George Brent
Known for: Acting
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.
Filmography
Series
Climax!
1954
Series
Rawhide
Jefferson Devereaux
1959
Film
Baby Face
Courtland Trenholm
1933
Series
The World of Hammer
Self (archive footage)
1994
Series
The Chevy Mystery Show
Fred Girard
1960
Series
Crossroads
Father Raymond
1955
Series
Wire Service
Dean Evans
1956
Film
Jezebel
Buck Cantrell
1938
Film
The Iron Horse
Worker (uncredited)
1925
Film
My Reputation
Major Scott Landis
1946
Series
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Sam Bentley
1951
Series
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
Film
Man Bait
John Harman
1952
Film
In This Our Life
Craig Fleming
1942
Film
The Fighting 69th
Wild Bill Donovan
1940
Film
International Lady
Tim Hanley
1941
Film
Death of a Scoundrel
Man with Balloon at Party
1956
Film
Dark Victory
Dr. Frederick Steele
1939
Film
Montana Belle
Tom Bradfield
1952
Film
42nd Street
Pat Denning
1933
Film
The Goose and the Gander
Bob McNear
1935
Film
The Painted Veil
Jack Townsend
1934
Film
The Great Lie
Peter 'Pete' Van Allen
1941
Film
You Can't Escape Forever
Steve Mitchell
1942
Film
They Dare Not Love
Prince Kurt von Rotenberg
1941
Film
Submarine D-1
Lt. Commander Dan Matthews
1937
Film
The Spiral Staircase
Professor Warren
1946
Film
Tomorrow Is Forever
Lawrence Hamilton
1946
Film
Illegal Entry
Chief Agent Dan Collins
1949
Film
Breakdowns of 1942
Self
1942
Film
The Rains Came
Tom Ransome
1939
Film
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1983
Film
Fair Warning
Les Haines
1931
Film
Secrets of an Actress
Richard 'Dick' Orr
1938
Film
Mexican Manhunt
David L. 'Dave' Brady
1953
Film
Special Agent
Bill Bradford
1935
Film
A Dream Comes True
Himself (uncredited)
1935
Film
Experiment Perilous
Dr. Huntington Bailey
1944
Film
Slave Girl
Matt Claibourne
1947
Film
The Affairs of Susan
Roger Berton
1945
Film
'Til We Meet Again
Dan Hardesty
1940
Film
The Rich Are Always with Us
Julian Tierney
1932
Film
Housewife
William H. Reynolds
1934
Film
The Right to Live
Colin Trent
1935
Film
The Case Against Mrs. Ames
Matt Logan
1936
Film
The Old Maid
Clem Spender
1939
Film
In Person
Emory Muir
1935
Film
God's Country and the Woman
Steve Russett
1937
Film
Out of the Blue
Arthur Earthleigh
1947
Film
Give Me Your Heart
James 'Jim' Baker
1936
Film
The Go-Getter
Bill Austin
1937
Film
Christmas Eve
Michael Brooks
1947
Film
Angel on the Amazon
Jim Warburton
1948
Film
Luxury Liner
Dr. Karl Bernhard
1933
Film
Gold Is Where You Find It
Jared Whitney
1938
Film
The Gay Sisters
Charles Barclay
1942
Film
Wings of the Navy
Cass Harrington
1939
Film
Red Canyon
Matthew Bostel
1949
Film
Honeymoon for Three
Kenneth Bixby
1941
Film
Bride for Sale
Paul Martin
1949
Film
Stranded
Mack Hale
1935
Film
The Keyhole
Neil Davis
1933
Film
Miss Pinkerton
Police Inspector Patten
1932
Film
Things You Never See on the Screen
Self
1935
Film
Land of Liberty
Buck Cantrell (edited from 'Jezebel')
1939
Film
Twin Beds
Mike Abbott
1942
Film
More Than a Secretary
Fred Gilbert
1936
Film
Stamboul Quest
Douglas Beall
1934
Film
The Corpse Came C.O.D.
Joe Medford
1947
Film
Under Suspicion
Inspector Turner
1930
Film
Jezebel: Legend of the South
Self (archive footage)
2006
Film
Week-End Marriage
Peter Acton
1932
Film
The Kid from Cleveland
Mike Jackson
1949
Film
Desirable
McAllister
1934
Film
The Purchase Price
Jim Gilson
1932
Film
Front Page Woman
Curt Devlin
1935
Film
Breakdowns of 1936
Self
1936
Film
Charlie Chan Carries On
Capt. Ronald Keane
1931
Film
They Call It Sin
Dr. Tony Travers
1932
Film
So Big!
Adult Roelf Pool
1932
Film
Living on Velvet
Terry Parker
1935
Film
Ex-Bad Boy
Donald Swift
1931
Film
The Man Who Talked Too Much
Stephen Forbes
1940
Film
Breakdowns of 1938
Buck Cantrell (archive footage) (uncredited)
1938
Film
Breakdowns of 1937
Self
1937
Film
Biography: Bette Davis — If Looks Could Kill
Self (archive footage)
1994
Film
Out Where the Stars Begin
Jared Whitney (archive footage)
1938
Film
Lover Come Back
Bill Williams
1946
Film
Lilly Turner
Bob Chandler
1933
Film
Swingtime in the Movies
Himself (uncredited)
1938
Film
Luxury Liner
Captain Jeremy Bradford
1948
Film
Silver Queen
James Kincaid
1942
Film
Once a Sinner
James Brent
1931
Film
From Headquarters
Lt. Jim Stevens
1933
Film
Born Again
Judge Gerhard Gesell
1978
Film
The Golden Arrow
Johnny Jones
1936
Film
Female
Jim Thorne
1933
Film
The Lightning Warrior
Alan Scott
1931
Film
Racket Busters
Denny Jordan
1938
Film
FBI Girl
Jeff Donley
1951
Film
South of Suez
John Gamble
1940
Film
The Crash
Geoffrey Gault
1932
Film
Temptation
Nigel Armine
1946
Film
Snowed Under
Alan Tanner
1936
Film
Adventure in Diamonds
Capt. Stephen Dennett
1940
Film
Breakdowns of 1944
Self
1944
Film
Mountain Justice
Paul Cameron
1937
Film
Homicide Squad
Jimmy
1931
Film
Breakdowns of 1940
Self
1940
Film
Tangier Incident
Steve Gordon
1953