''Portrait of a Hitman'' is a 1979 American crime drama film directed by Allan A. Buckhantz and starring
Jack Palance
Walter Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk, , ''Volodymyr Ivanovych Palahniuk''; February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American screen and stage actor, known to film audiences for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominat ...
,
Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen Steiger ( ; April 14, 1925 – July 9, 2002) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Ranked as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars", he is closely associ ...
,
Bo Svenson
Bo Svenson (born 13 February 1941) is a Swedish-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his roles in American genre films of the 1970s and 1980s.
Early life
Svenson was born in Sweden, the son of Birger Ragnar Svensson ( ...
,
Ann Turkel
Ann Turkel is an American actress and former model, known for her collaborations with, and marriage to, actor Richard Harris.
Early life
Born into a Jewish middle-class family and raised in Manhattan, Turkel had, by age 16, studied with both S ...
,
Richard Roundtree
Richard Arnold Roundtree (July 9, 1942 – October 24, 2023) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film '' Shaft'' and four of its sequels, '' Shaft's Big Score!'' (1972), '' Shaft ...
. The film was released in France in 1979 and in the US in 1984. In 2002 and 2006, the film was re-released on DVD.
Plot
A ruthless professional hitman (
Jack Palance
Walter Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk, , ''Volodymyr Ivanovych Palahniuk''; February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American screen and stage actor, known to film audiences for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominat ...
) is invited to kill a brain surgeon (
Bo Svenson
Bo Svenson (born 13 February 1941) is a Swedish-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his roles in American genre films of the 1970s and 1980s.
Early life
Svenson was born in Sweden, the son of Birger Ragnar Svensson ( ...
). Later, it turns out, however, that both men not only know each other very well (the surgeon once saved the hitman's life) but also love the same woman (
Ann Turkel
Ann Turkel is an American actress and former model, known for her collaborations with, and marriage to, actor Richard Harris.
Early life
Born into a Jewish middle-class family and raised in Manhattan, Turkel had, by age 16, studied with both S ...
). Can the killer fulfill the contract in this case?
Cast
*
Jack Palance
Walter Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk, , ''Volodymyr Ivanovych Palahniuk''; February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American screen and stage actor, known to film audiences for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominat ...
as Jim Buck
*
Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen Steiger ( ; April 14, 1925 – July 9, 2002) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Ranked as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars", he is closely associ ...
as Max Andreotti
*
Richard Roundtree
Richard Arnold Roundtree (July 9, 1942 – October 24, 2023) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film '' Shaft'' and four of its sequels, '' Shaft's Big Score!'' (1972), '' Shaft ...
as Coco Morrell
*
Bo Svenson
Bo Svenson (born 13 February 1941) is a Swedish-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his roles in American genre films of the 1970s and 1980s.
Early life
Svenson was born in Sweden, the son of Birger Ragnar Svensson ( ...
as Dr. Bob Michaels
*
Ann Turkel
Ann Turkel is an American actress and former model, known for her collaborations with, and marriage to, actor Richard Harris.
Early life
Born into a Jewish middle-class family and raised in Manhattan, Turkel had, by age 16, studied with both S ...
as Cathy
*
Philip Ahn
Philip Ahn (; March 29, 1905 – February 28, 1978) was an American actor and activist of Korean descent. With over 180 film and television credits between 1935 and 1978, he was one of the most recognizable and prolific Asian-American char ...
as Wong
*
Herb Jeffries
Herb Jeffries (born Umberto Alexander Valentino; September 24, 1913 – May 25, 2014) was an American actor of film and television and popular music and jazz singer-songwriter, known for his baritone voice.
He starred in several low-budget "ra ...
as Charlie
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, 0076561
1979 films
1979 crime drama films
American crime drama films
1970s English-language films
1970s American films
English-language crime drama films