In the Oscar-winning 1955 kitchen-sink drama "Marty", Ernest Borgnine plays an unmarried Bronx butcher who describes himself variously as "kind of a stocky, heavy-set guy" and "a fat little man, a fat ugly man. "

It's a warm, heart-rending performance and clearly the part could not have been convincingly played by some handsome, square-jawed leading man like Marlon Brando or Burt Lancaster. Borgnine, gap-toothed and indeed stocky, was perfect. This was the ultimate case of a character actor in a leading role.

Borgnine, now a remarkably fit 84, is under no illusions about his looks, but his face has nonetheless been his fortune, ensuring hard-bitten, tough guy roles for more than 50 years. Ten years in the US Navy gave him the physique and the experience to make him the ideal choice for Fatso, the sadistic sarge who beats up Frank Sinatra in "From Here To Eternity", the role that got him noticed by Hollywood. His next unforgettable villain was Coley in "Bad Day at Black Rock" ("You mess with me and I'll kick a lung outta ya").

Though the massively successful "Marty" went against type, Borgnine was then bombarded with offers of similarly downbeat, realistic roles. He turned them down, and, after appearing in the musical "The Best Things in Life Are Free ", he was back to playing heavy-set heavies in films like "The Wild Bunch" and "The Dirty Dozen".

Needless to say, in person, he's more like Marty than Fatso. When I interviewed him for Back Row (he was in London to speak at the National Film Theatre) his wife, who manufactures her own cosmetics, gave me some cologne, and 'Ernie' went around the Radio 4 arts department opening doors and saying hello to everyone.

A stand-up guy, as they say in America. You can hear the Ernest Borgnine interview on this week's programme, plus a report on drugs in the movies, with contributions from Johnny Depp.