Brian Donlevy

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Waldo Bruce "Brian" Donlevy (born February 9, 1901 in Cleveland , Ohio , † April 6, 1972 in Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) ) was an American actor . Between 1924 and 1969 he made over 100 films, mostly in supporting roles, often as a tough guy in crime novels and westerns.

Life

Donlevy's trademark were his so-called "evil eyes", which predestined him for numerous villain roles, but especially for the film noir , the "black film". In an obituary for Donlevy , the London Times attested that his name was inseparable from American film noir .

Beginnings

Donlevy originally wanted to be a pilot and joined the United States Army in 1916 after giving the wrong age . After completing his training, he served as a pilot in the First World War . He stayed in the Army for a short time after the war before moving to New York City to try his hand at acting. In the 1920s he played in many theater productions and also in some silent films.

Movie

At the beginning of his Hollywood career, a studio boss wanted to make Donlevy's biography more interesting and, among other things, moved his birthplace from Cleveland to Portadown in Ireland . This invention is often taken at face value.

Donlevy's big film break came in 1935 when he was hired for the Howard Hawks film Barbary Coast . Numerous roles, both large and small, followed, his most famous being "Sergeant Markoff" in Three Foreign Legionaries (1939, original title Beau Geste , nomination for an Oscar for best supporting actor ), "Daniel McGinty" in The Great McGinty (1940) and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944), as well as "Professor Bernard Quatermass" in shock (1955, original title The Quatermass Xperiment ) and Enemies from Nowhere (1957, original title Quatermass 2 ).

The British science fiction / horror film The Quatermass Xperiment was based on the BBC television series of the same name from 1953, but the production company was hoping for a sales success in the USA with an American title hero. The Quatermass inventor Nigel Kneale rejected Donlevy's portrayal and described him as a "worn out ex-Hollywood star". However, the film was so successful that in 1957 the sequel Quatermass 2 / Enemies was shot from nowhere , again with Donlevy in the lead role. In the third part, The Green Blood of the Demons , Donlevy was replaced by the Scottish actor Andrew Keir . Donlevy's last film role was in Pit Stop from 1969. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .

Radio and television

During his career, Donlevy also made a few radio shows, including an adaptation of the "Great McGinty" movie. With the advent of television, he played a number of roles there, and he had numerous guest appearances in popular television series such as Perry Mason , Wagon Train and once, alongside Clint Eastwood , in Rawhide . He even had his own series, Dangerous Assignment, in the 1950s .

Private life

Donlevy was married three times, his second wife was the actress Marjorie Lane (1936-38), the third was Lillian Lugosi, the widow of Bela Lugosi .

He died of throat cancer on April 6, 1972 at the age of 71 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. His ashes were scattered over Santa Monica Bay .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Brian Donlevy - A Famous Film Tough Guy , The Times. April 7, 1972, p. 16. 
  2. ^ Marcus Hearn, Jonathan Rigby: Quatermass 2 - Viewing Notes . DD Video, North Harrow 2003, pp. 7 - 9 .
personal data
SURNAME Donlevy, Brian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Donlevy, Waldo Bruce
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH February 9, 1901
PLACE OF BIRTH Cleveland , Ohio
DATE OF DEATH April 6, 1972
Place of death Woodland Hills (Los Angeles)