Acting
George Brent
George Brent (born George Brendan Nolan; 15 March 1904 – 26 May 1979) was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. Brent was born in Ballinasloe, County Galway in 1904 to John J. and Mary (née McGuinness) Nolan. His mother was a native of Clonfad, Moore, County Roscommon. Brent 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. Highly regarded by Bette Davis, he became her most frequent male co-star, appearing with her in 13 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), Ginger Rogers in In Person (1935), Madeleine Carroll in The Case Against Mrs. Ames (1936), Jean Arthur in More Than a Secretary (1936), Myrna Loy in Stamboul Quest (1934) and 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 So Big! (1932), The Purchase Price (1932), Baby Face (1933), The Gay Sisters (1942), and My Reputation (1946), Claudette Colbert in Tomorrow Is Forever (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, having appeared on the religion anthology series Crossroads. He was cast in the lead in the 1956 television series Wire Service. In 1978, he made one last film, the made-for-television production Born Again. In 1960, Brent was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with two stars. He received a motion-pictures star located at 1709 Vine Street, and a second star located at 1612 Vine Street for his work in television. Brent was married five times: Helen Louise Campbell (1925–1927), Ruth Chatterton (1932–1934), Constance Worth (1937), Ann Sheridan (1942–1943), and Janet Michaels (1947–1974). His final marriage to Janet Michaels, a former model and dress designer, lasted 27 years until her death in 1974. They had a son and a daughter. Brent also carried on a lengthy relationship with his frequent Warner Bros. co-star, actress Bette Davis, who described her last meeting with Brent after many years of estrangement. He was suffering from advanced emphysema, and she expressed great sadness at his ill health and deterioration. George Brent died in 1979 in Solana Beach, California.
Filmography
Jezebel: Legend of the South
Film · 2006
Biography: Bette Davis — If Looks Could Kill
Film · 1994
The World of Hammer
Series · 1994
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Film · 1983
Born Again
Film · 1978
The Chevy Mystery Show
Series · 1960
Rawhide
Series · 1959
Death of a Scoundrel
Film · 1956
Wire Service
Series · 1956
Crossroads
Series · 1955
Climax!
Series · 1954
Mexican Manhunt
Film · 1953
Tangier Incident
Film · 1953
Man Bait
Film · 1952
Montana Belle
Film · 1952
FBI Girl
Film · 1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Series · 1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Series · 1951
Illegal Entry
Film · 1949
Red Canyon
Film · 1949
Bride for Sale
Film · 1949
The Kid from Cleveland
Film · 1949
Luxury Liner
Film · 1948
Angel on the Amazon
Film · 1948
Christmas Eve
Film · 1947
The Corpse Came C.O.D.
Film · 1947
Slave Girl
Film · 1947
Out of the Blue
Film · 1947
The Spiral Staircase
Film · 1946
Temptation
Film · 1946
Tomorrow Is Forever
Film · 1946
My Reputation
Film · 1946
Lover Come Back
Film · 1946
The Affairs of Susan
Film · 1945
Experiment Perilous
Film · 1944
Breakdowns of 1944
Film · 1944
You Can't Escape Forever
Film · 1942
In This Our Life
Film · 1942
The Gay Sisters
Film · 1942
Silver Queen
Film · 1942
Twin Beds
Film · 1942
Breakdowns of 1942
Film · 1942
The Great Lie
Film · 1941
Honeymoon for Three
Film · 1941
They Dare Not Love
Film · 1941
International Lady
Film · 1941
The Fighting 69th
Film · 1940
The Man Who Talked Too Much
Film · 1940
'Til We Meet Again
Film · 1940
Adventure in Diamonds
Film · 1940
South of Suez
Film · 1940
Breakdowns of 1940
Film · 1940
Dark Victory
Film · 1939
The Old Maid
Film · 1939
Wings of the Navy
Film · 1939
The Rains Came
Film · 1939
Land of Liberty
Film · 1939
Jezebel
Film · 1938
Racket Busters
Film · 1938
Out Where the Stars Begin
Film · 1938
Swingtime in the Movies
Film · 1938
Secrets of an Actress
Film · 1938
Gold Is Where You Find It
Film · 1938
Breakdowns of 1938
Film · 1938
God's Country and the Woman
Film · 1937
Mountain Justice
Film · 1937
Submarine D-1
Film · 1937
The Go-Getter
Film · 1937
Breakdowns of 1937
Film · 1937
Give Me Your Heart
Film · 1936
More Than a Secretary
Film · 1936
The Case Against Mrs. Ames
Film · 1936
The Golden Arrow
Film · 1936
Snowed Under
Film · 1936
Breakdowns of 1936
Film · 1936
The Right to Live
Film · 1935
Special Agent
Film · 1935
The Goose and the Gander
Film · 1935
Front Page Woman
Film · 1935
In Person
Film · 1935
Stranded
Film · 1935
Living on Velvet
Film · 1935
Things You Never See on the Screen
Film · 1935
A Dream Comes True
Film · 1935
Stamboul Quest
Film · 1934
The Painted Veil
Film · 1934
Desirable
Film · 1934
Housewife
Film · 1934
42nd Street
Film · 1933
Baby Face
Film · 1933
Female
Film · 1933
Lilly Turner
Film · 1933
Luxury Liner
Film · 1933
From Headquarters
Film · 1933
The Keyhole
Film · 1933
The Purchase Price
Film · 1932
They Call It Sin
Film · 1932
So Big!
Film · 1932
The Rich Are Always with Us
Film · 1932
Week-End Marriage
Film · 1932
The Crash
Film · 1932
Miss Pinkerton
Film · 1932
The Lightning Warrior
Film · 1931
Homicide Squad
Film · 1931
Ex-Bad Boy
Film · 1931
Once a Sinner
Film · 1931
Charlie Chan Carries On
Film · 1931
Fair Warning
Film · 1931
Under Suspicion
Film · 1930
The Iron Horse
Film · 1925