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George O'Brien | |
|---|---|
.jpg) O'Brien in 1926 | |
| Born | (1899-04-19)April 19, 1899 |
| Died | September 4, 1985(1985-09-04) (aged 86) Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1922–1964 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, includingDarcy andOrin O'Brien |
George O'Brien (April 19, 1899 – September 4, 1985)[1] was an American actor, popular during thesilent film era and into the sound film era of the 1930s. He is best known today as the lead actor inF. W. Murnau's 1927 Academy Award-winning filmSunrise: A Song of Two Humans. O'Brien also starred in a number of Westerns in the 1930s and 1940s, including roles in 14 films under directorDavid Howard and 10 with acclaimed filmmakerJohn Ford.
O'Brien was born inSan Francisco,California, the oldest son of Daniel J. and Margaret L. (née Donahue) O'Brien; O'Brien's father later became the chief of police for the City of San Francisco. (Dan O'Brien ordered the arrest ofRoscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in September 1921 at the scandalousLabor Day party held by Arbuckle.)
In 1917, O'Brien enlisted in the United States Navy to fight in World War I, serving on asubmarine chaser. He volunteered to act as a stretcher bearer for wounded Marines and was decorated for bravery. After the war, O'Brien became Light Heavyweight boxing champion of the Pacific Fleet.[1]
O'Brien came to Hollywood in his early 20s, hoping to become a cameraman. He worked as an assistant cameraman for bothTom Mix andBuck Jones. He began his acting career in bit parts and as a stuntman. One of his early roles was in the 1922George Melford-directed dramaMoran of the Lady Letty, most notable for starringRudolph Valentino. In 1924, O'Brien received his first starring role in the dramaThe Man Who Came Back with the English actressDorothy Mackaill. The same year, he was chosen byJohn Ford to star inThe Iron Horse with actressMadge Bellamy. The film was an immense success at the box office, and O'Brien made nine more films for Ford. In 1927, he starred in theF. W. Murnau-directedSunrise: A Song of Two Humans withJanet Gaynor, which won three majorAcademy Awards and remains his most famous film, and he played the lead in the epicEast Side, West Side.[2]
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O'Brien spent the remainder of the 1920s as an extremely popular leading man in films, often starring in action and adventure roles with popular actresses of the era, such asAlma Rubens,Anita Stewart,Dolores Costello,Madge Bellamy,Olive Borden (with whom he was linked romantically during the 1920s), andJanet Gaynor. With the advent of sound, O'Brien displayed a strong, confident voice and remained a leading star of westerns and outdoor adventures. In 1938, he signed withRKO Radio Pictures to headline a western series; O'Brien (often atop his horse Mike) was well received and was ranked consistently among the top 10 cowboy stars. During this series of westerns, he starred with actressVirginia Vale on six occasions and with actorChill Wills five times. The RKO series was stopped at 17 movies when O'Brien re-enlisted in the Navy; he was replaced by RKO withTim Holt who had a longer association with RKO than O'Brien.[3]
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During World War II, O'Brien served as a beachmaster in thePacific, and was decorated several times. He left service with the rank of commander. He later joined the United States Naval Reserve and retired with the rank of captain in 1962, having four times been recommended for the rank of admiral.
Following his service in World War II, O'Brien occasionally took featured parts in films directed byJohn Ford, includingFort Apache,She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, andCheyenne Autumn. O'Brien's last leading role was in the 1951 movieGold Raiders, with O'Brien handling the action and theThree Stooges' (Shemp Howard,Larry Fine, andMoe Howard) doing comedy routines.
While serving in the Naval Reserve, O'Brien took on a project for the Department of Defense as part ofPresident Eisenhower's "People to People" program. He was project officer for a series of orientation films on three Asian countries. One of these films,This Is Korea, was directed by John Ford.[4] The other two countries covered were Formosa (Taiwan) and the Philippines.
In the 1920s, O'Brien dated actressOlive Borden for many years, and most thought they would marry. For some reason (some say his family did not approve of Olive), they ended their relationship and he eventually married actressMarguerite Churchill on July 15, 1933. Their first child, Brian, died 10 days after his birth. DaughterOrin O'Brien became adouble bassist for theNew York Philharmonic. Their youngest childDarcy O'Brien was a successful writer and college professor. George and Marguerite divorced in 1948.[1]
O'Brien suffered a stroke in 1981 and was bedridden the last four years of his life. He died in 1985 inBroken Arrow, Oklahoma, a suburb ofTulsa. His son Darcy was a professor at the University of Tulsa.
