The actor Charles Bronson, who was born 105 years ago today, was not a tall man. He stood at 5’8″ and yet always seemed like the biggest character in any film in which he appeared. If you follow modern American politics, just consider that Cenk Uygur is 5’8″. James Talarico claims to be 5’8″ though I’m guessing he’s probably closer to 5’6″. Abdul El-Sayed appears to be somewhere around 4’7″. Now, just try to imagine any of them dominating the screen like Bronson.

Bronson had presence. His charisma was not the usual movie star charisma. He didn’t come across as being overly friendly. Instead, his steely stare and his taciturn presence said, “Don’t mess with me.” And yet, when Charles Bronson is in a scene, he’s the one that you watch. He’s the one who catches your attention. That’s the pure power of screen presence. That’s not something that can be taught. That’s something you’ve either got or you don’t.

Few actors were as good with a one-liner as Bronson. A lot of that is because Charles Bronson didn’t play talkative characters. He played characters who only spoke when they had to. That’s one reason why his one-liners were so powerful. I’ve shared this before, but since it is his 105th birthday and we’re all big Bronson fans here on the Lens, here is Charles Bronson delivering his best one-liner at the end of 10 to Midnight.

“No, we won’t.”