inches after he became a bankable leading man.

A very underrated actor, by the way. He had only small roles in The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven, but he easily dominated his scenes in those movies.

Arch Stanton said on 16/Oct/20
Ian C. said on 10/Oct/20
Assuming Brynner was not wearing lifts (and that might be a questionable assumption)

A guy like Brynner would have made certain he looked taller! Well, I think Bronson was naturally a slim, wiry framed guy, but he wouldn't have had quite the same muscle tone without working out. I agree that he could give the illusion of a 5 ft 7 type of guy at times (like Sean Penn can) but that barefoot scene with Susan George for me is valuable evidence on him being no less than this.

Ian C. said on 10/Oct/20
In the movie Villa Rides, Bronson stands next to Yul Brynner, and Brynner is taller by about half an inch. Assuming Brynner was not wearing lifts (and that might be a questionable assumption) Bronson was no taller than five foot seven-and-half.

Ian C. said on 9/Oct/20
He can be seen standing next to Yul Brynner (but not on level ground) and he appears to be an inch shorter than Brynner. He could have been as low as five foot seven. When the Dirty Dozen line up by height, Bronson was on the shorter end of the line. I wouldn't go higher than five foot eight for Bronson.

Carlos172 said on 30/Sep/20
I think Bronson, after seeing almost all his movies, some more than once, was at least 5'-8" or 5'-9" tall. To say he was only 5'-6" or 5'-7", it is just ridiculous!

Ian C. said on 30/Sep/20
I think, Arch, that even if Bronson had not worked out at all, he would still have been extraordinarily muscular, and with very little body fat. Bronson is one of the few actors who looks as if he could have been a professional athlete. He moves very well in The Magnificent Seven for example-nimble and quick.

I love the movies, (I'll bet that is a common trait among the regular visitors to Celebrity Heights) and it is kind of astonishing nowadays to see characters in old movies just light up and smoke without asking permission from anybody else. You can make a pretty good list of actors who died from diseases caused by smoking, and Bronson was one of them. His death certificate cites metastatic lung cancer as the principal cause of death. You wonder how long he would have lived if he hadn't smoked, because he looked so strong.

Arch Stanton said on 28/Sep/20
That's interesting Ian as he was in fantastic shape physically, he had to have worked hard every day to look like that so if he was finding it hard to maintain cardio it is surprising he had such low body fat. I'll never understand why people so into fitness smoke, it's like being a Christian and having sessions of Satanic worship on the side in terms of health! It's one of the dumbest things you can do to yourself.

Ian C. said on 27/Sep/20
Bronson was said to have had poor wind, as a result of decades of smoking. In the movie, Hard Times, he could sustain a fight scene for only thirty seconds, despite his unusual muscularity. One of the reasons that smoking is so dangerous is that its harmful effects don't appear at all for at least ten years after you start, and in youth Bronson would have been far stronger than most men, and it would have seemed to him that smoking was harmless.

In most of his movies he appears with taller actors. Of course he was only a supporting player until he was well over forty, and it is possible that he avoided appearing short once he became a leading man, so his movies were cast with shorter actors to hide his lack of height.

He's probably taller than Stallone, and he looks a lot tougher.

Frank Col said on 28/Jun/20
I think the quote re Bronson not wanting actors taller than him is false. You only have to watch his movies with functioning eyes to see that most of the male actors in them are taller than he is, though certainly not harder. As for his height, those same eyes of mine see him at 5ft 7 and not an inch taller. He had clear lifts in all his movies and still looked small.

Arch Stanton said on 25/May/20
Woody Strode also in exceptional shape, forgot about him.

Arch Stanton said on 21/May/20
This guy was in shape, and I mean in shape. Like he did 2000 pushups a day. He looked like an MMA fighter. In Hollywood, only Bruce Lee from that period looked fitter than Bronson did. I never understood how guys that dedicated to fitness drank and smoked so much, almost like they were compensating working out for that!

Arch Stanton said on 21/May/20
Yeah he was an inch shorter than Delon barefoot. Barefoot with Susan George in Twinky he actually looked near 5'9 but we think Susan was more in 5'3 range. At times he could give the impression of a wiry 5 ft 7 boxer type though I agree.

Arch Stanton said on 21/May/20
I often wondered if Charles and Barbra Streisand were related, they could be brother and sister! Both have that northeastern European look about them, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus area.

meezemaker said on 24/Mar/20
I can go to a 5'8 but defenetly not under. He was about an inch shorter than french actor Delon whose height is 176-177.

just watch the photo where both are barefoot on the deck of a boat, one inch for Delon. It means between 173.5 cm and 174.5 cm.

greg99 said on 7/Mar/20
Really trust Frank2's height estimations but he does seem out with this. If Jill Ireland was really 5'7" then bronson looked at least 1.5" taller - I would have thought Rob's estimate is correct based on available evidence.

RichardSpain said on 28/Dec/19
175/176 cm young
174 older

Miss Sandy Cowell said on 3/Nov/19
Charles was born 98 years ago today. He died at 81.

This great 🌟 Star 🌟 is getting 5ft8.5.

RIP Charles Bronson XXX 🕯️

Carlos172 said on 15/Oct/19
I always thought he was around 5'-10" tall, seeing all his 70's, and later movies!
However, reading here about him possibly wearing lifts, I guess 5'-8" would be possible but not less. To say he was only 5'-6" or 5'-7", it's just ridiculous I think!

Arch Stanton said on 28/Aug/19
I can see how some people think 5'7. At times he could look short, but that scene with Susan George barefoot for me is the best thing we have to indicate he was over 5'8.

Larry Knapp said on 27/Jul/19
I believe in his prime he was a weak 5’9”

Rich Paul said on 25/Jul/19
Bronson is two inches taller than 5’6”” Richard Attenborough. Dick Cavett is around 5’4”. When Kirk Douglas appeared on Cavett’s show he towered over him. At best Kirk in his prime was 5’8”.

Danimal 5'9 3/4" said on 17/Jul/19
5'6" Dick Cavett and Bronson in the early 70's. Pause the video at 1:03 Click Here

Rich Paul said on 9/Jul/19
Watching Vera Cruz which happens to be a terrific adventure film, Bronson was considerably shorter than the rest of the cast. Ernest Borgnine had a good three inches on Bronson. I’d say peak was 5’7’’ to 5’8’’ at the most. Bronson was one of those actors who just keep getting better with age. Tremendous screen presence which I’m sure made him seem taller.

Rising - 174 cm said on 25/Aug/18
@Danimal: Good post. Bronson could look his "official" height of 5'10" at times and it's important to remember he was relatively old when his career took off and one of his legs was shorter than the other. I don't know if that was due to an injury, but it makes it even easier to see him 5'9" at some point.

Danimal 5'9 3/4" said on 24/Aug/18
On the set of Farewell, Friend in 1968 with 177cm (5'9 3/4") Alain Delon (listed height on THIS site). Charles was 46 years old at the time (possibly past his prime). They are both shirtless and both barefoot. Charles is about the same height as 5'9 3/4" Alain (he looks slightly shorter in the 1st pic due to the angle of the pic, but looks the same height as him in the 2nd pic):
Click Here
Click Here

In shoes (same movie), Charles is clearly taller than 5'9 3/4" Alain (which says that Charles was wearing thicker heels or insoles than 5'9 3/4" Alain:
Click Here
Click Here
Click Here
Click Here

So, barefoot, I think it's possible that Charles could have been close to 5'9.5" (176cm) based on these pics from 1968 when he was already 46 years old (possibly past his prime).

Rising - 174 cm said on 26/Jun/18
@Justice: Btw, that site is NOT an actor's official bio. It can be edited by anyone and the 5'9.5" figure comes from Rob's guess. For the record, Borgnine was listed at 5'11" in the 60's and claimed both 6' and later 5'9" in his bio, though it's not entirely clear if he was referring to his prime height. The quote made it sound like he was referring to himself as 5'9" when he was younger, but nobody except Borgnine could have said for sure. Of course, Bronson's official bio listed him at 5'10"! We can agree that's not the case, though he could look it at times, likely due to posture and footwear.

Rising - 174 cm said on 25/Jun/18
Susan George has a significant advantage with footwear compared to Bronson, who is in bare feet and still towers her. If Bronson were really 5'7", he wouldn't be that much taller. There's also a scene in The Great Escape where Bronson is barefoot and doesn't look short even next to his tall co-stars in boots and I believe he's wearing slippers in one scene in The Mechanic with Jan Michael Vincent, though his character is listed at a laughable 6'0" and 155 pounds in that film! We can agree to disagree, but saying things like "indisputable" and a photo doesn't lie are just silly. Even photos indoors on level ground with the subjects seemingly side by side can exaggerate or minimize difference, much less a still where neither of those essential requirements are met. Again, Bronson is on lower ground and in the background. There are scenes in the actual film when you can compare them much better than that distorted still and the difference isn't that big. Although if I'm right about Bronson being 5'9" then Borgnine would still have to be taller than 5'10" and/or in lifts. But this same problem comes up when Borgnine is compared to Monty Clift or others. The same poster (Steve/Frank2) who said Bronson was 5'7" in person also use to say Borgnine was more 5'10"-5'11" range.

