Born in Chicago, IL. The son of actor Jason Robards (1892-1963), he served seven years in the Navy, was in the Pearl Harbor attack, and received the Navy Cross before coming to New York in search of a stage career. Settling in Greenwich Village, he drove a cab and taught school in between minor stage engagements and roles in radio soap operas and live TV dramas. After years of obscurity, he gained sudden recognition in the Circle in the Square production of O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh, in 1956. The following year he won a New York Drama Critics Award for Long Day's Journey Into Night and remained a Broadway favorite for the rest of his life. His concurrent TV and film career was equally rewarding. Robards was especially effective in soul-searching, biographical roles. He won two successive Oscars® as best supporting actor for his work in ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976, as Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee) and JULIA (1977, as novelist Dashiell Hammett) and was nominated for another for his portrayal of Howard Hughes in MELVIN AND HOWARD (1980). Other notable (non-nominated) credits include A THOUSAND CLOWNS (1965), DIVORCE AMERICAN STYLE and THE ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE (both 1976), ISADORA (1968), TORA! TORA! TORA! and JULIUS CAESAR (both 1970), A BOY AND HIS DOG (1975), COMES A HORSEMAN (1978), RAISE THE TITANIC (1980), THE LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER (1981), MAX DUGAN RETURNS and SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (both 1983), "The Day After" (also 1983, TV), PARENTHOOD (1989), THE TRIAL and PHILADELPHIA (both 1993), THE PAPER (1994), A THOUSAND ACRES (1997), BELOVED and ENEMY OF THE STATE (both 1998) and MAGNOLIA (1999). His first marriage (1948-58) to actress Eleanor Pitman produced three children, including actor Jason III (b. 1948); his third (1961-69), to movie star Lauren Bacall, produced actor Sam Robards (b. 1961). He had two more children from his fourth marriage (from 1970) to actress Lois O'Connor. Some time after his father's death (1963), he dropped "Jr." from his name and was billed as Jason Robards.  Supporting Actor 1976: ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN  Supporting Actor 1977: JULIA  Nominated for Supporting Actor 1980: MELVIN AND HOWARD 3 nominations, 2 Awards