Trivia

Jennifer Jason Leigh added the Jason to her stage name in tribute to Robards, a long-time family friend. She said, "I like the way it sounds between Jennifer and Leigh.".

In one of his last roles, in Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia (1999), he portrayed a man dying from lung cancer to excellent effect. One year later he himself died from the same disease.

In 1988, he became the 11th performer to win the Triple Crown of acting: Oscar, Tony, Emmy. Two Oscars: Best Supporting Actor, All the President's Men (1976), and Best Supporting Actor, Julia (1977). Tony: Best Actor, Play, "The Disenchanted" (1959). Emmy: Best Actor, Miniseries/Special: Inherit the Wind (1988).

Katharine Hepburn was the godmother of his son Sam Robards.

Preferred working in the theater, and said once that he performed in Hollywood films so that he could "grab the money and go back to Broadway as fast as I can."

Was a Civil War buff in real life. He played President U.S. Grant in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981), and was the voice of Gen. Grant in the PBS mini-series The Civil War (1990).

As of 2015, he is the only actor to win consecutive best supporting actor Oscars (for All the President's Men (1976) and Julia (1977)). In both films, he was playing someone he actually knew.

Served as a radioman aboard the U.S.S. Northampton, which was sunk by Japanese torpedoes in the Battle of Tassafaronga.

Avoided films until age 37 because he felt his acting father, Jason Robards Sr., had sold out and tarnished his own reputation by "going Hollywood".

Has portrayed President Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln (1992), The Perfect Tribute (1991) and Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1964), President Ulysess S. Grant in The Civil War (1990) and The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981), President Franklin D. Roosevelt in F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980) and fictional President Richard Monckton (A Richard Nixon-type) in Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977).

Received all of his Oscar nominations for playing real-life people: Ben Bradlee in All the President's Men (1976), Dashiell Hammett in Julia (1977), and Howard Hughes in Melvin and Howard (1980).

On April 22, 2002, the first Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre was awarded to Christopher Plummer by the Roundabout Theatre.

He won an Oscar for playing Benjamin Bradlee in All the President's Men (1976), making him one of 17 actors to win the Award for playing a real person who was still alive at the evening of the Award ceremony (as of 2015). The other sixteen actors and their respective performances are: Spencer Tracy for playing Father Edward Flanagan in Boys Town (1938), Gary Cooper for playing Alvin C. York in Sergeant York (1941), Patty Duke for playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker (1962), Robert De Niro for playing Jake La Motta in Raging Bull (1980), Sissy Spacek for playing Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Jeremy Irons for playing Claus Von Bullow in Reversal of Fortune (1990) (1990), Susan Sarandon for playing Sister Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking (1995), Geoffrey Rush for playing David Helfgott in Shine (1996), Julia Roberts for playing Erin Brockovich in Erin Brockovich (2000), Jim Broadbent for playing John Bayley in Iris (2001), Helen Mirren for playing Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006), Sandra Bullock for playing Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side (2009), Melissa Leo for playing Alice Eklund-Ward in The Fighter (2010), Christian Bale for playing Dickie Eklund in The Fighter (2010), Meryl Streep for playing Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady (2011) and most recently Eddie Redmayne for playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything (2014).

Recipient of 22nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime contribution to arts and culture, presented by President Bill Clinton in Washington, DC, Dec. 5, 1999.

His maternal grandmother was Swedish. His other roots were English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and German.

Attended Hollywood High School in Hollywood, CA, and played on the football, baseball, basketball, and track teams, at one time entertaining the idea of becoming a professional athlete.

He and Leonardo DiCaprio both received Oscar-nominations for portraying Howard Hughes. Robards was nominated for Melvin and Howard (1980) and DiCaprio for The Aviator (2004).

He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1997 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington, DC.

His and Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscar nominations for playing Howard Hughes makes them only the second pair to both lose. Robards lost to Timothy Hutton, while DiCaprio lost to Jamie Foxx. Prior to that, only Fredric March and James Mason both lost Oscars for playing Norman Maine in the 1937 and 1954 versions of "A Star is Born". Subsequently, the only pair of actors to both lose an Oscar for playing the same part were Anthony Hopkins and Frank Langella for playing Richard Nixon. Previously, Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro both won for playing Vito Corleone. José Ferrer won while Gérard Depardieu was only nominated for playing Cyrano de Bergerac; and John Wayne won while Jeff Bridges was only nominated for playing Rooster Cogburn. Richard Burton and Robert Shaw also lost Oscars for playing Henry VIII, but Charles Laughton won the award for the role.

In 1978 he became the second actor to receive an Oscar, Emmy and Tony nomination in the same calendar year (for Julia (1977), Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977) and "A Touch of the Poet," respectively).