Certainly, the photo of Bronson and Michael Winner suggests Winner was correct in estimating Bronson his height at the very least. So a 5'7" Bronson means Winner was also 5'7" max. But then you have Bronson at 65 with Chuck Norris(about 5'8.5"): Click Here Click Here When Bronson stands straight and they're equal distance from the camera in the first pic, he looks at least an inch taller than Norris and he's still taller when slouching in the second pic. Even if Bronson wore lifts to this event, it'd still be unlikely he was shorter than Norris and Norris has had cowboy boots custom built with lifts inside for years himself.

Finally, Bronson aged 69 looking noticeably taller than 5'8" Sean Penn: Click Here Click Here The first pic is almost a full one and the second pic gives you a look at Bronson's footwear and clearly they're not some monster 2.5"-3" elevator shoe. There are many other pics of the two from that and another event along with Dennis Hopper as the shortest of the three and he's also listed 5'8" and was roughly 15 years younger than Bronson.

You can see Bronson side by side with Penn and there's no question he's taller regardless of any footwear so along with believing Bronson had lost no height as a 63, 65 or even 69 year old, to even make 5'8.5" add up with these men would require Norris to be more like 5'8" flat, Winner 5'8.5" max, Penn to be closer to 5'7" and Hopper probably not even 5'7". Don't get me wrong, I think 5'8.5" is a reasonable estimate for Bronson, especially since he can look shorter in some early films, but saying he's 5'7" would bring all of these men down to estimates that are completely unbelievable. Then there's the comparison with Bronson and Elvis where Bronson wears flat boxing footwear and is maybe 2.5" shorter max, sometimes it doesn't even look like that much. I believe Elvis was maybe 5'11.5", but he certainly wasn't less than 5'11" either way and aside from the flat boxing footwear, Bronson wearing lifts as a supporting actor with Elvis the star and a man rumored to wear lifts himself just doesn't make sense. Take the 1970 film Citta Violenta(Violent City) and Bronson in shoes looks similar height to a barefoot Telly Savalas and Telly was 5'10" absolute minimum.

Rising - 174 cm said on 23/Jun/18
Here's Bronson looking all of 5'9" barefoot next to 5'3.5" Susan George in shoes: Click Here In fact, George was listed 5'4" here before Rob saw her next to a barefoot Bronson.

@Justice: The photo is not "indisputable." His leg being bent is the least of it as Bronson is in the background and on lower ground. Borgnine was definitely bigger, but his height is a bit of a mystery claiming everything from 5'9" to 6' while getting listed 5'11". Watch the film, the difference is more like 2" absolute max, but there's not a real clear scene to compare their heights on level ground. Bronson's father may or may not have been 5'7", but that certainly doesn't mean Bronson was. I suppose Kiefer Sutherland is 6'3.5"! Stallone never claimed 5'11" or 6'. He usually claimed 5'10" except for a while when he was claiming 5'10.5" and once tried claiming 5'10.75" in the late 70's. I've read Walter Hill mentioning Bronson's smoking and lack of stamina and that made sense seeing him run in later films like 10 to Midnight since he was in good shape otherwise, but looked kind of slow and laboring when running. I don't know what you think Hill's comment means, but saying someone is "short" does not mean they're 5'7". McQueen, Newman, Redford, Jack Nicholson and many others were all often called short and every one of them was at least 5'9". In fact, Redford was closer to 5'10". Again, it's certainly possible Bronson wore lifts, but that would simply explain how he could look so much taller as you note yourself.

@Robby Harris: Yeah, if anything, I'd guess Bronson as the taller of the two men, but if Michael Winner says they were the same height, I'd have to agree. However, I'd just say that as long as Bronson is listed at 5'8.5", Winner should be listed the same and Chuck Norris probably shorter or Bronson should get the 5'9" listing if the two stay the same. Considering Chuck Norris is a known lift wearer, it's unlikely a 65 year old Bronson would look noticeably taller if they were actually the same height. With all that said, I wouldn't argue anything above 5'9" for Bronson either.

Justice said on 22/Jun/18
Hi Rob, If Charles Bronson was 5'9ish. Then earnest Borgnine would have to be upgraded to about 6'1. In the photo Steve posted from Vera Cruz

(Steve said on 12/Jan/15
Bronson never looked any taller than 5'8". He could have been even shorter.)

I couldn't download the photo here but it is still on the forum further down.

The photo clearly shows Bronson as only up to Borgnine's jawline if you were to remove the hat from Bronson,even shorter. They seem to have the same heeled boots. So if Borgnine is listed as 5'9.5. then how can Bronson be around 5'8.5 or 5'9 and have that much height difference in the photo with Borgnine. I know some might state that Bronson is standing with his leg bent a bit, but even straight he wouldn't gain 3-4 inch's in height. the photo is indisputable in showing the height difference between Borgnine and Bronson. Bronson is about the same height as the man on the far left who looks short.

If Bronson is the stated 5'8.5 and Borgnine 5'9.5. Then there should only be a 1" height difference. There is no argument that there is much more than a 1' height difference between the Bronson and Borgnine in Vera Cruz.

Justice said on 22/Jun/18
Again no clue why Walter Hill made the comment. I've researched Bronson since I was 15 years old. Tried to find out his workouts and diet. Not much there. Walter Hill also said Bronson's Cardio was terrible for a man who looked in such great shape, but he smoked a lot. In the fight scenes, he said Bronson would throw a few punch's and have to stop due to breathing to hard so he started running after shooting to build his cardio up. Maybe he's lying about that too.

No one lies about their height in Hollywood LOl. I've read in a biography on Bronson that his father was also 5'7. Read the biography's about the man? I suspect even if someone came out with a new biography about Bronson's height someone would still dispute it. My opinion come's from all my research on Bronson. Like Sylvester Stallone trying to claim 5'11 or 6" at times completely laughable. But he can LOOK that height in the movies. Another thing Walter Hill said was Tessier was told to crouch low in the fight scene with Bronson due to the noticeable height difference. Walter Hill was talking about the making of Hard times and the Challenge's that came with it. Originally in the book Hard Times Chaney was a farmer who lost his farm and family and was a Killer. I'll keep my opinion on the research I've done. Not even on Walter Hills opinion.

Tessier is 6'1, how did they make Bronson look the same height in Hard times? Somehow they made Bronson look evenly matched to Tessier and Dinitri. Bronson is clearly shorter than Tessier in real life. But in the movies he looks comparable in Height. How is that? In the fight with Dimitri, Dimitri is also crouched down while Bronson is standing straight up Dimitri is in Flats compared to Bronson's enhanced shoes. Somehow Even if Bronson was 5'9, how is it he looks to be the same height as someone who is 4-5 inch's taller?

Robby Harris said on 20/Jun/18
Bronson wasn't the same height as Strother Martin, Justice. It's clear as day. 1.5"-1.75" boots ain't going to give you more than about 0.5"-0.6" advantage over typical 1" shoes. On the other hand, a solid 2" boot won't literally make you "appear" 2" taller, but 1" at best, unless your surrounded by folks in their barefeet.

Bronson's looking a decent 5'10" in that pic, RisingForce. But if Winner said he's 5'9" then I'll take that as that seems very accurate. Certainly no less than that with him! Goes to show he could still pull off about 5'10" with relaxed posture and fairly modest footwear! Overall 5'8.5" can't be ruled out, but 5'9" would make for a better listing, imo.

What's your highest estimate for Bronson, Rob?

Rising - 174 cm said on 20/Jun/18
What am I supposed to take up with Walter Hill? I never denied the possibility Bronson wore lifts and kind of suspected he did because he can look 5'10". Short compared to whom? His 6'1.5" co-star James Coburn? His contemporary Clint Eastwood? As far as I know, Walter Hill never said Bronson was 5'7". Michael Winner did give a specific height. You can find just about every leading man from that era well under 6' being called short. Newman, Redford, McQueen etc. None of those 3 were under 5'9" either. I've watched Hard Times a number of times, it's one of Bronson's best films, but he does not look under 5'9" in the film. Lifts don't make a short man look tall. If you wear 2 inch heels(they'll add maybe 1.75" in actual height) and if everyone around you is wearing typical 1" shoes, you'll look barely 5'9" to them. You looking 5'10" would depend on them being barefoot. The problem with this lift theory is that we've seen Bronson barefoot in multiple films and he looked about 5'9".

