George Brent

The favorite leading man of star Bette Davis was born George Brendan Nolan, near Dublin. An orphan from the tender age of eleven, he briefly stayed with an aunt in New York. Once old enough to earn money he moved back to the other side of the Atlantic making ends meet herding sheep and (at one time) working in the gold fields of South Africa. George eventually returned to Ireland to study at the University of Dublin. Leaving university in 1919, he became a courier for Sinn Fein leader Michael Collins during the 'The Troubles' and was hunted by the Black and Tan with a bounty on his head. By that time, he had developed an interest in acting and (partly to cover up his nightly activities for Sinn Fein) joined the Abbey Theatre Players. Tipped off as to an imminent arrest by British soldiers, George went into hiding and later skipped town. His return to acting was rather necessitated by the need for a sustainable source of income. By 1925, he was back in New York touring with the play 'Abie's Irish Rose'. He then worked with stock companies in Colorado, Florida and Massachusetts and appeared in the ensemble cast of 'The Nightingale' on Broadway' (1927). Another three years later, he co-starred with Alice Brady and Clark Gable in the short-lived play 'Love, Honor and Betray'. He worked in Hollywood from 1930, initially playing farmers, doctors and partner of Rin Tin Tin, before Warner Brothers finally recognised his potential as a handsome 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 eventually married - and divorced after just two years. A specialist in dapper, sophisticated gentlemen, George gave reliable support to stars like Greta Garbo, Hedy Lamarr, Barbara Stanwyck and (eleven times) Bette Davis. However, he could rarely be described as dynamic. In his own words, all a good leading man needed 'was a good haircut since an audience was only ever likely to see the back of his head'. On the other hand, he was able to accumulate six marriages, among his wives another Warner Brothers star (Ann Sheridan). George was at his best opposite Bette Davis in Front Page Woman (1935), Dark Victory (1939), The Old Maid (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 the Robert Siodmak-directed thriller The Spiral Staircase (1946). Following that, there were several B-movies on both sides of the Atlantic, after which Brent retired from acting to concentrate on breeding race horses.