Charles Bronson was a very quiet, soft-spoken man.
In his free time, you would not find him at parties. He would not socialize much with other stars, wouldn’t chase women and disliked the red carpet. His greatest joy was caring for his horses at his farm in Vermont, where he lived with his wife Jill Ireland and their large blended family, with seven children and step-children.
He wasn’t a mean man, or a man devoid of social skills — he even managed to get along with the ex-husband of his wife, David McCallum… the man he stole Jill Ireland from. Both men set together at Ireland’s funeral. One of the few times when Bronson’s usually stoic nature failed him was when co-stars acted unprofessionally. He hated it when people didn’t act professionally. When Lee Marvin didn’t arrive on time for an expensive scene and eventually showed up drunk, Bronson reportedly lost his cool.
This was mostly due to the fact that in the scene, Marvin had to drive a car besides Bronson as explosives went off behind them. And Bronson had no interest in being in the car with a driver who was completely wasted.
Acting was a 9 to 5 job for Charles Bronson. He learned the lines, kept himself fit to look the part and play-fought, rode horses and fell out of cars for a living. Born dirt poor and working in the mines since childhood, making a living as an actor was quite lovely for Bronson, but it was ultimately just a means to an end — all he really wanted was to care for his horses and hang out with his family. Moviestars and their diva antics, addictions and demons interested him very little and he kept his distance.