Justice said on 19/Jun/18
Watch hard times proof is all there and the boots are enhanced. You'll have to take your case up with Walter Hill, whom I will believe over anyone else. Since the man actually met and worked with him. It's plain to see in many of the photo's and movies. Also check him out standing next to Norman fell, same height. There are way too many instance's where it is plain to see he's a small man. In hard times when he is sitting on the balcony with James Colburn he has his foot up. Look at the heel he's wearing,no one can say they look normal. Again don't have a clue why Walter Hill would make the comments he made. If Bronson was average Walter Hill wouldn't have had any reason to say anything. I'm 5'8 with two inch heels I'm now 5'10. Hollywood has way too many tricks and ways to make someone appear different than they really are. In Hard times when he is standing next to Strother Martin. He's about 2 inch's taller, watch the fight with Tessier and look at Bronson's feet it's so obvious. Remove Bronson's boots and stand him next to Strother Martin, same height.

Walter Hill also wasn't thinking of Using Bronson for Hard times originally because of his Short Stature. Originally Jan Michael Vincent was suppose to play the role of Chaney.

Rising - 174 cm said on 18/Jun/18
Actually, pictures can and often do lie(i.e., distort or exaggerate height differences). The fact this can be the case is evident from the fact Hollywood intentionally uses angles to deceive. Bronson was much taller than Strother Martin too. With or without lifts, it's plain as day Bronson is taller. Michael Winner said Bronson was 5'9" so why is he in less of a position to judge than Walter Hill? Winner was supposedly about 5'9" himself and did countless films with Bronson. Here's a 63 year old Bronson with a 49 year old Winner: Click Here Certainly Bronson was not shorter than Winner. And 5'9" was quite short for a leading man from Bronson's era, much less an action film star known as a tough guy.

Robby Harris said on 18/Jun/18
I wonder who more of the bigger height enigma is: Charles Bronson, Sly Stallone, Michael Jackson or Tony Danza - you hear and see everything from 5'7" to 5'10" for these guys. My estimates have varied on them more than any other celeb. But of course I end up sticking with a "most reasonable range". There are others too, but these four always baffled me.

@Justice: I'm aware Bronson looked shorter than usual at times, most commonly in his earlier films, but he's just looked too tall to be below 5'8.5" with a lot of people, and even if we assume that lifts were responsible for his occasional 5'10" appearance...how on earth could he be just 5'7"?! His footwear has never looked funny or suspiciously large. 3" lifts is an absolute joke and completely unrealistic from what we've seen of his footwear. Plus, camera angles can only do so much. Is it possible Alan Ladd wore lifts in "Apache"? I can't remember ever watching that film. I'm going to have to see it as I find it hard to believe Charles would legitimately be the same height as him...

It seems impossible he was that short, seeing he wasn't much shorter than a solid 5'11" guy like James Mason in "Cold Sweat" in normal looking footwear! By the way if he looked 5'9.5" beside a 5'7" Strother Martin with about 1" footwear advantage, that would put him at around 5'8.5", not 5'7". Post the pic please, as I can't seem to find it anymore.

Justice said on 17/Jun/18
I don't know why Walter Hill who actually met and worked with the man, would say what he said. The photos don't lie. There are too many instances that show Bronson as the shortest guy in the group in many photos. In Apache he's the same height as Alan Ladd. Alan Ladd has been reported as only in the 5'6 range. Charles Bronson did not tower over him. Walter Hill already stated the use of camera angles. Bronson was never 5'9 without lifts or heels. Pictures don't lie. The picture with him and Strother Martin shows it clearly. Martin has flats on, Bronson is wearing his enhanced heels which puts him about 2.5" taller than Martin, take the heels off he's the same height as Strother Martin. As stated Tessier was 6'1 and in Hard times Bronson looked to be the same height. Camera angles. If you look real close you can see a heel in Bronson's supposed flat moccasin's in Apache. I'm going to go with the people who met him, Bronson was a small man in stature.

Robby Harris said on 16/Jun/18
5'8.5"-5'9" is certainly his range. Admittedly, his height varied from time to time (moreso in his earlier films from what I recall), but 5'7" range simply isn't realistic, despite it being constantly argued. 174 cm bare minimum is reasonable, with 5'9" being easily arguable. 5-7 would make Elvis no taller than 5-9ish! Chuck Norris would consequently be even shorter than 170 cm!

Justice said on 15/Jun/18
Walter Hill "Outside his rippling muscles,Bronson isn't a big man in a film filled with them,yet he was never dwarfed on screen. At 6'1 the 230 pound Tessier stands taller and outweighs him by 60lbs. But Tessier's crouching stance and Lathropes camera angles nullifies the size difference. In the later fight it is apparent Bronson is wearing enhanced heels to add height, while Dimitri is wearing flats also the 30 lbs Dimitri has on Bronson isn't apparent, physically they appear evenly matched". It's apparent in the movie while Bronson is standing next to Strother Martin. Knock of the 2" plus lift and heels, he is the same height as Martin. Camera angles also do wonders. As for the height charts star's stand in front of in the movies. they are easily faked.

Justice said on 15/Jun/18
Bronson was 5'7.5 In hard times Walter Hill said he WORE LIFTS so he wouldn't look so short compared to Nick Dimitri and the other fighters. Walter Hill said that's why Bronson looked a little odd standing and fighting his back was bowed like he was in high boots.He is the same height as Strother Martin without the lifts. I will find the quote by Walter Hill and post it later. Bronson was not even 5'8 in breakout with Robert Duvall, Bronson is wearing boots.

Rising - 174 cm said on 29/May/18
I agree 100%, M58. The fact we have no proof he wore lifts yet only suspect he has because he's pulled off looking 5'10" makes it that much easier to see him as more 5'9" than 5'8.5", especially since Bronson has looked around that height even when barefoot. I think anything in that range is fair, but 5'7"-5'8" range is certainly too low. He looked 5'9" even in his mid to late 60's. I think he must have been taller than Chuck Norris.

M58 said on 1/Mar/18
There is no definitive evidence of Bronson actually being a lift-wearer, but given he usually looked anywhere between 5'8.5"-5'9.5" in films (more closer to the latter imo) and appeared 5'10" on a number of occasions (while, remember, it’s not exactly set in stone he wore lifts besides him looking taller than usual) I’d bet money he was closer to 175 cm than 174.

M58 said on 1/Mar/18
He most likely wore lifts on occasion, hence pulling off a 5'10" look every now and then. But its surprising given his age at the time, as one would think he’d have lost at least a cm by then. Most of the evidence does suggest he was closer to 5'9" in his prime and could look taller. Easily taller than Chuck Norris and didn’t look much shorter than Elvis, who I think was in that 5'11"-5'11.5" range. I didn’t see more than a 2" difference between them in ‘Kid Galahad’. Anything below 5'8.5" I just can’t see and I think him pulling off 5'10" in his sixties pretty much makes it impossible he was anything beneath that range. And Richard, If we consider Borgnine a 5'9.5" guy then for him to have looked your way-off-the-mark estimate of 3-4" shorter; your basically arguing for a 5'6" Bronson!? Better chance of 5'10" than that, considering he’s actually looked it!

Lastly, Bronson at only 5'7" is absolutely laughable as he’s surely never really looked that short and would have had to wear a good 3" lift to pull off the solid 5'10" he could look and that’s certain to be on the verge of impossible! What sort of magic shoes did he wear?! average guess is obviously too low. Rob’s listing is what I’d consider the low end of the estimate spectrum for Bronson, while I think a flat 5'9" or even a weaker one, at least, would be more likely than 174 cm.

Rising - 174 cm said on 8/Feb/18
lol Borgnine was not 3-4 inches taller. 2" max, maybe 1.5" when they're on level ground, but you can only briefly compare their height in the film. But I did see Bronson on the Dick Cavett show in 1972 and I'm not sure if he had more than 2" on Richard Attenborough. He was probably around 3" or so taller than Cavett, who was clearly shorter than Attenborough himself. I believe Bronson was 5'9", but 5'8.5" is certainly possible. Strange he was pulling off 5'10" in his 60's.

Colleen Pune said on 21/Jan/18
I ran into Charles Bronson skiing in Aspen. I was surprised how small he was. Of course he was very old by then. I think it was around ‘89 . I’m not quite 5’5” and was eye level with him.

Richard said on 1/Dec/17
Bronson looked 3-4 inches shorter than Ernest Borgnine in "Vera Cruz" in 1954.

James said on 20/Nov/17
Bronson can't have had great posture if he had COPD.

Rising - 174 cm said on 19/Nov/17
@Rob: Good find. That makes sense as the height difference looks more believable with Norris maybe 5'8.5" and Bronson perhaps 5'9". Bronson is 65 there so some people will have not lost anything or at least nothing noticeable by that age. Particularly if they work out like Bronson and maintain great posture.

Harris said on 14/Nov/17
@James: I doubt he looked that short in that film, and in comparison to whom exactly?

James said on 12/Nov/17
He looked 5'7" in "Apache" in 1953.

