In Remembrance: Roger Donoghue

     Roger Donoghue, the former boxer who trained actor Marlon Brando for the movie On The Waterfront (1954), has passed away on August 20, 2006 in Greenport, NY. He was 75.

     Born on November 20, 1930 in Yonkers, NY, Donoghue won 29 out of 31 amateur bouts before turned professional at the age of 18. He would win 25 of his first 27 fights, using his prize money to put his brother and sister through college. His career would come to an early end just two years later when he had his first bout at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on August 29, 1951. Donoghue fought middleweight George Flores, winning the fight by a knock out in the eighth round. However, Flores died of injuries sustained in the bout a few days later. Donoghue gave his winnings to Flores’ family and quit the sport soon after.

     Donoghue was hired by director Elia Kazan at $75 a day to train Brando for his role as a boxer in the classic On The Waterfront. Donoghue’s training for the actor included roadwork through New York’s Central Park and sparring in the ring at Stillman’s Gym. Reportedly, Donoghue was so impressed with Brando after just one training session, he said, “I can make a hell of a middleweight out of his kid.”

     A conversation between Donoghue and Waterfront’s screenwriter Budd Schulberg became the inspiration for the film’s most famous lines of dialogue. While discussing the Flores bout and his decision to leave boxing, Schulberg asked Donoghue, “Could you have been a champion?’ to which the ex-boxer replied, “I could have been a contender.”

     Donoghue also befriended director Nicholas Ray, who hired him for a time as an assistant. Ray became interested in adapting Donoghue’s story for the big screen. Donoghue even began training actor James Dean whom Ray wanted for the film’s lead. However, the project fell through Dean died in an automobile crash.

     A friendship with writer/director Norman Mailer resulted in Donoghue being introduced to his future wife Fay Moore in 1961. The two married in 1963. Mailer also gave Donoghue his only acting role, that of a detective in Mailer’s 1968 film Beyond The Law.