George O'Brien (actor)

George O'Brien

c. 1925 – photograph by Melbourne Spurr
Born (1899-04-19)April 19, 1899
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died September 4, 1985(1985-09-04) (aged 86)
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation Actor, Singer
Years active 1922–1964
Spouse(s) Marguerite Churchill (m. 1933–48); divorced; 3 children

George O'Brien (April 19, 1899 – September 4, 1985)[1] was an American actor, popular during the silent film era and into the talkie era of the 1930s, best known today as the lead actor in F. W. Murnau's 1927 film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.

Early life

Born in San Francisco, California, George O'Brien was 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 of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in September 1921 at the scandalous Labor Day party held by Arbuckle.) After his retirement from that office, Dan was the Director of Penology for the State of California.

In 1917 O'Brien enlisted in the United States Navy to fight in World War I, serving on a submarine chaser. He volunteered to act as a stretcher bearer for wounded Marines and was decorated for bravery. Right after the war O'Brien became Light Heavyweight boxing champion of the Pacific Fleet.[2]

Career

O'Brien came to Hollywood in his early twenties hoping to become a cameraman and did work as an assistant cameraman for a while, for both Tom Mix and Buck Jones. He began his acting career in bit parts and as a stuntman. One of his earliest roles was in the 1922 George Melford-directed drama Moran of the Lady Letty, most notable for starring Rudolph Valentino. In 1924 O'Brien received his first starring role in the drama The Man Who Came Back opposite the English actress Dorothy Mackaill. That same year he was chosen by the famed movie director John Ford to star in The Iron Horse opposite actress Madge 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 the F. W. Murnau-directed Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans opposite Janet Gaynor, which won three major Academy Awards and remains his most famous film, and also played the lead in the New York City epic East Side, West Side that same year.[3]

O'Brien and Beatrice Roberts in Park Avenue Logger, 1937

O'Brien would spend the remainder of the 1920s as an extremely popular leading man in films, often starring in action and adventure roles alongside such popular actresses of the era as Alma Rubens, Anita Stewart, Dolores Costello, Madge Bellamy, Olive Borden (with whom he was linked romantically during the 1920s) and Janet Gaynor. With the advent of sound, George O'Brien became a popular star of Westerns and rarely took parts outside of the Western film genre. Throughout the 1930s, O'Brien was a consistent Top Ten box-office draw appearing in scores of Westerns, often atop his horse named Mike.

O' Brien in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, 1949

During World War II, O'Brien re-enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served as a beachmaster in the Pacific 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 would occasionally take featured parts in films directed by his old friend and mentor John Ford, including Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Cheyenne Autumn. O'Brien's last leading role was in the 1951 movie Gold Raiders, with top-billed O'Brien handling the action and the Three Stooges (Shemp Howard, Larry Fine and Moe Howard) doing comedy routines in a feature film more or less evenly dividing screen time between O'Brien and the Stooges.

While serving in the Naval Reserve, O'Brien took on a project for the Department of Defense as part of President Eisenhower's "People to People" program. He was project officer for a series of orientation films on three Asian countries. One of these films, on Korea, was directed by his old friend, John Ford. The other two countries covered were Formosa (Taiwan) and the Philippines.

Personal life

O'Brien married actress Marguerite Churchill on July 15, 1933. Their first child, Brian, died 10 days after his birth. Daughter Orin O'Brien became a double bassist for the New York Philharmonic. Their youngest child Darcy O'Brien was a successful writer and college professor. George and Marguerite divorced in 1948.

Death

O'Brien suffered a stroke in 1981 and was bedridden the last four years of his life. He died in 1985 in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, George O'Brien was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6201 Hollywood Blvd., in Los Angeles, California.[4]

Partial filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1922 Moran of the Lady Letty Deck Hand (uncredited) with Rudolph Valentino
The Ghost Breaker A Ghost (uncredited) Directed by Alfred E. Green
White Hands Sailor Directed by Lambert Hillyer
1923 The Ne'er-Do-Well Clifford Directed by Alfred E. Green
1924 The Iron Horse Davy Brandon Directed by John Ford
Shadows of Paris Louis Directed by Herbert Brenon
1925 The Dancers Tony Directed by Emmett J. Flynn
The Fighting Heart Denny Bolton Directed by John Ford
Thank You Kenneth Jamieson Directed by John Ford
1926 The Johnstown Flood Tom O'Day Directed by Irving 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 Paid to Love Crown Prince Michael Directed by Howard Hawks
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans Farmer Directed by F. W. Murnau
1928 Noah's Ark Travis/Japheth Directed by John Ford, with John Wayne (uncredited)
Sharp Shooters George Directed by John G. Blystone
1929 Salute Cadet John Randall Directed by David Butler, with John Wayne (uncredited)
1929 Masked Emotions Bramdlet Dickery Directed by Kenneth Hawks
1930 Rough Romance Billy West with John Wayne (uncredited)
1931 Riders of the Purple Sage Jim Lassiter Directed by Hamilton McFadden
1931 Seas Beneath Cmdr. Robert "Bob" Kingsley Directed by John Ford
1931 A Holy Terror Tony Bard aka "Woodbury" Directed by Irving Cummings
1932 The Golden West David Lynch/Motano Directed by David Howard
1933 The Last Trail Tom Daley Directed by James Tinling
1934 Frontier Marshal Michael Wyatt Directed by Lewis Seiler
1935 The Cowboy Millionaire Bob Walker Directed by Edward F. Cline
1936 Daniel Boone Daniel Boone Directed by David Howard
1937 Windjammer Bruce Lane Directed by Ewing Scott
1937 Park Avenue Logger Grant Curran Directed by David Howard
1938 Lawless Valley Larry Rhodes Directed by David Howard
1938 Gun Law Tom O'Malley Directed by David Howard
1938 The Renegade Ranger Captain Jack Steele Directed by David Howard
1938 Border G-Man Jim Galloway Directed by David Howard
1939 The Fighting Gringo Wade Barton Directed by David Howard
1939 Marshal of Mesa City Cliff Mason Directed by David Howard
1940 Triple Justice Brad Henderson Directed by David Howard
1947 My Wild Irish Rose William "Duke" Muldoon Directed by David Butler
1948 Fort Apache Capt. Sam Collingwood Directed by John Ford, with John Wayne
1949 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Maj. Mac Allshard Directed by John Ford, with John Wayne
1951 Gold Raiders George O'Brien Directed by Edward Bernds. Alternative title: The Stooges Go West, with the Three Stooges
1964 Cheyenne Autumn Major Braden Directed by John Ford, with Jimmy Stewart
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1957 Studio 57 1 episode

Awards

Year Award Result Category Notes
1976 Western Heritage Awards Won Trustees Award For outstanding career portraying the Western movie hero

References

  1. ↑ Folkart, Burt A. LA Times: Athlete and Film Actor George O'Brien, 86, Dies 8 September 1985.
  2. ↑ Folkart, Burt A. LA Times: Athlete and Film Actor George O'Brien, 86, Dies, September 8, 1985.
  3. ↑ Golden Silents
  4. ↑ Folkart, Burt A. LA Times: Athlete and Film Actor George O'Brien, 86, Dies 8 September 1985.
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