Janna said on 30/Oct/17
He was 5'8 with regular shoes on. I'm a big fan of his earlier career, and I've watched a lot of his earlier work, so he would have been in his 30s at that time. He was usually shorter than the other men in the film/show, and just an inch or two taller than than the women, sometimes same height. I'm not really a fan of the stuff he did in the 1970s to early 1990s, so I haven't seen much of those movies. But if he appeared a little taller in those, I think it was just the camera angles, which movie makers tend to employ with star actors of blockbuster movies to give them screen presence. I honestly don't believe he was insecure about his height. He was definitely not a tall man. But who the hell cares? He was gorgeous and had a unique ethnic look, plus he had a nice body, and was a very loving and devoted husband. Men don't need to be 6 feet tall to be attractive.

Janna said on 30/Oct/17
He was 5'8 with regular shoes on. I'm a big fan of his earlier career, and I've watched a lot of his earlier work, he usually shorter than the other men in the film/show, and just an inch or two taller than than the women, sometimes same height. He was definitely not a tall man. But who the hell cares? He was gorgeous and had a unique ethnic look, plus he had a nice body, and was a very loving and devoted husband. Men don't need to be 6 feet tall to be attractive.

Michael said on 29/Oct/17
He was definitely on the shorter side. He's listed as 5'8 pretty much everywhere, and that is max height I would put him at. The funny thing is that it was when he was younger, when he played character roles in the 1950s/60s that he appeared shorter. Once he became famous and started doing the action movies he suddenly looked taller and more like 5'9. That's a clear indication he was using lifts or it was just the camera making him appear taller. I think he was 5'7 without shoes on, as he never looked more than 5'8 in his younger years and seemed to almost always be wearing dress shoes then. Also, I think a lot of people are fooled into thinking he was taller simply because of his physique.

Rising - 174 cm said on 28/Oct/17
Good to hear, Rob. It seems we're close on Bronson then. My guess is more 5'9", but I can see 5'8.5" as a plausible guess as well, but no lower. I think that has to be his range. By the Cannon Days, I had thought he may have shrunk to 5'8.5", but seeing him with Norris or even later with Penn makes me uncertain. Fwiw, a 60-61 year old Bronson was noticeably taller than a 48 year old Wilford Brimley in 10 to Midnight. Brimley doesn't have a page here so I don't know how tall he is, but he didn't look much different than a 53 year old Jack Lemmon 4 years earlier in The China Syndrome and Lemmon is listed at 5'9" here.

Harris said on 16/Oct/17
Rob, do you see yourself upgrading Bronson to 5'9" in the near future? Or do you still think 174 is more reasonable...he could look 5'10" at times, but I think 5'9" is more realistic than 5'8.5" or 5'8" is for him, as far as his peak height goes.

Rising - 174 cm said on 6/Oct/17
Not the early 90's. If Sean Penn is 5'8" as he's listed here then Bronson still pulls off over 5'9" here in 1991: Click Here Also worth noting is Dennis Hopper is given a peak height of 5'8" here and wasn't that old at the time(54-55) yet he wasn't even as tall as Penn at those events, much less Bronson. Whether Bronson had a little extra lift, I don't know, but even if he did, he still looks like he'd have been taller than Penn.

Now if you mean the late 90's then Bronson was probably closer to that. I'd estimate a nearly 79 year old Bronson to be about 4" shorter than 72 year old James Coburn here in 2000: Click Here Here's footwear: Click Here Coburn may have been closer to 6'0" than 6'1.5" by that point although he still looked like a pretty big guy. Sadly, you can see age finally catching up to Bronson by that point as he had an old man hunch at times, which was never the case less than a decade earlier.

Duffer 5ft 11 said on 6/Oct/17
There are numerous instances where Mr. Bronson could pull off 5'9" in his youth, but by the 1990s, the man looked a weak 5'8".

Rising - 174 cm said on 25/Sep/17
Found a couple interesting pics, though they're unfortunately small.

Bronson looks a weak 5'9" to me if President Reagan was an even 6' at the time: Click Here

This early 70s photo MIGHT finally show Bronson wearing lifts as well since the ankle seems like it may be high: Click Here But the photo is too small to say for sure. However, even though I still think Bronson was a flat 5'9", I suspect he wore lifts at times or a bit extra heel, which could make him look 5'9.5" or even 5'10" at times. It's also possible he was 5'9" and then shrunk to 5'8.5" during his Cannon Films days.

Rising - 174 cm said on 18/Sep/17
I haven't seen Breakout in years, but I think it's perhaps the ground though I do remember thinking Bronson was shorter the last time I saw that film. I still think 5'9" flat is the best guess since that's not only what Michael Winner said, but considering Rob gives Winner his claimed 5'9", if you see a 63 year old Bronson and a 49 year old Winner on the set of Death Wish 3, if anything, I'd guess Bronson was the taller of the two. Plus, you and I as well as Rob have all agreed that Bronson can look 5'9" in scenes where he's barefoot. Then you see a 65 year old Bronson next to a 46 year old 5'8.5" Chuck Norris and I can't help but think Bronson was the taller of the two. I do think 174 cm is a pretty good guess as the older stars are more difficult to pinpoint, imo. If I had to guess something other than 5'9" on the nose, I'd guess under rather than over 5'9". But I do think seeing Bronson in his mid to late 60s with more recent stars, particularly ones in that 5'8"-5'8.5" range helped me make up my mind.

Btw, here's a decent shot of shoes he wore in the first Death Wish: Click Here Could those have lifts? If so, that would at least explain why he could look 5'10" at times. But I will agree he's quite enigmatic, even as a huge fan who has seen tons of his movies.

Arch Stanton said on 13/Sep/17
Mmm in Breakout he could give a 5 ft 7.5-8 impression again. His height bugs me, at times he can really only look 5 ft 7 range but then look a decent 5'9!

Sumerhawk said on 3/Aug/17
I met Bronson once in Westwood Ca. He had just come out of a camera shop there. He stood almost as tall as me at 5' 10" He was wearing CLOGS! I couldn't believe my favorite tough guy was wearing Clogs. After our meeting he jumped into his Rolls that had name of his wife on the license plate. Ireland.

RisingForce said on 11/Jul/17
I wouldn't read too much into a mugshot for a movie as there's no way to authenticate it. I do give him taller than 174, but more a solid 175, imo and with his great posture, he could look 178 at times, even at 65 years old with a 174 cm Chuck Norris. Maybe Bronson has worn lifts at times, though I've not seen proof of it yet. But this is a good scene to compare with a wide shot: Click Here You can see when Bronson's sitting that his ankle looks normal so I'd say no lifts there and then you see Deborah Raffin who is listed here at 174 cm and should be at least 5'11" in her heels. Bronson at 63 years old honestly doesn't look much shorter. I wouldn't guess under 5'10" in shoes that don't look to have lifts or larger than normal heels. There is another wide shot with 187 cm Ed Lauter at about 58:50 as well.

RichardSpain said on 10/Jul/17
Rob

Bronson was taller than 174 cm . I think a good 178 cm barefoot in peak. I want to sharing you a Charles Bronson's mugshot of the movie Mr Majestyk

Here

Click Here

RisingForce said on 5/Jul/17
It's not exactly rare for an actor to try to look younger. It's more rare to find an aging star who hasn't! I'm glad Bronson made his films regardless of how he had to do it as I've greatly enjoyed them since my childhood. Bronson only did that later anyway and a source for that is Michael Winner, who also said Bronson was 5'9". If Winner was about 5'9" then he's the best source we have for Bronson's height given how much time he spent with him and especially directing him in so many films. It wouldn't be surprising if Bronson wore lifts at times because he could look 5'10", but there's a scene early in Death Wish 3 where you can see he doesn't have lifts, yet looks an inch max shorter than 5'8.5" Deborah Raffin in heels in that wide shot, he didn't have lifts with Elvis and you can read below on 11/Jan/15 where Rob agreed Bronson looked taller than 5'8.5" in barefoot scenes. Bronson could do a lot of things, but putting lifts in his bare feet was not one of them. But 176 cm is a strong 5'9", not 5'10". I'd say Bronson was closer to 175 anyway.

James said on 4/Jul/17
He wore lifts in the "Death Wish" films, and had loads of plastic surgery to look younger. Paul Kersey was supposed to be nearly 15 years younger than Bronson.

Movie man said on 3/Jul/17
LOOKS STRONG 5'10 in death wish 3 !!!!!!! STRONG 5"10. 176cm

RisingForce said on 1/Jul/17
I do think Bronson seemed very similar in size to Kirk Douglas. Probably similar height and weight, though Douglas was one of the most notorious lift wearers in movie history so if anything I'd give Douglas the 5'8.5" and Bronson the 5'9", but in general, they always seemed in the same range to me.

