George Brent
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- March 15, 1904
- Died
- May 26, 1979 (aged 75)
- Birthplace
- Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland
Biography
George Brent (born George Brendan Nolan; 15 March 1904 – 26 May 1979) was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. Brent was born in Ballinasloe, County Galway in 1904 to John J. and Mary (née McGuinness) Nolan. His mother was a native of Clonfad, Moore, County Roscommon. Brent made his first film, Under Suspicion, in 1930. Over the next two years, he appeared in a number of minor films produced by Universal Studios and Fox, before being signed to contract by Warner Bros. in 1932. He remained at Warner Bros. for the next 20 years, carving out a successful career as a top-flight leading man during the late 1930s and 1940s. Highly regarded by Bette Davis, he became her most frequent male co-star, appearing with her in 13 films, including Front Page Woman (1935), Special Agent (1935), The Golden Arrow (1936), Jezebel (1938), The Old Maid (1939), Dark Victory (1939), and The Great Lie (1941). Brent also played opposite Ruby Keeler in 42nd Street (1933), Greta Garbo in The Painted Veil (1934), Ginger Rogers in In Person (1935), Madeleine Carroll in The Case Against Mrs. Ames (1936), Jean Arthur in More Than a Secretary (1936), Myrna Loy in Stamboul Quest (1934) and The Rains Came (1939), Merle Oberon in 'Til We Meet Again (1940), Ann Sheridan in Honeymoon for Three (1941), Joan Fontaine in The Affairs of Susan (1945), Barbara Stanwyck in So Big! (1932), The Purchase Price (1932), Baby Face (1933), The Gay Sisters (1942), and My Reputation (1946), Claudette Colbert in Tomorrow Is Forever (1946), Dorothy McGuire in The Spiral Staircase (1946), Lucille Ball in Lover Come Back (1946), and Yvonne De Carlo in Slave Girl (1947). Brent drifted into "B" pictures from the late 1940s and retired from film in 1953. He continued to appear on television until 1960, having appeared on the religion anthology series Crossroads. He was cast in the lead in the 1956 television series Wire Service. In 1978, he made one last film, the made-for-television production Born Again. In 1960, Brent was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with two stars. He received a motion-pictures star located at 1709 Vine Street, and a second star located at 1612 Vine Street for his work in television. Brent was married five times: Helen Louise Campbell (1925–1927), Ruth Chatterton (1932–1934), Constance Worth (1937), Ann Sheridan (1942–1943), and Janet Michaels (1947–1974). His final marriage to Janet Michaels, a former model and dress designer, lasted 27 years until her death in 1974. They had a son and a daughter. Brent also carried on a lengthy relationship with his frequent Warner Bros. co-star, actress Bette Davis, who described her last meeting with Brent after many years of estrangement. He was suffering from advanced emphysema, and she expressed great sadness at his ill health and deterioration. George Brent died in 1979 in Solana Beach, California.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Jezebel: Legend of the South
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Biography: Bette Davis — If Looks Could Kill
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The World of Hammer
TV · as Self (archive footage) · 1 ep
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Movie · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Born Again
Movie · as Judge Gerhard Gesell
The Chevy Mystery Show
TV · as Fred Girard · 1 ep
Rawhide
TV · as Jefferson Devereaux · 1 ep
Death of a Scoundrel
Movie · as Man with Balloon at Party
Wire Service
TV · as Dean Evans · 35 eps
Crossroads
TV · as Father Raymond · 1 ep
Climax!
TV · 1 ep
Mexican Manhunt
Movie · as David L. 'Dave' Brady
Tangier Incident
Movie · as Steve Gordon
Man Bait
Movie · as John Harman
Montana Belle
Movie · as Tom Bradfield
FBI Girl
Movie · as Jeff Donley
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV · as Sam Bentley · 1 ep
Illegal Entry
Movie · as Chief Agent Dan Collins
Red Canyon
Movie · as Matthew Bostel
Bride for Sale
Movie · as Paul Martin
The Kid from Cleveland
Movie · as Mike Jackson
Luxury Liner
Movie · as Captain Jeremy Bradford
Angel on the Amazon
Movie · as Jim Warburton
Christmas Eve
Movie · as Michael Brooks
The Corpse Came C.O.D.
