Henry Brandon (actor)

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Henry Brandon with Una Merkel at the National Film Society Convention , May 1979

Henry Brandon , born Heinrich von Kleinbach (born June 8, 1912 in Berlin , † February 15, 1990 in Los Angeles , California ) was a German-American actor. He was particularly specialized in exotic and rogue supporting roles.

Life

Henry Brandon was born Heinrich von Kleinbach in Berlin. As a child he emigrated with his parents to the United States so that he could speak in his roles without a German accent. He studied acting at the Pasadena Community Playhouse . Kleinbach began his acting career on stage. He appeared on Broadway and always did so when his film career was already successful. Brandon made his cinema debut in 1932 with a small role in The Sign of the Cross . He was discovered by producer Hal Roach , who cast him in 1934 for a major role in the Laurel and Hardy film Revenge Is Sweet (1934). The only 21-year-old Kleinbach already played a malicious businessman in old age and thus demonstrated his extraordinary ability to change for the first time. In 1936, Kleinbach then took his pseudonym Henry Brandon, under which he appeared from then on.

Brandon became known for his often exotic roles as Indian, Arab, Indian, East Asian or Turk, where he often took on the role of villain. In the 1940s, for example, he played the role of Dr. Fu Manchu in the 15-part theatrical serial Drums of Fu Manchu , he also embodied criminals and bandits in numerous smaller westerns of this era. During his stage work, he played the villain in the play The Drunkard for years. He was also highly praised for his portrayal in the Broadway play The Lady's Not for Burning from 1957. His distinctive features were one reason why John Ford played him as two Indian chiefs selected: In The Black Falcon (1956) he played the eponymous chief and in Two rode together (1961) he was seen as Chief Quanah Parker . In order not to be tied to the rogue subject, he also tried positive roles. From the 1950s on, Brandon also took on numerous guest roles on television.

Until his death in 1990 he was busy on stage, in the cinema and also on television. Henry Brandon died of a heart attack at the age of 77. In 2018, Bill Cassara and Richard S. Greene, authors personally known with Brandon, published the 500-page biography Henry Brandon: King of the Bogeymen , which goes into detail about his roles and his private life. According to the biography, he was married to Dolores Brandon from 1941 to 1946, the marriage resulted in a son. He later had a relationship with actor Mark Herron (1928–1996) for decades until his death, which was only interrupted by Herron's short marriage to Judy Garland in the mid-1960s.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Obituary for Henry Brandon in the New York Times
  2. ↑ Book Review: Henry Brandon: King of the Bogeymen. Retrieved June 4, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Brandon, Henry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kleinbach, Heinrich von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH June 8, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH February 15, 1990
Place of death Los Angeles , California