RisingForce said on 23/Jun/17
Arch. I think 5'8.5" is a reasonable listing, but to me, in his early 70s films like the first Death Wish, Cold Sweat, Someone Behind The Door, The Family/Violent City, Mr. Majestyk etc. he looks like a classic completely average 5'9" guy to me. If you look at a 5'8.25"-5'8.5" guy like Jeremy Renner, he clearly gives a shorter impression than Bronson did. Similarly, even when he was 69, Bronson not only measured up more than an inch taller than 5'8" Sean Penn, but Penn has always given a significantly shorter impression, definitely another 5'8" guy like Wahlberg too doesn't give the impression of being near Bronson's height as he never seems average. 5'8.5" Chuck Norris looked more short and squat to me than Bronson before he started wearing lifts and he's another 5'8" range guy an aged(65 year old) Bronson was taller than. I definitely can't see a guy like Marlon Brando taller than Bronson. I did think in Death Wish 3 it was a toss up between 5'8.5" or 5'9", mostly 5'9", but there was at least one or two scenes I thought 5'8.5" possible, but he's 3 inches or more taller than Martin Balsam who was only 2 years older throughout the entire film. And there's a scene early where he's sitting on a bench, you can see his shoes and ankle and when he stands up with 5'8.5" Deborah Raffin who has heeled boots, he's just a bit shorter. There's a scene in The Mechanic too where he has slippers and is just a bit shorter than Jan Michael Vincent in shoes.

Arch Stanton said on 21/Jun/17
Alain Delon has consistently looked a weak 5'10 and this listing and Delon at 5'9.75 checked out perfectly.

Arch Stanton said on 21/Jun/17
I saw a film of his from the early 70s recently and in one scene he could look barely 5 ft 8, but as you say Rising, there's examples of him being barefoot and seeming at least 5 ft 9. I don't know, at times he can look too short and squat to be 5'9 or more, I think overall 5'8.5 is the best fit.

Jug said on 21/Jun/17
I'd say about 5'8.

RisingForce said on 20/Jun/17
Watching Kid Galahad, Bronson was only about 2 inches shorter than Elvis to me in many scenes together on flat ground. These stills are pretty representative of how the difference looked: Click Here Click Here As you can see, Bronson wore flat shoes in that scene: Click Here The short stuff is just rumors, imo. He's looked at least 5'9" when he's been barefoot in films.

RisingForce said on 5/Jun/17
Bronson wasn't 5'10", but such a subjective statement doesn't mean anything, especially considering the film stars of Mitchum's era. Many think Mitchum was joking with the comment about John Wayne's lifts too. Mitchum called De Niro short too and he was likely 5'8.5"-5'9" at the time, just like Bronson. Though if anything, I'd say Bronson had a better chance of being the full 5'9" than De Niro. I've certainly seen Bronson look taller than I've ever seen De Niro look.

James said on 2/Jun/17
Mitchum said Bronson was short, so he can't have been anywhere near his official height of 5'10".

RisingForce said on 26/May/17
I don't remember how he looked with Borgnine, I'll have to watch that film, but Borgnine is all over the place. I can't make a real guess on him. Bronson wasn't 5'10", but he could definitely pass for it at times. I'd believe 5'9.5" out of bed. I believe Michael Winner that Bronson was 5'9", no more, no less. He's a pretty typical height to get listed 5'10". This description was written by a journalist who interviewed him published in The Town Talk October 30, 1985 and The Morning News October 20, 1985 among other papers:

"Even the technicians kept their distance as 63-year old, 5-foot-10 wouldn't-hurt-a-fly Charlie Bronson strolled moodily around the set of "Death Wish."

If I had to guess, I'd say Bronson would edge out Brando. Better chance of Bronson being 175 cm and Brando being 174, imo. I do agree 5'8.5" is a decent listing for Bronson, though. He has to be either 174 or 175, imo.

Arch Stanton said on 26/May/17
He could look a decent 5'9 range at times, but difficult to see near 5'10 with Borgnine! At times Bronson could look as low at 5'7.5-5'8, but mostly a weak 5'9 fits.

James Ritchie said on 25/May/17
Charles Bronson seemed an easy five nine to me, and maybe five ten when he first woke up. I'm an easy six one and a half, but Bronson didn't seem much shorter. He was certainly well above my shoulder.

RisingForce said on 22/May/17
Norris was still at least 5'8" at 72 years old. I wouldn't even be surprised if Norris measured 5'8" today so I'd say 5'8.5" is more than fair. Even if Chuck was a flat 5'8", Bronson looks over 5'9" with him.

Richard said on 19/May/17
Chuck Norris was never any more than 5'8".

RisingForce said on 17/May/17
Found another picture of Bronson at 65 years old with Chuck Norris and Bronson looks taller again, this time at a disadvantage: Click Here Chuck was no less than 5'8.5" and it's not impossible he was about 5'9", but Bronson genuinely seemed like a 5'9" guy who was often successfully passing for his official height of 5'10". You could tell he wasn't 5'10" even when he looked it, but he seemed bigger than a 5'8" range guy.

RisingForce said on 27/Apr/17
I don't know if there's a connection. Bronson did work out, stay in shape(outside of stamina, which he struggled with way back during Hard Times due to smoking) and still had better posture than a lot of younger men. If he had lose height or noticeable height by that time, then that only increases the chance he was 5'9" peak.

Richardspain said on 27/Apr/17
Bronson is one of my favourite actors.

He was not tall, I agree with 174cm maybe 175cm in peak but his face of hard man, his security and talent making differents roles and characters in the movies it made him singular and exclusive.

James said on 26/Apr/17
Not sure why this isn't being posted, but I doubt Bronson would have retained his full height by his late sixties as he had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by then.

RisingForce said on 24/Apr/17
I just remembered Michael Winner said Bronson was 5'9" as well. Here's a 63 year old Bronson on the set of Death Wish 3 with a 49 year old Winner: Click Here

RisingForce said on 23/Apr/17
I agree with you both. Bronson had dress shoes with Penn, but one looked to have a bigger heel, which you can spot in other films like The Dirty Dozen too(Frank2 said this was a war injury). I use to think Bronson was 5'9" peak and shrunk to 5'8.5" by the time of the 80s Cannon films, but now I think he may have even held 5'9" until age 70. 5'8.5" is of course arguable too, but no shorter. Borgnine like Savalas, is a mystery. But I think with Bronson, he started off with credence given to the 5'7" rumors and only now is he really being judged by how he looks. He was noticeably taller than Wolford Brimley in 10 to Midnight, who surprisingly I don't think has a page here. Bronson may have worn lifts at times, but not the 4" lifts they'd have to be for him to be 5'7".

Arch Stanton said on 22/Apr/17
Yeah Rampage, there's too much evidence of him obviously not in lifts looking around 5 ft 9 to make the claims that he was just 5 ft 7 valid. 5'8.5 is a reasonable shout , he can look that a lot, but never under 5'8. Can't explain Vera Cruz though, but Borgnine also pulled off 5 ft 11 range with big Sterling Hayden in another picture from that year, Johnny Guitar, perhaps he got some big lifts in his wardrobe that year!

RisingForce said on 21/Apr/17
Was the difference really that big? Bronson still consistently looked no less than an inch taller than 5'8" Sean Penn in every premiere photo of them at age 69.

James said on 20/Apr/17
Bronson was 4 inches shorter than Ernest Borgnine in "Vera Cruz".

RisingForce said on 20/Apr/17
He had slippers at one point in the Mechanic too. Bronson definitely didn't look under 5'9" with Anthony Perkins in Someone Behind the Door either. Is there any clear shot showing Bronson wore lifts? Even if he did at times, he could look the 5'10" he was always listed at. The 5'7" figure came from that silly 90s Washington Post article that had Burt Reynolds at 5'8" and Arnold at 5'10"!

Arch Stanton said on 12/Apr/17
In St Ives (1976) Bronson in his dressing gown (and slippers I think) was similar height to Jackie Bisset in boots. Really could pull off 5 ft 9 range at times.

RisingForce said on 4/Apr/17
That may be, but Bronson was 69 turning 70 when The Indian Rubber premiered and that's when my pics with Sean Penn are from and Bronson is easily pulling off no shorter than 5'9.5" and he couldn't have had more than an inch lift at most looking at his shoes. He didn't drop below 174 cm until his 70s and 175 cm peak is likely. We've seen him look around that in a couple of films barefoot, including the Great Escape.

Ian C said on 3/Apr/17
Bronson worked for years as a supporting player, doing many roles on TV shows in the fifties and sixties. I can forgive him for wearing lifts after he became a leading man, but you can see him in dozens of roles before he became a star, and he always seems short.

The man had a terrific face and a rough, working class dignity. In the Death Wish movies he played an architect, which was a bigger stretch than if he had played somebody tall.

James said on 3/Apr/17
Bronson was 68 in "The Indian Runner" (when it was filmed in 1990).

