Wéi den Emmanuel 10 Joer hat, ass e mat senger Famill op New York emigréiert. Schonn am Lycée huet hie gär Theater gespillt.
De Robinson krut eng Bourse fir op d'American Academy of Dramatic Arts an hat 1913 säin éischten Optrëtt ënner sengem Kënschtlernumm Edward G. Robinson. Hien huet 14 Joer laang um Broadway gespillt an hat 1923 seng éischt Roll an engem Film, The Bright Shawl.
Seng bekanntst Roll war déi vum GangsterRico Bandello am Film Little Caesar vun 1930. Duerno huet hien ëmmer nees Gangsteren (wéi z.B. a Key Largo) oder soss Brigange gespillt, mä och biographesch Rollen, an a psychologeschen Dramen. Spéider hunn och Kaméidisfilmer zu sengem Repertoire gezielt.
Wärend dem Zweete Weltkrich huet hie sech staark als Antifaschist engagéiert, wat em an de Joren duerno Problemer gemaach huet, well en ewell, an der McCarthy-Zäit als Kommunist verdächtegt gouf an e puer Joer laang keng Filmrolle méi ugebuede krut.
Hien ass e puer Deeg, nodeems Soylent Green fäerdeg gedréint war, wouran e seng lescht Roll hat, gestuerwen. Nach dat selwecht Joer krut hie posthum en Oscar fir säi Liewenswierk.
(ouni Tëleesserien; mat Roll)
The Bright Shawl (1923) - Domingo Escobar
The Hole in the Wall (1929) - De Vos
Night Ride (1930) - Tony Garotta
A Lady to Love (1930) - Tony
Outside the Law (1930) - Cobra Collins
Die Sehnsucht jeder Frau (1930) - Tony
East Is West (1930) - Charlie Yong
The Widow from Chicago (1930) - Dominic
Little Caesar (1931) - Little Caesar aka 'Rico'
The Slippery Pearls (1931) - Edward Robinson
Smart Money (1931) - Nick 'The Barber' Venizelos
Five Star Final (1931) - Joseph W. Randall
The Hatchet Man (1932) - Wong Low Get
Two Seconds (1932) - John Allen
Tiger Shark (1932) - Mike Mascarenhas
Silver Dollar (1932) - Yates Martin
The Little Giant (1933) - James Francis 'Bugs'/Jim Ahern
I Loved a Woman (1933) - John Mansfield Hayden
Dark Hazard (1934) - Jim 'Buck' Turner
The Man with Two Faces (1934) - Damon Welles/Jules Chautard
The Whole Town's Talking (1935) - Arthur Ferguson 'Jonesy' Jones/'Killer' Mannion
Barbary Coast (1935) - Luis Chamalis
Bullets or Ballots (1936) - Detective Johnny Blake
Thunder in the City (1937) - Daniel 'Dan' Armstrong
Kid Galahad (1937) - Nick 'Nicky' Donati
The Last Gangster (1937) - Joe Krozac
A Slight Case of Murder (1938) - Remy Marko
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938) - Dr. T.S. Clitterhouse
I Am the Law (1938) - John Lindsay
Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) - Edward 'Ed' Renard
Blackmail (1939) - John R. Ingram
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940) - Dr. Paul Ehrlich
Brother Orchid (1940) - Little John T. 'Johnny' Sarto
A Dispatch from Reuters (1940) - Paul Julius Reuter
The Sea Wolf (1941) - 'Wolf' Larsen
Manpower (1941) - Hank 'Gimpy' McHenry
Unholy Partners (1941) - Bruce Corey
Larceny, Inc. (1942) - J. Chalmers 'Pressure' Maxwell
Tales of Manhattan (1942) - Avery 'Larry' L. Browne
Destroyer (1943) - Steve Boleslavski
Flesh and Fantasy (1943) - Marshall Tyler
Tampico (1944) - Kapt. Bart Manson
Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1944) - Wilbert Winkle
Double Indemnity (1944) - Barton Keyes
The Woman in the Window (1944) - Professor Richard Wanley
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945) - Martinius Jacobson