He was one of the few actors to move easily and successfully between starring and supporting roles throughout his career. In both categories, the Irish-Mexican Quinn played a vast array of characters and ethnicities, including American, Arab, Basque, Chinese, English, French, Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hun, Irish, Italian, Mexican, Mongol, Native American, Filipino, Portuguese, Spaniard and Ukranian.

Took acting class from Michael Chekhov in Hollywood.

For extra cash he entered dance contest, from which he sold the statues.

Underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery in February 1990.

Son of an Irish father and Mexican mother, he grew up in the barrio of East L.A. shining shoes and selling newspapers.

Lived in Bristol, RI, and befriended Providence's controversial mayor Buddy Cianci.

Brother-in-law of screenwriter Martin Goldsmith.

His companion Kathy Benvin was his secretary and he fathered her two young children: Antonia (b. 1994) and Ryan (b. 1996)

Father of Francesco Quinn, Valentina Quinn, Lorenzo Quinn, Alex A. Quinn, Danny Quinn.

Played in the band of evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson as a youth and as a deputy preacher.

Was nominated for Broadway's 1961 Tony Award as Best Actor (Dramatic) for "Becket."

Was scheduled to appear in the David Lean-directed "Nostromo" in 1991, but Lean died and the production came to a halt.

Most of his 13 children were left out of his will for unknown reasons while the bulk of his estate went to his wife at the time of his death and their two young children.

Sidelines: painting and sculpting.

Became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1947, just before he was "gray-listed" for his association with Communists such as screenwriter John Howard Lawson and what were termed "fellow travelers", though he himself was never called before the House Un-American Activities Committee. When warned of his gray-listing by 20th Century-Fox boss Darryl F. Zanuck (a liberal), Quinn decided to go on the Broadway stage where there was no blacklist rather than go through the process of refuting the suspicions.

Before he launched his acting career Quinn worked odd jobs as a butcher, a boxer, street corner preacher and a slaughterhouse worker. He also won a scholarship to study architecture with Frank Lloyd Wright, with whom he developed a close relationship.

Son with Katherine DeMille: Christopher (drowned in W.C. Fields' swimming pool at age 3).

Around 1972 he announced his desire to play "Henry Cristophe", the 19th-century Emperor of Haiti. Upon this announcement several prominent black actors, including Ossie Davis and Ellen Holly, stated that they were opposed to a "white man" playing "black". Davis stated, "My black children need black heroes on which to model their behavior. Henry Cristophe is an authentic black hero. Tony, for all my admiration of him as a talent, will do himself and my children a great disservice if he encourages them to believe that only a white man, and Tony is white to my children, is capable of playing a black hero.

According to Joseph McBride's "Searching for John Ford" (St. Martin's Press, 2001 - ISBN 0312242328), director John Ford was urged to cast Richard Boone and Quinn as the Little Wolf and Dull Knife characters in Cheyenne Autumn (1964), as both had Native American blood. Ricardo Montalban and Gilbert Roland, who were of Mexican descent, were cast instead.

Ex-father-in-law of Lauren Holly and Melissa Quinn.

While many biographies have the young Quinn, who was the son of an Irish father and Mexican mother, growing up on the streets of East L.A., the truth was that he grew up in Echo Park, attending Polytechnic (which at the time was located in downtown L.A. before it moved to North Hollywood) and Belmont high schools. In later years he would recount how, while growing up in Echo Park, young Chicano toughs would come over to his house to enlist his help in brawling with the Irish gangs, and that later in the same day, young Irish bruisers would visit him to enlist his services in fighting the Mexicans. He would always beg off choosing sides by having his mother chase the young delinquents out of her house, after which he would resume one of his favorite pastimes, drafting and drawing.

Three children with Jolanda Addolori: Francesco Quinn (actor), Lorenzo Quinn (painter, sculptor), and Danny Quinn (actor).

For The Magus (1968) he had to shave his hair. He had an insurance policy against the risk that it might not grow back!

Has fathered 13 children.

He did not get along well with his first father-in-law, legendary producer-director Cecil B. DeMille, though they later developed a civil relationship.

Appeared in more movies with other Oscar-winning actors (for acting) than any other Oscar-winning actor. 46; 28 male actors, 18 female actors.

Donated blood to John Barrymore whenever the older actor needed a transfusion.

Won his second Oscar for a movie in which he only appeared onscreen for a total of 8 minutes.