RisingForce said on 16/Mar/17
How do you know that, James? How do you know Sean Penn and Chuck Norris weren't wearing lifts there too? Norris was a more obvious lift wearer than Bronson. Bronson's footwear doesn't have any noticeable bulge to it with Penn, maybe an extra heel, but he's also 70 years old and still taller than Penn.

James said on 15/Mar/17
Bronson was wearing lifts in those photographs.

RisingForce said on 8/Mar/17
Norris was probably 5'8.5" and started wearing lifts at some point, but Bronson still looks 5'10" there and he's well into his 60s. Bronson at 70 with 5'8" Sean Penn(who claims 5'9": Click Here Click Here Bronson could still look near 5'10" with Penn and he's taller in every decent picture of the 2 of them. Penn was comfortably taller than Dennis Hopper at those same events so it's tough to argue less than 5'8" for Penn. Definitely a solid 5'9" for Bronson.

Danimal said on 7/Mar/17
Charles Bronson next to listed 5'10" Alain Delon:
Click Here
Charles Bronson next to listed 5'10" Chuck Norris:
Click Here

Danimal said on 6/Mar/17
He was bare minimun 5'8", but I say 5'9" is more accurate. He could pull off 5'11" with 2" shoes.

RisingForce said on 9/Feb/17
Assuming he was 5'9", I thought he usually looked around 160-165 although I can believe as low as 155 at his leanest and 170 when his most built. I'd guess he was about 5'8.5" by the time of his 80's Cannon films as well and may have worn lifts at times then.

6 foot guy with small head said on 11/Jan/17
Taller than chuck norris both in dress shoes..

James said on 15/Dec/16
Lol, Coburn was never 6'3".

Paul said on 11/Dec/16
Eastwoood is 6-4 and coburn is 6-3

Ian C. said on 15/Sep/16
Bronson was built like a short man. His arms and legs seem short. Unusually muscular though, and if he had been tall with that build he could have played football at a high level.

Danimal said on 25/Aug/16
Dago Red said on 13/Mar/15
Wonder what he weighed? He could look pretty built at times. 180 maybe?

He wasn't 180. Probably 155-160 depending on the role. May have got as high as 170 at some point?

MDH said on 23/Aug/16
In the 1958 western "Showdown at Boot Hill," the character played by Bronson has a height complex due to his supposed shortness. I don't know what significance this has with respect to Bronson's true height, but I never thought of him as being especially short, so it was surprising to me that the film made it such an important part of his character.

James said on 6/Aug/16
Bronson was never 5'10" except with lifts. The heights given for characters in films are almost always untrue.

richie said on 24/Jul/16
Bronson was a legit 5'10", certainly during his peak years which isn't exactly small and was a respectable height during the 70's. His mug shot in DeathWish 3 shows 5'11" albeit with shoes so he was definitely on or around the 5'10" mark. This reads true as Ed Lauter who was a strong 6'2" had around 4 inches on him, possibly during the latter stages of his career he may have dipped to 5'8" but peak 5'10", no less....

lucas mccain said on 12/Jul/16
in tennessee champ he looks like the 5"7, but in a photo with director michael winner on location for Chatos Land he looks 2 inches taller than 5"9 michael winner.

meezemaker said on 28/Jun/16
no more than 170cm. about an 1.5 inch less than the french actor Alain Delon , so in the range 174-172 is definitely accurate, no less, no more.

Yibner said on 6/Jun/16
One built dude for sure

Jug said on 6/May/16
I think probably 5'7, same height as Tom Cruise

Arch Stanton said on 2/Jan/16
The upgrade was a good call and looks right with Delon.

Sam said on 12/Nov/15
What lead you to add the extra half inch, Rob? I think at times he does convince me as a weak 5'9", although when he got to the top of the cast list, I believe he wasn't adverse to popping on lifts.

Larry said on 31/Oct/15
Bronson wore lifts after he became a star. In "Vera Cruz" he looked about three inches shorter than Ernest Borgnine.

JK1964 said on 27/May/15
Looks about 5"8 -5"9 max am watching hard times right now and he's clearly at least 5 inches shorter then Coburn

meezemaker said on 7/May/15
an inch taller than lino Ventura said Arch. The only thing i know perfectly is lino 's height since someone wrote that his gran father had a bar where Lino came to have a few drink. since a arm wrestling competition was raging in the bar, they propose to Lino to participate. He had to give his height and weight. 169cm and 83kg. So if charles Bronson is an inch taller, he is something like 172cm.
thanks for reading.

Justice said on 28/Mar/15
Another great example that Bronson was only 5'7. In the movie the Stone Killer he works with Norman Fell. Fell is said to be 5'9, No Way! He stands next to 5'11 John Ritter and he is always looking up at John Ritter's Character Jack Tripper from Three's Company sitcom. In the Stone killer Bronson and Fell are the exact same height. Plus look smaller than many of the the other actor's. Add 2" heels to Bronson now he's 5'9.

Dago Red said on 13/Mar/15
Wonder what he weighed? He could look pretty built at times. 180 maybe?

justice said on 12/Mar/15
I still say Bronson was 5'7. Watch the Valachi paper's as he walks away in the end with Gerald S.O'Loughlin who plays the investigator. In his biography O'Loughlin is described as "SHORT, dark, rough-looking and-tough-talking American character actor Gerald S. O'Loughlin" In the movie Valachi Papers they walk away side by side and are the same height. Just as Bronson is the same height as 5'7 Strother Martin in Hard time's. Bronson always kept fit and thin which made him appear taller than actors the same height who would look shorter due to their more out of shape bodies. I have seen pictures of identical twin's where one is thin and the other heavier. Even though they are the same height the thin one appear's taller till they stand side by side. Their where people who argue Bronson was 5'11. Even in Chato's land you could easily see Bronson was short while standing at the bar in the begining. Too many instance's where Bronso looks A lot shorter than what is claimed. I'm 5'7 and I can always tell everyone I am 5'9 and pass a such until someone actually measure's me.

Arch Stanton said on 12/Feb/15
And it's not as if the 5'9" range he could often look was always in lifts either, we have him barefoot with Susan George in Lola looking clearly much taller than 5'7.

Arch Stanton said on 12/Feb/15
He's elusive though Justice, and it's not as if he only ever looks 5 ft 7 like Waltz or somebody. But I agree that just when you think he's obviously close to 5 ft 9 he can look 5'7" range. I think he'd be pretty similar to Sean Penn in height and weight.

Justice said on 11/Feb/15
Also check out those enchanced heels in Kid Gallahad as he is walking away from Elvis near the ring, where Elvis character see's Bronson's character has a deformity to his foot. Stallone has the same hang up with his height. Half the women in hollywood lie about there height now.

Justice said on 11/Feb/15
Bronson is 5'7 as was listed in the autobiography. Bronson used camera angles and lift's. As a past poster noted same height as 5'7 Strother Martin in Hard time's. If you look real close in Hard Time's Bronson has pretty big heel's on his boots, enough where it arche's his stance and makes him stand a bit strange. A good indication is stop the scene where Bronson is talking to Coburn on the balcony of the hotel, he puts his foot up on the railing, unrealistic heel's on those boots. Autobiography's don't tend to lie. Bronson's father who was a coal miner was 5'7 also.

Danimal said on 17/Jan/15
He was bare minimum 5'8.5" and most likely taller in the morning.

Arch Stanton said on 16/Jan/15
His height and build remind me quite a bit of Sean Penn, built like a rugged wiry boxer.

Anon said on 15/Jan/15
Watched him in many films over the years. Never looked under 5'10", even in his sixties.

jtm said on 15/Jan/15
Arch Stanton says on 14/Jan/15
Watch him BAREFOOT with Susan George in shoes. If he's just 5 ft 6 or 7 are you telling me she is just 5 ft 1? I don't think so. Look at his proportions. 5 ft 6 or 7 is ridiculous. He's slouching in the Borgnine picture and standing further back than him. He does look shorter in that comparison but he never looked under 5 ft 8 to me!

i know he is slouching and i think borgnine was taller than 5'9 but i still think bronson wasn't over 5'7.5. the funny thing is he was actually listed 5'7.5 here before and btw that video wwith george is not helping.

Arch Stanton said on 14/Jan/15
Bronson looks a good inch taller than Lino Ventura in The Valachi Papers who is listed at 5'9 1/4!!

Arch Stanton said on 14/Jan/15
"In Cold Sweat 5'11 James Mason did look much taller than Bronson. " was meant to read as "didn't".

Arch Stanton said on 14/Jan/15
About two inches shorter than 5'11 listed Walter Chiari in The Valachi Papers.

Arch Stanton said on 14/Jan/15
If there's still any doubts on 5'8.5 check out 1 hr 26 range with Liv Ullman in flats. Click Here No way was he only 5'6-5'7"!! It could look less earlier in the movie because she had footwear advantage and Bronson was slouching.