For his contribution to the movie industry, O'Brien was awarded a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 6201 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | Moran of the Lady Letty | Deck Hand |
|
| The Ghost Breaker | A Ghost |
| |
| White Hands | Sailor | directed byLambert Hillyer | |
| 1923 | The Ne'er-Do-Well | Clifford | directed by Alfred E. Green |
| 1924 | The Man Who Came Back | Henry Potter | directed byEmmett J. Flynn |
| The Iron Horse | Davy Brandon | directed byJohn Ford | |
| Shadows of Paris | Louis | directed byHerbert Brenon | |
| 1925 | The Dancers | Tony | directed by Emmett J. Flynn |
| The Fighting Heart | Denny Bolton | directed by John Ford | |
| Havoc | Dick Chappel | directed byRowland V. Lee | |
| Thank You | Kenneth Jamieson | directed by John Ford | |
| 1926 | The Johnstown Flood | Tom O'Day | directed byIrving Cummings |
| The Silver Treasure | Nostromo | directed by Rowland V. Lee | |
| The Blue Eagle | George Darcy | directed by John Ford | |
| 3 Bad Men | Dan O'Malley | directed by John Ford | |
| 1927 | Is Zat So? | Ed "Chick" Cowan | directed by Alfred E. Green |
| Paid to Love | Crown Prince Michael | directed byHoward Hawks | |
| Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans | Farmer | directed byF. W. Murnau | |
| East Side, West Side | John Breen | directed byAllan Dwan | |
| 1928 | Noah's Ark | Travis/Japheth | directed byMichael Curtiz |
| Sharp Shooters | George | directed byJohn G. Blystone | |
| 1929 | Salute | Cadet John Randall |
|
| True Heaven | Lieutenant Philip Gresson | directed byJames Tinling | |
| Masked Emotions | Bramdlet Dickery | directed by Kenneth Hawks | |
| 1930 | Rough Romance | Billy West |
|
| 1931 | Riders of the Purple Sage | Jim Lassiter | directed by Hamilton McFadden |
| Seas Beneath | Cmdr. Robert "Bob" Kingsley | directed by John Ford | |
| A Holy Terror | Tony Barda.k.a. "Woodbury" | directed by Irving Cummings | |
| 1932 | The Golden West | David Lynch/Motano | directed byDavid Howard |
| Robbers' Roost | Jim Wall | directed by David Howard andLouis King | |
| 1933 | The Last Trail | Tom Daley | directed byJames Tinling |
| 1934 | Frontier Marshal | Michael Wyatt | directed byLewis Seiler |
| 1935 | The Cowboy Millionaire | Bob Walker | directed byEdward F. Cline |
| 1936 | Daniel Boone | Daniel Boone | directed by David Howard |
| 1937 | Windjammer | Bruce Lane | directed by Ewing Scott |
| Park Avenue Logger | Grant Curran | directed by David Howard | |
| 1938 | Painted Desert | Bob McVey | directed by David Howard |
| Lawless Valley | Larry Rhodes | directed by David Howard | |
| Gun Law | Tom O'Malley | directed by David Howard | |
| The Renegade Ranger | Captain Jack Steele | directed by David Howard | |
| Border G-Man | Jim Galloway | directed by David Howard | |
| 1939 | Timber Stampede | Scott Baylor | directed by David Howard |
| Arizona Legion | Boone Yeager | directed by David Howard | |
| The Fighting Gringo | Wade Barton | directed by David Howard | |
| The Marshal of Mesa City | Cliff Mason | directed by David Howard | |
| 1940 | Triple Justice | Brad Henderson | directed by David Howard |
| Stage to Chino | Dan Clark | directed byEdward Killy | |
| 1947 | My Wild Irish Rose | William "Duke" Muldoon | directed by David Butler |
| 1948 | Fort Apache | Capt. Sam Collingwood |
|
| 1949 | She Wore a Yellow Ribbon | Maj. Mac Allshard |
|
| 1951 | Gold Raiders | George O'Brien |
|
| 1964 | Cheyenne Autumn | Major Braden |
|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Studio 57 | 1 episode |
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Western Heritage Awards | Won | Trustees Award | for outstanding career portraying the Western movie hero |
Media related toGeorge O'Brien (actor) at Wikimedia Commons
Works by or aboutGeorge O'Brien atWikisource
