Brian Donlevy

Actor
Brian Donlevy

About

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Also Known As
Waldo Brian Donlevy
Birth Place
Armagh, , IE
Born
February 09, 1901
Died
April 05, 1972
Cause of Death
Throat Cancer

Biography

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Durable Irish-American character player, often cast as a fast-talking tough guy with a heart of gold. On occasion Donlevy played a leading role, notably in Preston Sturges's directorial debut, "The Great McGinty" (1940), but he played memorable supporting parts in "Beau Geste" (1939, as the villainous sergeant), "Destry Rides Again" (1939), "The Glass Key" (1942) and "An American Romance...

Filmography

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Pit Stop (1969)
Grant Willard
Arizona Bushwhackers (1968)
Mayor Joe Smith
Hostile Guns (1967)
Marshal Willett
Waco (1966)
Ace Ross
Gammera the Invincible (1966)
Gen. Terry Arnold
The Fat Spy (1966)
Wellington

Photos & Videos

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The Virginian - Movie Posters
3 Photos
Impact (1949) -- (Movie Clip) Need A Hand?
The Virginian - Lobby Cards
7 Photos
The Great McGinty - Lobby Cards
4 Photos
Impact (1949) -- (Movie Clip) Her Favorite Nephew

Family & Companions

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Yvonne Grey
Wife
Divorced.
Marjorie Lane
Wife
Actor. Second wife.
Lillian Arch
Wife
Formerly married to Bela Lugosi; married in the 1960s; survived him.

Biography

Durable Irish-American character player, often cast as a fast-talking tough guy with a heart of gold. On occasion Donlevy played a leading role, notably in Preston Sturges's directorial debut, "The Great McGinty" (1940), but he played memorable supporting parts in "Beau Geste" (1939, as the villainous sergeant), "Destry Rides Again" (1939), "The Glass Key" (1942) and "An American Romance" (1944). Second wife was actress Marjorie Lane.

Filmography

 

Cast (Feature Film)

Pit Stop (1969)
Grant Willard
Arizona Bushwhackers (1968)
Mayor Joe Smith
Hostile Guns (1967)
Marshal Willett
Waco (1966)
Ace Ross
Gammera the Invincible (1966)
Gen. Terry Arnold
The Fat Spy (1966)
Wellington
Curse of the Fly (1965)
Henri Delambre
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965)
B. D.
The Pigeon That Took Rome (1962)
Col. Sherman Harrington
The Errand Boy (1961)
Mr. T. P.
Girl in Room 13 (1961)
Steve Marshall
Juke Box Rhythm (1959)
George Manton
Never So Few (1959)
Gen. Sloan
Escape from Red Rock (1958)
Bronc Grierson
Cowboy (1958)
Doc Bender
Enemy from Space (1957)
[Prof. Bernard] Quatermass
The Creeping Unknown (1956)
Prof. Bernard Quatermass
A Cry in the Night (1956)
Capt. Editor Bates
The Big Combo (1955)
Joe McClure
Ride the Man Down (1953)
Bide Marriner
Woman They Almost Lynched (1953)
William Clarke Quantrill
Hoodlum Empire (1952)
Senator Bill Stephens
Slaughter Trail (1951)
Capt. Dempster
Fighting Coast Guard (1951)
Comm. Ian McFarland
Shakedown (1950)
Nick Palmer
Kansas Raiders (1950)
[William Clark] Quantrill
The Lucky Stiff (1949)
John J. Malone
Impact (1949)
Walter Williams [also known as Bill Walker]
Command Decision (1949)
Brigadier General Clifton I. Garnet
A Southern Yankee (1948)
Kurt Devlynn
Killer McCoy (1947)
Jim Caighn [assumed name of Jim Carrson]
Heaven Only Knows (1947)
Adam "Duke" Byron
Song of Scheherazade (1947)
Captain Vladimir Gregovich
Kiss of Death (1947)
Louis D'Angelo
The Beginning or the End (1947)
Major General Leslie R. Groves
The Trouble with Women (1947)
Joe McBride
Two Years Before the Mast (1946)
Richard Henry Dana
The Virginian (1946)
Trampas
Canyon Passage (1946)
George Camrose
Our Hearts Were Growing Up (1946)
Tony Minnetti, also known as Uncle Eddie
Duffy's Tavern (1945)
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
"McGinty"
An American Romance (1944)
Steve Dangos [previously known as Stefan Dangosbiblichek]
Hangmen Also Die! (1943)
Dr. Franticek Svoboda
Stand by for Action (1943)
Lieut. Comdr. Martin J. Roberts
Nightmare (1942)
Dan Shane
Two Yanks in Trinidad (1942)
Vince Barrows
A Gentleman After Dark (1942)
["Heliotrope"] Harry Melton
The Remarkable Andrew (1942)
General Andrew Jackson
The Glass Key (1942)
Paul Madvig
Wake Island (1942)
Major Geoffrey Caton
The Great Man's Lady (1942)
Steely Edwards
Billy the Kid (1941)
Jim Sherwood
South of Tahiti (1941)
Bob
Birth of the Blues (1941)
Memphis
I Wanted Wings (1941)
Capt. Mercer
Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
Actor
The Great McGinty (1940)
Dan McGinty
When the Daltons Rode (1940)
Grat Dalton
Brigham Young--Frontiersman (1940)
Angus Duncan
Jesse James (1939)
Barshee
Union Pacific (1939)
Sid Campeau
Destry Rides Again (1939)
Kent
Behind Prison Gates (1939)
Red Murray [also known as Norman Craig]
Beau Geste (1939)
Sergeant Markoff
Allegheny Uprising (1939)
Callendar
In Old Chicago (1938)
Gil Warren
Battle of Broadway (1938)
Chesty Webb
Sharpshooters (1938)
Steve Mitchell
We're Going to Be Rich (1938)
Yankee Gordon
Born Reckless (1937)
Bob "Hurry" Kane
Crack-Up (1937)
Ace Martin
Midnight Taxi (1937)
Chick Gardner
This Is My Affair (1937)
Batiste Duryea
Strike Me Pink (1936)
Vance
13 Hours by Air (1936)
Dr. [James] Evarts
Half Angel (1936)
Duffy Giles
Human Cargo (1936)
[Patrick] Packy Campbell
36 Hours to Kill (1936)
Frank Evers
High Tension (1936)
Steve Reardon
Barbary Coast (1935)
Knuckles Jacoby
Mary Burns, Fugitive (1935)
"Spike"
Another Face (1935)
"Broken Nose" Dawson, also known as Spencer Dutro III
Mother's Boy (1929)
Harry O'Day
A Man of Quality (1926)
Richard Courtney
School for Wives (1925)
Ralph
Damaged Hearts (1924)
Jim Porter, Mrs. Langham's brother