Arch Stanton said on 14/Jan/15
In Cold Sweat 5'11 James Mason didn't look much taller than Bronson. It could seem less than 2 inches actually.

Arch Stanton said on 14/Jan/15
In Cold Sweat 5'11 James Mason did look much taller than Bronson.

Arch Stanton said on 14/Jan/15
He tends to slouch a lot though doesn't he. He looks about 1.5 inches taller than Liv Ullmann when stood his best but I got a glimpse of Liv's footwear and she had a low-medium heel which would make her perhaps 5'7.5-5'8, and Bronson had on plimsols which probably don't give even an inch. Somewhere in 5'8 range makes sense actually, even with Ullmann, although he slouches and hunches a lot so can look shorter.

Arch Stanton said on 14/Jan/15
He does look shorter in Cold Sweat with Liv Ullmann actually. He's really hard to nail down, just when you think he's looking 5'9" barefoot he'll look 5'7" range.

Arch Stanton said on 14/Jan/15
I'm going to have a Charles Bronson movie spree I think and I'll let you know if I ever think he looks just 5 ft 6.

Arch Stanton said on 14/Jan/15
Click Here

Must be in 4 inch lifts here with Henry Fonda...

Arch Stanton said on 14/Jan/15
Watch him BAREFOOT with Susan George in shoes. If he's just 5 ft 6 or 7 are you telling me she is just 5 ft 1? I don't think so. Look at his proportions. 5 ft 6 or 7 is ridiculous. He's slouching in the Borgnine picture and standing further back than him. He does look shorter in that comparison but he never looked under 5 ft 8 to me!

jtm said on 13/Jan/15
he wasn't over 5'6 if borgnine was 5'9 but i think borgnine was 5'10-5'10.5 and bronson 5'7.

Steve said on 12/Jan/15
Bronson never looked any taller than 5'8". He could have been even shorter. Check this out.

Click Here

jtm said on 12/Jan/15
even 5'8 was generous. it makes no sense that he was 5'8.5 and ernest borgnine was 5'9.

Arch Stanton said on 12/Jan/15
He does generally give a 5'9" impression but there's something about it and him which I'm still not convinced about, you get that same feeling? 5'8.5" is a fair compromise though and still possible of course.

Arch Stanton said on 12/Jan/15
Rob how about 5'8.5 then? He could look taller than that with Susan. I think that would be fair. 5'8.5
and lifts to pull off looking 5'10 range at times I think. He's one of those guys I know you're very dubious about his real height, his shifty demeanour doesn't help either but we do have him barefoot there which is better really to judge from I think.

Arch Stanton said on 11/Jan/15
I think he often wore lifts to pull off looking 5'10 range but you can see in that barefoot clip barefoot he was a bit taller. Perhaps 5'8.75 might be a good shout I dunno.

Arch Stanton said on 11/Jan/15
It's difficult to see under 5'9" with Susan George put it that way!, but I think she was shorter than 5'4.

Arch Stanton said on 11/Jan/15
Rob are you sure he was quite as low as 5'8" flat? I never thought he looked that low See 7 minutes range barefoot with Susan George. Click Here He could pull off looking 5'9 but I think you'd be more accurate with 5'8.5". Can you add a photo?

Sam said on 7/Jan/15
Rob could you update his credits?: "American actor best remembered for The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Diry Dozen, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Mechanic, Mr. Majestyk, Death Wish, Hard Times and Death Hunt."

Would have been interesting to see him in a part for Quentin Tarantino, even as an elderly man, I bet Bronson would kill it.

qashid said on 28/Nov/14
5'9 peak and later dropped to 5'8.

Robby D said on 17/Jul/14
I saw him in a 1964 episode of Bonanza entitled "The Underdog" and he appeared to me to be the same height as Michael Landon if not slightly taller. I would say he is either 5'9", the same as Landon's listing or else if this 5'8" listing for him is correct then Michael Landon was also 5'8".

jtm said on 10/Jul/14
too bad frank2 is not here anymore.

RisingForce said on 9/Jul/14
Good to more people agreeing. I think 5'9" is the best guess, and he often looked 5'10" without suspicious looking shoes. I also agree that Bronson was still at least 5'8.5" by the time of say Death Wish 3 when he was 63 through at least the 80's. I just can't see 5'8" flat at all for Bronson.

Minty said on 19/Jun/14
5'9 at peak possibly hit 5'10 in footwear
5'8.5 after

very not tall said on 6/Jun/14
really can't see him under 5'9...in films like The Mechanic he actually looks above average in height without suspicious footwear

RisingForce said on 5/Jun/14
Just watched Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects a while ago and Bronson looked average as always in it, though he did appear a bit shorter than James Pax who Rob met and has listed at 5'9.75" here, but Bronson would have been about 66-67 when filming it, so he definitely could have shrunk a bit and depending on how old James Pax is, it's possible he was slightly taller in 1989 than he was in 2010. Peggy Lipton is also in it and listed at 5'6" here. Bronson was several inches taller, but I didn't see her shoes that well.

I also saw the ending of the Dirty Dozen again on TV recently and Bronson didn't look short next to Lee Marvin. Some were full body shots and if Marvin was 6'2" then Bronson was looking at least 5'10" during those ending scenes.

RisingForce said on 16/Apr/14
Rob, is Bronson someone you might have another look at? I definitely didn't see more than 4 inches between Bronson and Anthony Perkins in "Someone Behind The Door" and even at 70, he was visibly taller than Sean Penn in a few premiere pictures.

RisingForce said on 15/Apr/14
Well, I think Bronson's later movies might have used shorter casts since there were less recognizable stars, and Cannon was paying Bronson a lot of money to start in otherwise low budget movies. But even then, it doesn't completely make sense because Ed Lauter who is listed at 6'1.5" here was in Death Wish 3 and shared scenes with Bronson.

By the way, Bronson once again looked well over 5'8" next to James Mason in "Cold Sweat" Click Here Mason walks by Bronson around 52:20 and there doesn't look to be much of a height difference, and Bronson wasn't wearing boots in this movie. Mason was about 60 so he could have shrunk a bit from the 5'11" he's listed at here, but Bronson still looks above 5'9" in that movie and without suspicious footwear.

Sam said on 14/Apr/14
It's funny the quote at the top of the page about Bronson not wanting to be in scenes to be taller than him because almost all of his major roles back in the 1960s-1970s show him next to taller guys like Marvin, Coburn, Fonda, Garner, etc.

RisingForce said on 13/Apr/14
Yeah, Walter Hill mentioned that when talking about Bronson's lack of stamina while filming "Hard Times."

By the way, I haven't seen the movie, but here's a clip of Bronson with Elvis who was probably about 5'11.5", though Bronson's boots give him an advantage. Click Here Here's a picture where Bronson does look a solid 5'9" in comparison with his footwear advantage, though the low angle also gives an advantage to the taller person(Elvis) Click Here And here are a couple of more stills. Click Here Click Here

Clinton said on 11/Apr/14
Surprisingly, although Bronson always looked very fit, he was actually a heavy smoker for much of his life.

RisingForce said on 11/Apr/14
Anyway, as far as his height, he looked about 5 inches shorter than James Coburn who looked every bit a solid 6'2" in "Hard Times." The difference could look less, but that's usually when Bronson was closer to the camera and you couldn't see his feet. And here are a couple of stills of Bronson and Lee Marvin who is also listed at 6'2" here from "The Dirty Dozen." Click Here Click Here Bronson definitely looked taller than 5'8" in the scenes with those 2 towards the end.

RisingForce said on 10/Apr/14
Yeah, his age was definitely borderline, though that's not a real surprise. Worse examples of this were De Niro and Pacino in "Righteous Kill", John Wayne in "Brannigan" and "McQ", Jerry Orbach in his later years on "Law and Order" and quite a few more.

But it is surprising Bronson got that bloated look in his face considering I'm unaware if he was a heavy drinker, and still looked to be a strong guy in good shape for his age even a couple of years later in Death Wish 3. But Bronson's age was unfortunately pretty obvious during the scenes where he had to run. Of course, there are loads of cops, both young and middle-aged who are out of shape and aren't going to be able to move too quickly. With that said, Bronson did age a lot between Hard Times and this movie. You'd think there was more than 8 years between the movies considering what great shape he was in for a man who was already 52-53 when he made Hard Times.

Patrick said on 8/Apr/14
The biggest problem was that Bronson was 60, and looked far too old and puffy to be a cop.

RisingForce said on 5/Apr/14
While we have gotten a bit off track on a height site, I'll just say this. I don't know what the statute was in early 80's LA, but you never know what kind of plea deals are made, how politics factor in, and whether or not a prosecutor will be sympathetic since they may be aware of information that would be inadmissible to a jury. Granted, Bronson wouldn't have too much leverage due to his admission, but your past record often works in your favor during sentencing. I do also know there have been cops who have done worse things and not seen jail time, though in those cases, there typically hasn't been an admission and those tend to be dragged out in lawsuits and usually wind up in forced retirement, at least from what I've seen, though I'm neither a cop nor a lawyer.