Movie · as Joe Medford
Slave Girl
Movie · as Matt Claibourne
Out of the Blue
Movie · as Arthur Earthleigh
The Spiral Staircase
Movie · as Professor Warren
Temptation
Movie · as Nigel Armine
Tomorrow Is Forever
Movie · as Lawrence Hamilton
My Reputation
Movie · as Major Scott Landis
Lover Come Back
Movie · as Bill Williams
The Affairs of Susan
Movie · as Roger Berton
Experiment Perilous
Movie · as Dr. Huntington Bailey
Breakdowns of 1944
Movie · as Self
You Can't Escape Forever
Movie · as Steve Mitchell
In This Our Life
Movie · as Craig Fleming
The Gay Sisters
Movie · as Charles Barclay
Silver Queen
Movie · as James Kincaid
Twin Beds
Movie · as Mike Abbott
Breakdowns of 1942
Movie · as Self
The Great Lie
Movie · as Peter 'Pete' Van Allen
Honeymoon for Three
Movie · as Kenneth Bixby
They Dare Not Love
Movie · as Prince Kurt von Rotenberg
International Lady
Movie · as Tim Hanley
The Fighting 69th
Movie · as Wild Bill Donovan
The Man Who Talked Too Much
Movie · as Stephen Forbes
'Til We Meet Again
Movie · as Dan Hardesty
Adventure in Diamonds
Movie · as Capt. Stephen Dennett
South of Suez
Movie · as John Gamble
Breakdowns of 1940
Movie · as Self
Dark Victory
Movie · as Dr. Frederick Steele
The Old Maid
Movie · as Clem Spender
Wings of the Navy
Movie · as Cass Harrington
The Rains Came
Movie · as Tom Ransome
Land of Liberty
Movie · as Buck Cantrell (edited from 'Jezebel')
Jezebel
Movie · as Buck Cantrell
Racket Busters
Movie · as Denny Jordan
Out Where the Stars Begin
Movie · as Jared Whitney (archive footage)
Swingtime in the Movies
Movie · as Himself (uncredited)
Secrets of an Actress
Movie · as Richard 'Dick' Orr
Gold Is Where You Find It
Movie · as Jared Whitney
Breakdowns of 1938
Movie · as Buck Cantrell (archive footage) (uncredited)
God's Country and the Woman
Movie · as Steve Russett
Mountain Justice
Movie · as Paul Cameron
Submarine D-1
Movie · as Lt. Commander Dan Matthews
The Go-Getter
Movie · as Bill Austin
Breakdowns of 1937
Movie · as Self
Give Me Your Heart
Movie · as James 'Jim' Baker
More Than a Secretary
Movie · as Fred Gilbert
The Case Against Mrs. Ames
Movie · as Matt Logan
The Golden Arrow
Movie · as Johnny Jones
Snowed Under
Movie · as Alan Tanner
Breakdowns of 1936
Movie · as Self
The Right to Live
Movie · as Colin Trent
Special Agent
Movie · as Bill Bradford
The Goose and the Gander
Movie · as Bob McNear
Front Page Woman
Movie · as Curt Devlin
In Person
Movie · as Emory Muir
Stranded
Movie · as Mack Hale
Living on Velvet
Movie · as Terry Parker
Things You Never See on the Screen
Movie · as Self
A Dream Comes True
Movie · as Himself (uncredited)
Stamboul Quest
Movie · as Douglas Beall
The Painted Veil
Movie · as Jack Townsend
Desirable
Movie · as McAllister
Housewife
Movie · as William H. Reynolds
42nd Street
Movie · as Pat Denning
Baby Face
Movie · as Courtland Trenholm
Female
Movie · as Jim Thorne
Lilly Turner
Movie · as Bob Chandler
Luxury Liner
Movie · as Dr. Karl Bernhard
From Headquarters
Movie · as Lt. Jim Stevens
The Keyhole
Movie · as Neil Davis
The Purchase Price
Movie · as Jim Gilson
They Call It Sin
Movie · as Dr. Tony Travers
So Big!
Movie · as Adult Roelf Pool
The Rich Are Always with Us
Movie · as Julian Tierney
Week-End Marriage
Movie · as Peter Acton
The Crash
Movie · as Geoffrey Gault
Miss Pinkerton
Movie · as Police Inspector Patten
The Lightning Warrior
Movie · as Alan Scott
Homicide Squad
Movie · as Jimmy
Ex-Bad Boy
Movie · as Donald Swift
Once a Sinner
Movie · as James Brent
Charlie Chan Carries On
Movie · as Capt. Ronald Keane
Fair Warning
Movie · as Les Haines
Under Suspicion
Movie · as Inspector Turner
The Iron Horse
Movie · as Worker (uncredited)