Edward G. Robinson made 14 films between 1930 and 1932. Robinson went to Universal for "Night Ride" (1930) and MGM for "A Lady to Love" (1930) directed by Victor Sjöström. At Universal he was in "Outside the Law" and "East Is West" (both 1930), then he did "The Widow from Chicago" (1931) at First National. Robinson was established as a film actor. What made him a star was an acclaimed performance as the gangster Caesar Enrico "Rico" Bandello in "Little Caesar" (1931) at Warner Bros. Robinson signed a long term contract with Warners. They put him in another gangster film, "Smart Money" (1931),
Edward G. Robinson attended Townsend Harris High School and then the City College of New York, planning to become a criminal attorney. An interest in acting and performing in front of people led to him winning an American Academy of Dramatic Arts scholarship, after which he changed his name to "Edward G. Robinson" (the G. standing for his original surname). He served in the United States Navy during World War I, but was never sent overseas. He began his acting career in the Yiddish Theater District in 1913 and made his Broadway debut in 1915. He made his film debut in "Arms and