Either way, this is a bit besides the point since there is obviously a process, and Bronson wouldn't be remanded without bail during this time, so him being out on the streets in itself until the end of the movie isn't unrealistic itself. His biggest legal problem would be the shooting at the end of the movie with too many witnesses for Bronson to claim imminent danger.

Eddie said on 4/Apr/14
For faking evidence in a murder case a police officer would certainly be sent to prison.

RisingForce said on 3/Apr/14
I like the movie regardless of how realistic it is, some of it due to nostalgia as well as the fact that I'm a fan of Bronson and like 80's slasher-type movies, but while Bronson would be in hot water legally, he certainly wouldn't be remanded without bail, and I doubt he'd actually serve time, especially with a decorated career as a detective. I'd say what's most likely is, he'd lose his pension.

Zediah said on 23/Mar/14
10 to Midnight was garbage. Bronson would have been arrested for faking evidence.

RisingForce said on 18/Mar/14
I agree, Efoersaan. 5'9" is the safest guess, imo, or 5'8.5" minimum, and I believe he was still that tall even in the 80's. He could definitely look 5'10" in the 70's and 80's, and I don't whether he wore lifts, but they clearly weren't big enough to give near 3 inches. He could give a smaller impression in early movies, but look at the series of pictures with Sean Penn in 1991 when Bronson was 70 and he looked a couple of inches taller, or with Chuck Norris in the 80's, and how about The Mechanic? If Jan Michael Vincent was anywhere near the 5'10.5" he's listed here then Bronson wasn't under 5'9" since there wasn't much of a difference, and I believe Bronson is even in slippers in one scene.

10 To Midnight has always been my favorite 80's Bronson movie, I'll watch that one again soon and try to note how tall he looks next to Lisa Eilbacher who plays his daughter in the movie compared to how Lisa looked next to Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop.

Zediah said on 13/Mar/14
In "Vera Cruz" Bronson looked 3-4 inches shorter than Ernest Borgnine.

Efoersaan said on 7/Feb/14
I've recently watched Death Wish again and have noticed multiple times that Charles doesn't look much shorter than Steven Keats who is listed at 5ft 10.5in (179 cm). The Height difference I saw was 3 to 4 cm max. I'm starting to think that Charles Bronson was a legit 5ft 9in guy.

The Exorcist said on 27/Jan/14
Hi Rob, hopefully this one will work.

Charles standing in front of a height chart in Death Wish 3.
Click Here

The Exorcist said on 26/Jan/14
Standing in front of a height chart in a scene from Death Wish 3.
Click Here

Probably standing on a box! LOL! ;P

frank p said on 24/Jan/14
5"7 or 5"8

Bayou Bill said on 14/Jan/14
In "Hard Times", when he stood next to 5'7" Strother Martin, he was no taller than Martin.

Arch Stanton said on 16/Nov/13
For some reasn Garner only looks about 3 inches taller and James Coburn looks more 5-6 inches.. That's odd. Coburn makes him look 5'8"-5'9".

Arch Stanton said on 16/Nov/13
Rob he must have worn massive lifts, he looks almost 5'112 next to James Garner in The Great Escape. He also looked 5'10" it a lot of other films I've seen him in.

pillsberry111 said on 31/Oct/13
In 79 I was a ride operator at the S. Cal. Expo. With fans chasing him I let him and a little girl on the ride free to escape the mob. We stood inches away from each other, spoke and looked each other in the eye. I'm 5' 7" 1/2.

RisingForce said on 16/Sep/13
Bronson's height is tricky. He could look shorter in earlier movies, but in his 80's films he looked more 5'9"-5'10" than 5'7"-5'8". For example, in Death Wish 3, he usually looks roughly 5'9" next to Ed Lauter listed at 6'1.5" here, and next to Deborah Raffin listed at 5'8.5" here, he looks slightly shorter than her when she wears heels and a bit taller when she's in flats leading me to believe they were about the same height, and Bronson was in his 60s at the time.

And there's this photo from 1986 with Chuck Norris. Click Here Unfortunately, it's not a full body pic, but Charles looks close to if not 5'10" if Norris is 5'8.5" as listed here.

I doubt Bronson was ever the 5'10" he was usually listed at, but I think 5'8.5" minimum is more likely, possibly 5'9".

Nicky said on 1/Sep/13
5' 8" to 5' 9" flat is about right. But he wore lifts in the movies. Not so good looking but effective in action movies.

Dolomite said on 30/Aug/13
I met Bronson and talked with him briefly and he was about 5'9" but that's a solid full size 5' 9" not a chicken chest, weenie armed guy.

Elfoersaan said on 20/Aug/13
Bronson gave the impression of a 175 cm guy next to 188 cm Coburn in Hard Times. Anything in between 5ft 8 and 5ft 9in is believable. I'd guess him at 174 cm in the '60s and '70s. Probably 173 cm in his last fifteen years. He became after all famous at an old age.

jtm said on 11/Jul/13
5'7 range

Wild Bill said on 21/May/13
We were both in boots, with around one and a half inch heels. Standing next to a guy for several minutes at a time gives you a good idea of his height. I was there and that's it! I spoke to him later near his dressing room and our eyelines were exactly the same level. I'm 5ft 8 and so was Charlie.

Why ever would one of us be crouching?

Spock said on 18/May/13
Wild Bill says on 9/May/13
I did a scene with Charlie Bronson in Death Wish 2 - a terrible film - in LA in June '81. I am 5ft 8in and exactly the same height as Bronson.


Hello there, Wild Bill.

I´m not convinced yet.

Were you both barefoot, at the time? Was any of you crouching? How did you measure your own height?

Wild Bill said on 10/May/13
I forgot to mention in my 9th May post that actors auditioning for Death Wish 2 were asked their height. Anyone more than an inch or two above 5ft 8in was out of the loop. This was not the case in many of Charlie's '60s films, nor in Death Hunt, in which he was paired with the superlative Lee Marvin.

Wild Bill said on 9/May/13
I did a scene with Charlie Bronson in Death Wish 2 - a terrible film - in LA in June '81. I am 5ft 8in and exactly the same height as Bronson.

Mike 181 said on 5/Apr/13
Just was watching death wish I guessed him 5"9 so I was close

Parker said on 13/Mar/13
Somebody I've not really looked at, but I watched Death Wish 2 tonight (awful dated film with some terrible acting), but aside from that I would have guessed him at 5'10, not saying he is, but that's what he looked. Maybe they just cast a lot of short actors in it.

Spock said on 10/Dec/12
I´ve just watched "You can´t win´em all", featuring 5ft 8,75in Tony Curtis and Charles Bronson. Both share many scenes and in many of them their shoes are clearly visible, and it´s the same type of boots for both, and also the flat floor they´re standing on is clearly visible in some scenes. Tony Curtis seems to be clearly taller Than Charles Bronson, one inch at least, so maybe Charles Bronson is 5,7 or midway between 5,7 and 5,8, but a sharp 5,8 seems improbable to me, if Tony Curtis really is 5,8.75.

Arch Stanton said on 15/Nov/12
Click Here

Rob, pause at 1:14:30. LOL his casefile claims he is 6 ft and 155 pounds!

Arch Stanton said on 14/Nov/12
Watching The Mechanic right now and he looks 5 ft 10.

SuzyQ said on 26/Oct/12
I saw Charlie with Jill in Beverly hills in about 1968. They were nearly the same height. She was wearing low heels.

Brucey said on 24/Jul/12
The comment says that no actor could be in a scene with Bronson that was taller than him. I watched Death Wish last night and very few of the actors, a handful at the most, were taller than Bronson, so maybe he really did have a height complex.
He could come across as a tall man because of his tough looks, presence and build but I would say 5'8" is a fair estimate.
To people who say he was 5'6" because of something they saw of him as an old man, maybe he was 5'6" as an old man, people shrink with age but I presume this is a listing of his prime height in which case 5'6" would be way off in my opinion.

Lee Costa said on 9/Feb/12
If we think about it, guys like Cagney, Raft, Donlevy and Eddie G, Bruce Lee and Bob Steel were all well under six foot tall physically just like, Bronson but guess what ? So is Hal Needham highest paid stuntman in the world at one time who made guys like, Richard Boone look good on camera. When you get right down to it the smaller guy tends to be tougher and stronger pound per pound. Agility is harder to come by when you are larger as well. Bigger is often slower although not every time. Point is it's all about attitude. At 5' 6" I can intimidate guys twice my size because really mean it and they never have had to :-)

Dan said on 6/Feb/12
bronsons height on i.m.d.b now is at 5"8 and a half inches down from 5"10 as originally posted. i would say this height is spot on for him