Cast (Special)

Hard Case (1960)
Fred Childress (Guest)

Cast (Short)

A Modern Cinderella (1932)

Life Events

1924

First Broadway appearance (walk-on)

1924

Screen acting debut in "Damaged Hearts"

Photo Collections

 
3 Photos
The Virginian - Movie Posters
The Virginian - Movie Posters
7 Photos
The Virginian - Lobby Cards
The Virginian - Lobby Cards
4 Photos
The Great McGinty - Lobby Cards
The Great McGinty - Lobby Cards
2 Photos
Stand by for Action - Kapralik Trade Ad
Here is a trade ad for MGM's Stand by for Action (1943), starring Robert Taylor, Charles Laughton, and Brian Donlevy. The art is by mixed-media caricaturist Jaques Kapralik. Trade Ads were placed by studios in industry magazines like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.
2 Photos
Command Decision - Publicity Stills
Here are a few stills taken to help publicize MGM's Command Decision (1948), starring Clark Gable, Van Johnson, and Walter Pidgeon. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.
8 Photos
The Glass Key - Lobby Card Set
Here is a set of lobby cards from The Glass Key (1942), starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake and Brian Donlevy.
9 Photos
The Glass Key - Movie Posters
Here are a number of original movie posters from The Glass Key (1942), starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.
11 Photos
The Glass Key - Publicity Stills
Here are a number of publicity stills from The Glass Key (1942), starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake and Brian Donlevy. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.
2 Photos
The Big Combo - Movie Posters
Here are a few original release American movie posters for The Big Combo (1955), starring Cornel Wilde.
2 Photos
Billy the Kid (1941) - Publicity Stills
Here are a few photos taken to help publicize MGM's Billy the Kid (1941), starring Robert Taylor. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.
2 Photos
Creeping Unknown - Lobby Cards
Here are a few Lobby Cards from The Creeping Unknown (1956 - aka The Quatermass Xperiment). Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Videos

