Perhaps best known for his portrayals of tough-guys and gangsters, Edward G. Robinson was a prolific actor, activist, and pipe smoker. Over the course of his 50-year career, he appeared in 40 Broadway plays and more than 100 major motion pictures, his most memorable roles occurring during Hollywood's Golden Age. And despite standing 5' 5," Robinson was a larger than life star, his iconic characters inspiring countless imitations and animated caricatures impersonating his signature "snarling gangster" persona.

Born Emanuel Goldenberg, Edward and his family emigrated to the United States from Bucharest, Romania, when he was 10 years old. It was a transformative experience for him, with Robinson saying "At Ellis Island I was born again" and he viewed the transition as a fresh start. While he's remembered for the rugged, gruff street characters he played in films, Edward was a well-educated and professional man who had ambitions to become a criminal attorney before being drawn to the realm of performing arts.

He was a natural actor who worked hard, and he won a scholarship for the American Academy of Dramatic Art in Manhattan with his delivery of the memorable quarrel between Cassius and Brutus in Julius Caesar. Robinson started acting in the Yiddish Theater District in 1913 before making his Broadway debut two years later, eventually appearing in his first film the following year. It wasn't until the onset of the sound film era that Robinson's career began to flourish and his signature gangster persona developed.

Edward had many hobbies and eclectic tastes, beginning with his collection of cigar bands as a young man, gradually developing an appreciation for art, specifically French Impressionist paintings. During the height of his popularity he owned one of the largest and most valuable private art collections in the United States with multiple works by Monet and Renoir hanging throughout his Beverly Hills home.

He would sell the collection in 1957 during the course of his divorce settlement, a financial necessity due to his lack of work from nearly being blacklisted after testifying in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee in the early '50s. His appearance before the committee came after Robinson learned that 11 of the hundreds of groups he donated to were listed as Communist front organizations by the FBI. Although he was cleared of any Communist involvement, it took years for Robinson's acting career and financial situation to recover.

Robinson was a prominent political activist for years, having been a vocal critic of Nazism and fascism before U.S. involvement in World War II and donated over $250,000 to hundreds of charitable organizations throughout the 1940s. He even tried to enlist in the military but was denied due to his age; instead he was appointed as a Special Representative by the government. Using his talent as a radio speaker and his multilingual skills, Robinson delivered addresses to countries across Europe that had fallen under Nazi control. Less than a month after the Invasion of Normandy, Robinson became the first movie star to visit the region as part of the United Service Organization (USO) to entertain American troops, and he donated $100,000 to the organization.

Whether traveling abroad or not, Robinson would rarely be seen without a pipe or cigar nearby. His son Robinson Jr. ("Manny") recalled in his own autobiography, My Father, My Son that his father would smoke anything that wasn't nailed down, frequently enjoying his favorite cigars, Havana Upmanns, or smoking a bowl in one of his prized pipes with various Dunhill mixtures being his favored pipe tobacco blends. He was also known to favor cigar brands such as Romeo y Julieta, Punch, and Montecristo, according to his granddaughter, Francesca.

However, for pipe smokers, it's Robinson's pipe collection that's most fascinating, reportedly containing over 150 pieces in 1960. And pipe collection may not even be the right term because unlike the masterpieces Robinson simply displayed in his house, he was an avid pipe smoker with the number of pipes he owned hinting more at his enjoyment of the hobby than merely being a fervent collector. Edward considered many factors before purchasing a new pipe, according to an article by Bruce Harris in Pipes and tobaccos magazine, winter, 2009, factors such as its aesthetics, draw, in-hand feel, grain patterns, and those intangible, unexplainable qualities that draw all of us to certain pieces.

His collection consisted primarily of straight-stemmed pipes, but he had a few bents as well, such as a gourd Calabash and a couple of meerschaums. Robinson's collection contained sentimental pieces like a treasured pipe owned by his father and an especially noteworthy pipe that belonged to legendary composer George Gershwin that was given to Robinson by George's brother, Ira, shortly after George's passing in 1937.

Edward also owned a few Dunhills, with a large Own Design (OD) that featured a triangular, Tomahawk shaped bowl being one of his favorites and perhaps the most intriguing within his collection, but was one he rarely smoked due to the bowl's unusual shape.

Every pipe he owned had a unique personality and he cherished each one, considering them to be close friends. Though he was known for his charitable personality, Robinson would never part with his old pipes when asked by fans or friends. Instead, he'd buy new ones as gifts since he didn't grow attached to them.

