War of Independence question?

Birth Name

George Brendan Nolan

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

Bette Davis' favorite leading man, was born George Brendan Nolan, near Dublin, and became an orphan at the tender age of eleven. For a while, he stayed with an aunt in New York, but returned to Ireland to study at the University of Dublin. After leaving university in 1919, George became a courier for Sinn Fein leader Michael Collins, hunted by the Black and Tan, with a price on his head. By that time, he had developed an interest in acting and joined the Abbey Theatre Players. In 1925, he returned to New York, touring with 'Abie's Irish Rose', then working with stock companies in Colorado, Florida and Massachusetts. He appeared in the ensemble cast of 'The Nightingale' on Broadway (1927), and, three years later, co-starred with Alice Brady and Clark Gable in the short-lived play 'Love, Honor and Betray'. He worked in Hollywood from 1930, initially cast as farmers, doctors and partner of Rin-Tin-Tin, before Warner Brothers recognised his potential as a strong leading man for some of their more temperamental female stars. One of those was Ruth Chatterton, who picked him to play opposite her in 'The Rich are Always with us' (1932). This was the first of four films he made with the actress, whom he married - and divorced after two years. A specialist in dapper, sophisticated gentlemen, George gave reliable support to stars like Garbo, Lamarr, Stanwyck and (eleven times) Bette Davis, though he could rarely be described as dynamic. His most memorable performances were opposite Davis in 'Front Page Woman' (1935), 'Dark Victory', 'The Old Maid' (both 1939), and, co-starring Myrna Loy, 'The Rains Came' (1939). When his looks dissipated and leading man roles became scarce, George gave arguably his best performance (against type) as the maniacal murderer in Robert Siodmak's 'The Spiral Staircase' (1945). Following that, there were several B-movies on both sides of the Atlantic, after which he effectively retired to breed race horses.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0107575/bio

[SIZE=+1]
From: "gc-gateway@rootsweb.com" <gc-gateway@rootsweb.com>
Subject: [OBITS] George Brent aka George Brendan Nolan
Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:53:27 -0000 [/SIZE]

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.

Author: cantorjoeocho
Surnames: Nolan,Chatterton,Sherifan,Worth,Michaels
Classification: obituary

Message Board URL:

http://boards.rootsweb.com/topics.obits2/51778/mb.ashx

Message Board Post:

Born George Brendan Nolan
March 15, 1899(1899-03-15)
Raharabeg,
County Roscommon,
Ireland
Died May 26, 1979 (aged 80)
Solana Beach, California,
United States
Spouse(s) Ruth Chatterton (1932-1934)
Constance Worth (1937)
Ann Sheridan (1942-1943)
Janet Michaels (1947-1974)

George Brent (March 15, 1899 - May 26, 1979) was an Irish film and television actor in American cinema.

He was born George Brendan Nolan in Raharabeg, County Roscommon on the opposite bank of the River Shannon from the town of Shannonbridge, County Offaly, Ireland, to a family with a history of British Army service. However, during the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921), Brent was part of an IRA Active Service Unit as early as 1920, carrying out IRA directives. He fled with a bounty set on his head by the British, although he claimed only to have been a courier for guerrilla leader and tactician Michael Collins.

Career

He eventually moved to Hollywood where he made his first film in 1930. Signed to a contract with Warner Brothers, Brent carved out a successful career as a top-flight leading man of the late 1930s and 40s. Highly regarded by Bette Davis, he became her most frequent male co-star, appearing with her in thirteen 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), Madeleine Carroll in The Case Against Mrs. Ames (1936), Jean Arthur in More Than a Secretary (1936), Myrna Loy in 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 The Purchase Price (1932), The Gay Sisters (1942) and My Reputation (1946), Claudette Colbert in Tomorrow Is Forev!
er (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, starring in the series Wire Service in 1956. In 1978, he made one last film, the made-for-television production Born Again.

George Brent earned two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first, at 1709 Vine St., for his film contributions, the second star, at 1614 Vine St., for his work in television.

Personal life

Brent, known as a womanizer in Hollywood, reputedly carried on a lengthy relationship with his co-star Bette Davis. He was married four times, three times to actresses: Ruth Chatterton (1932-1934), Constance Worth (1937) and Ann Sheridan (1942-1943). Chatterton and Sheridan were both fellow Warner Brothers players. His final marriage to Janet Michaels, a former model and dress designer, lasted twenty-seven years until her death in 1974. They had two children together, a son and a daughter.

Bette Davis described in her final years her last meeting with Brent after many years of estrangement. Brent was suffering from emphysema and Davis later expressed great remorse at his ill health and sadness that such a virile and attractive man could have deteriorated so dramatically. Brent died shortly afterward in 1979 in Solana Beach, California, at the age of 80 from emphysema.

She also said that Brent was totally gray by the time he started working for Warner Brothers, and he had to dye his hair black.


http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/OBITUARIES/2009-06/1245761607