Father of Jason Robards III, Sarah Louise Robards (born September 20,1951) and David Robards with his first wife, Eleanor Pitman. Father of Sam Robards with his third wife Lauren Bacall and father of Shannon Robards and Jake Robards with his fourth wife Lois O'Connor.

Won Broadway's 1959 Tony Award as best actor (dramatic) for The Disenchanted. He was nominated seven other times: as best supporting or featured actor (dramatic) in 1957 for Long Day's Journey into Night; as best actor (dramatic) in 1960 for Toys in the Attic, in 1964 for After The Fall, in 1965 for Hughie, in 1972 for The Country Girl and in 1974 for A Moon for the Misbegotten; and as best actor (play) in 1978 for A Touch of the Poet. With eight nominations, he holds the record for being the actor nominated the most times for the Tony Award, although he only won once.

He is more closely associated with the works of Eugene O'Neill than any other actor.

Played Hickey in three different productions of Eugene O'Neill's play The Iceman Cometh -- off-Broadway in 1955, on television in 1960, and on Broadway in 1955.

Also played Hickey in production of Iceman Cometh 1985/86 in NYC (Lunt-Fontane) and LA (James Doolittle Theater).

Broadway and NYC-Hollywood television actor Jack Dodson (b.1931-d.1994, age 63) and Jason Robards (b.1922-d.2000, age78) were extremely close friends. Their friendship began when they were cast in a Broadway production. They became bar mates after their curtain (call) dropped each night, when they would join together in their favorite after theater local Broadway bar. When Jason Robards was cast in a play, he would arrange for Jack to be cast, as well, so that he would have a good drinking buddy and bar mate! Jack Dodson's amiable humorous spirit and show-biz antidotes always entertained. Jason Robards and Jack Dodson had a mutual respect for each other's professional abilities and talents. Their character traits made each a man's man and a damned good best friend! The pair were a comedy performance when seated together at the pub's main bar, or at a restaurant table. When asked by the bar's host if they minded being seated at a back table adjacent the kitchen service room door, Jack's response, "that's O.K., we make the same noise sitting there as we would sitting in the middle or at this joint's front door!" and they DID!.

He was nominated for a 1976 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Guest Artist in a play, Hughie, at the Academy Festival Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

Starred in three Oscar Best Picture nominees: A Thousand Clowns (1965), All the President's Men (1976) and Julia (1977). All three movies won for Best Supporting Actor, with Jason Robards himself winning back-to-back for the latter two.

Is one of 9 actors to have won the Triple Crown of Acting (an Oscar, Emmy and Tony); the others in chronological order are Thomas Mitchell, Melvyn Douglas, Paul Scofield, Jack Albertson, Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino, Geoffrey Rush and Christopher Plummer.

First lead role was in the 1953 off-Broadway production of "American Gothic" directed by José Quintero.

He won an Emmy in 1988 for Inherit the Wind (1988).

Was the first winner of a Best Actor Obie Award, which recognize achievement in the off-Broadway theater, for playing Hickey in the revival of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh during the 1955-1956 season. He tied for the best actor award with George Voskovec, who was cited for Uncle Vanya.

He was awarded the 1986 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Lead Performance for "The Iceman Cometh" in the University of California (Los Angeles) Center for the Arts and Theatre group production at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

He was awarded the 1986 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Performance for "The Iceman Cometh," in Mark Taper Forum production at the James A. Doolittle Theatre at the University of California in Los Angeles, California.

Alumnus of the AADA (American Academy of Dramatic Arts), Class of 1948.

Was a trustee at Fairfield University in Connecticut.

Jason Robards received more nominations (8) for acting Tony Awards than any other actor. His first, in 1957 for "Long Day's Journey into Night", was for Featured Actor in a Play. The other 7 nominations were for Lead Actor in a Play: 1959 for "The Disenchanted"; 1960 for "Toys in the Attic"; 1964 for "After the Fall"; 1965 for "Hughie"; 1972 for "The Country Girl"; 1974 for "A Moon for the Misbegotten"; and 1978 for "A Touch of the Poet". Jason won once, for "The Disenchanted".

Shares the role of Howard Hughes with Leonardo DiCaprio. In the television series (Parenthood (1990)) based on Parenthood (1989), DiCaprio took over the role that Joaquin Phoenix had played in the film--opposite Robards as his grandfather.

He studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City.

Born on exactly the same date as Blake Edwards (of "Pink Panther" fame).

He was cast as the lead in Fitzcarraldo (1982) but had to drop out after filming started, because of ill-health. Footage of him in the part can be seen in Burden of Dreams (1982) and My Best Fiend (1999).

He has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and All the President's Men (1976).