George Brent
| George Brent | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
George Brendan Nolan 15 March 1904 Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland |
| Died | May 26, 1979 (aged 75) Solana Beach, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Emphysema |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1924–1960, 1978 |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Louise Campbell (1925–1927) Ruth Chatterton (1932–1934) Constance Worth (1937-1937) Ann Sheridan (1942–1943) Janet Michaels (1947–1974, her death; 2 children) |
| Children | Barry and Suzanne |
George Brent (15 March 1904 – 26 May 1979) was an Irish-born American stage, film, and television actor in American cinema.
Brent was born George Patrick Nolan in Ballinasloe, County Galway, in 1904 to John J. and Mary (née McGuinness) Nolan. His mother was a native of Clonfad, Moore, County Roscommon. During the Irish War of Independence (1919–1922), Brent was part of the IRA. He fled Ireland with a bounty set on his head by the British government, although he later claimed only to have been a courier for guerrilla leader and tactician Michael Collins. According to Ballinasloe Life (Volume 2, Issue 4, Oct/Nov 2012), it appears that the Irish War of Independence careers of three different men named George Nolan (Brent and two others; one from County Dublin and the other from County Offaly) were conflated, which may explain some of the discrepancies regarding Brent's year of birth, life, and activities during 1919-22. Ironically, in light of his presumed IRA activities, on Brent's 18 March 1935 immigration document (Declaration of Intention, #70088), he listed his race as "Irish" but his nationality as "British".
Brent returned to the United States in 1921. Some time later he toured with a production of Abie's Irish Rose. During the next five years, he acted in stock companies in Colorado, Rhode Island, Florida, and Massachusetts. In 1930, he appeared on Broadway in Love, Honor, and Betray, alongside Clark Gable.
He eventually moved to Hollywood, and 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.
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