Traveling for movie roles had its advantages as Robinson was able to visit his favorite tobacco shops across the country, especially Bertram's in Washington, D.C. and Ehrlich's in Boston. He was also known to frequent L.J. Peretti's, with their mild and slightly sweet No. 102 Burley blend being one of Robinson's favorites. It's still a popular Peretti mixture and consists of Burley, Latakia, and Oriental tobaccos, delivering notes of chocolate and cocoa.

Robinson was so enthralled by pipes and pipe tobacco that sometime around 1946-47, Edward became a silent partner with San Francisco company Greenfield and Winther to create Edward G. Robinson's Blend, a pipe tobacco that would be distributed nationwide. He only agreed to endorse the blend once he was totally satisfied with the final product and felt that it would suit the tastes of his fellow pipe smokers. The blend itself is an old-school Burley mixture composed of ribbon cut Burley, Black Cavendish, and a touch of Latakia with a subtle plum topping. Sutliff would later purchase the recipe in 1969 and continues to produce its modern incarnation, changing its name to Edward G. Robinson's Pipe Blend.

The blend notably created tension between Robinson and his son, Manny in 1950 when Edward put Manny in contact with Sidney Greenfield, one of the active partners who helped create the blend. It was arranged that Manny would receive a $150 salary per week to promote the blend to potential retailers, introducing himself as Edward G. Robinson Jr. to further boost sales. However, Manny was unhappy in his new salesman role and quit after two days since his real passion was becoming an actor like his father. Robinson was angered by his son's decision, viewing the job as an opportunity for Manny to make it on his own and establish himself as a successful businessman.

However, three years later after marrying and raising a child, Manny was forced to return to his salesman position to support his family. He had much more success this time, earning $250 per week in addition to 10% commission for what he sold, at one point making such a massive sale that it completely emptied the company's West Coast warehouse. But due to the traveling and hectic schedule, Manny become frustrated and quit again, with his father trying to convince him to stay after hearing about his son's promising future. Robinson considered making his son a company officer and turning over the royalties he earned from the blend's name to his son.

Tobacco would be an important factor in his acting career, as well. It would be difficult to find a role where Robinson is without a pipe or cigar, the accessories being as closely intertwined with his characters as they were in his off-screen life. From relaxing in a tub as notorious gangster Johnny Rocco in Key Largo, to his menacing performance in The Cincinnati Kid with Steve McQueen, or his role as "The Barber" in Smart Money, Robinson is usually seen enjoying a cigar. And if there wasn't one accompanying him in a particular scene, there was most certainly one waiting nearby. Unfortunately, there was a noticeable lack of cigars and pipe smoking portrayed in Soylent Green (one of my favorite movies) — dystopian futures aren't the most accommodating smoking environments.

One of Robinson's most iconic roles that depicted pipe smoking on the big screen was Orson Welles' 1946 film The Stranger. Edward portrays Mr. Wilson, an investigator for the United Nations War Crimes Commission that's tasked with hunting Nazi fugitive Franz Kindler, played by Welles. Right away, Robinson's pipe is thrust into the spotlight with his character smashing his pipe on a table during an angry tirade, breaking its shank — the camera zooming in on the broken briar. But ever the resourceful pipe smoker, Mr. Wilson patches his pipe with a piece of tape, continuing to smoke it throughout the remainder of his investigation. The pipe makes it all the way to the end of the film, with Robinson lighting a bowl, saying to co-star Loretta Young "Good night, Mary. Pleasant dreams." In the film's closing shot, Edward is closing his eyes while igniting the tobacco, enjoying each puff he draws while the damaged pipe reflects the injuries he received in the closing battle.

Robinson would go on to act in dozens of films afterward, but suffered a heart attack while on location in Kenya during the filming of A Boy Ten Feet Tall in 1962. While recovering, Edward asked the doctor about when he could start smoking again, with the doctor responding, "Immediately," much to Robinson's shock. The doctor would later explain to Robinson's wife how Edward had been smoking the majority of his life and taking that away from him would cause him greater stress and discomfort. He continued acting and smoking before passing away on January 26, 1973, just a few months before Soylent Green was released. Robinson's co-star Charlton Heston would deliver his eulogy at the funeral.

Although Edward G. Robinson was never nominated for an Academy Award for his on-screen work, he posthumously received an honorary Oscar for his "outstanding contribution to motion pictures" and as someone who "achieved greatness as a player, a patron of the arts and a dedicated citizen...in sum, a Renaissance man." While it's difficult to sum up the life of a Hollywood icon and such a kind-hearted, generous public figure in one phrase, Robinson was indeed a true Renaissance man who left behind a rich legacy for film fanatics and passionate pipe smokers.