Neville Brand
| Neville Brand | |
|---|---|
1966 publicity photo
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| Born |
Lawrence Neville Brand August 13, 1920 Griswold, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | April 16, 1992 (aged 71) Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Emphysema |
| Resting place | East Lawn Memorial Park in Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1949–1985 |
| Spouse(s) | Rae Brand (m. 1957–92) |
| Children | 3 |
Neville Brand (born Lawrence Neville Brand; August 13, 1920 – April 16, 1992) was an American television and film actor. He was also a highly decorated World War II American combat soldier.
Neville Brand was born in Waterloo, NY, one of seven children of Leo Thomas Brand (June 24, 1892–April 18, 1985) and the former Helen Louise Davis (August 4, 1900–October 23, 1991). His father had worked as an electrician and bridge-building ironworker in Detroit. Neville was raised in Kewanee, Illinois, where he attended high school. After his schooling he helped support the family, employed as a soda jerk, waiter, and shoe salesman in Kewanee.
He entered the Illinois Army National Guard on October 23, 1939, as a private in Company F, 129th Infantry Regiment. He was enlisted in the United States Army as Corporal Neville L. Brand, infantryman on March 5, 1941.
He trained at Fort Carson and served in World War II, seeing action with B company, 331st Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division (Thunderbolt Division) in the Ardennes, Rhineland and Central European campaigns. Brand, a sergeant and platoon leader, was wounded in action along the Weser River on April 7, 1945. His upper right arm was hit by a bullet, and he nearly bled to death.
Brand was awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest decoration for valor in the U.S. Military, for gallantry in combat. His other awards and decorations were the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three Battle Stars, one Overseas Service Bar, one Service Stripe and the Combat Infantryman Badge. In a 1966 interview he explained the Silver Star, stating that withering fire from German machine guns in a hunting lodge kept him and his unit pinned down. “I must have flipped my lid,” he said. “I decided to go into that lodge.” He was discharged from service in October 1945.
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