Movie Clip

Impact (1949) -- (Movie Clip) Need A Hand? Steep acceleration here from nebulous ill-intent to vicious (though incompetent) murder attempt, fake brother-in-law Jim (Tony Barrett) contrived the flat tire en route from Sausalito to San Rafael (presumably via US-101, which looks a lot different today), in league with the wife (Irene) of auto exec Walt (Brian Donlevy), who gets victimized, leading to all kinds of trouble, in Impact, 1949.
Impact (1949) -- (Movie Clip) Her Favorite Nephew Location shooting in Sausalito, CA, Tony Barrett as Jim (but going by “Jack”), involved in maybe-suspicious activities with Irene (Helen Walker), the wife of auto executive Walt (Brian Donlevy), who had driven from San Francisco planning to meet her, taking her bait-and-switch in stride, in the adventurous Noir Impact, 1949.
Kiss Of Death (1947) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Christmas Eve Chilling opening with narration by Coleen Gray (who'll appear as "Nettie"), introducing Nick Bianco (Victor Mature), from Henry Hathaway's Kiss Of Death, 1947, from a script by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer and story by Eleazer Lipsky.
Kiss Of Death (1947) -- (Movie Clip) I'll Need That Look Swiftly paroled for agreeing to help the cops, thief Nick (Victor Mature) surprises Nettie (Colleen Gray), his former baby-sitter and friend of his wife, who committed suicide while he was inside, sharing a moment before prosecutor D’Angelo (Brian Donlevy) calls with instructions, in director Henry Hathaway’s Kiss Of Death, 1947.
Kiss Of Death (1947) -- (Movie Clip) Skin Off A Grape Chance first encounter before court between hard-luck family-man robber Nick (Victor Mature) and nasty mob guy Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark), prosecutor D'Angelo (Brian Donlevy) stopping by, in Henry Hathaway's Kiss Of Death, 1947.
Kiss Of Death (1947) -- (Movie Clip) Lyin' Old Hag! Horrible famous scene in which Tommy (Richard Widmark, in his first movie) executes Ma Rizzo (Mildred Dunnock, neither old nor a hag) for not giving up her son, Henry Hathaway directing, in Kiss Of Death, 1947.
Hangmen Also Die (1943) -- (Movie Clip) Our LIves Becoming Forfeit For His Professor Novotny (Walter Brennan) allows himself to be arrested in a Nazi roundup in Prague, protecting Svoboda (Brian Donlevy) and panicking his wife (Nana Bryant) and daughter (Anna Lee) in Fritz Lang's Hangmen Also Die, 1943.
Hangmen Also Die (1943) -- (Movie Clip) Who Started This Applause? Svoboda (Brian Donlevy), whom we don't know to actually be guilty, slips into a Prague theater as word spreads that Reichsprotector Heydrich, "The Hangman," has been shot, in Fritz Lang's Hangmen Also Die, 1943.
Cry In The Night, A (1956) -- (Movie Clip) What's There To Worry About? The voice is Brian Donlevy, who soon appears as a gritty cop, and Natalie Wood, fresh from Rebel Without A Cause, as "Liz," Richard Anderson her beau and Raymond Burr, then known for Rear Window, in the bushes, in the crime thriller A Cry In The Dark, 1956.
Cry In The Night, A (1956) -- (Movie Clip) She's Been Trained To Know Better! Cop Bates (Brian Donlevy) visits colleague Taggart (Edmond O’Brien) to inform him of his daughter’s abduction, Mom (Irene Hervey) alarmed, the boyfriend (Richard Anderson), unknown to the parents, concussed, and the police doc (Peter Hanson) seeking calm, in A Cry In The Night, 1956.
Beginning Or The End, The (1947) -- (Movie Clip) Atom Bomb Special A wholly fictional prologue, as the ceremony covered in this fake newsreel never took place, and all the identified historical figures are portrayed by actors (Brian Donlevy, Hume Cronyn prominent), in MGM’s government-approved story of the atom bomb, The Beginning Or The End, 1947.
Never So Few (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Opening, In The Hills Of North Burma Handy cast I-D shots are featured in the opening to John Sturges' World War Two Burma adventure Never So Few, 1959, starring Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lawford and Steve McQueen.

Trailer

Great McGinty, The - (Original Trailer) A hobo (Brian Donlevy) rises to town mayor when he hooks up with a crooked political boss in Preston Sturges' The Great McGinty (1940).
Beginning or the End, The - (Original Trailer) Two years after the events, MGM recounts how the United States developed and dropped the atomic bomb in The Beginning or the End (1947).
Barbary Coast - (Re-issue trailer) A vice king's girlfriend falls for a young miner in Howard Hawks' Barbary Coast (1935) starring Edward G. Robinson, Miriam Hopkins and Joel McCrea (Telluride Film Festival honoree 1982).
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini - (Original Trailer) White witch doctor Buster Keaton teaches the Beach Party gang How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965).
Allegheny Uprising - (Re-issue Trailer) It's John Wayne versus the Redcoats as a rebel in Colonial America in Allegheny Uprising (1939) co-starring Claire Trevor and George Sanders.
Wake Island - (Original Trailer) Sailors stationed in the Pacific fight off the Japanese during World War II. Released nine months after the actual battle.
Stand By For Action - (Original Trailer) A haughty Harvard boy (Robert Taylor) is taken down a notch when he sees action in the Pacific in Stand By For Action (1943).
Killer McCoy - (Original Trailer) Mickey Rooney stars as a lightweight boxer who gets mixed up in murder in Killer McCoy (1947).
Command Decision - (Original Trailer) A senior officer faces the horror of sending his men on suicide missions over Germany during the last days of WW II in Command Decision (1948).
Never So Few - (Black-and-white Trailer) A U.S. military troop takes command of a band of Burmese guerillas during World War II in Never So Few (1959).
Southern Yankee, A - (Original Trailer) Red Skelton masquerades as a spy and lands behind enemy lines during the Civil War in A Southern Yankee (1948) with gags written by Buster Keaton.
Virginian, The (1946) - (Original Trailer) Best friends become enemies when one signs on with a rustler in the first color version of The Virginian (1946).

Promo

American Politics in the Movies -- (TCM Promo) TCM's original promo for "American Politics in the Movies," featuring Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Candidate, The Great McGinty, and All the King's Men among the 22 movies, Wednesday nights in September, 2008.

Companions

Yvonne Grey
Wife
Divorced.
Marjorie Lane
Wife
Actor. Second wife.
Lillian Arch
Wife
Formerly married to Bela Lugosi; married in the 1960s; survived him.

Bibliography

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