Known For
Acting
Known Credits
109
Gender
Male
Birthday
March 15, 1904 (122 years old)
Place of Birth
Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland
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.
| 2006 | Jezebel: Legend of the Southas Self (archive footage) | |
| 1994 | Biography: Bette Davis — If Looks Could Killas Self (archive footage) | |
| 1994 | The World of Hammeras Self (archive footage) | |
| 1983 | Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footageas Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| 1978 | Born Againas Judge Gerhard Gesell | |
| 1960 | The Chevy Mystery Showas Fred Girard | |
| 1959 | Rawhideas Jefferson Devereaux | |
| 1956 | Death of a Scoundrelas Man with Balloon at Party | |
| 1956 | Wire Serviceas Dean Evans | |
| 1954 | Climax!as | |
| 1953 | Mexican Manhuntas David L. 'Dave' Brady | |
| 1953 | Tangier Incidentas Steve Gordon | |
| 1952 | Montana Belleas Tom Bradfield | |
| 1952 | The Last Pageas John Harman | |
| 1951 | FBI Girlas Jeff Donley | |
| 1951 | Schlitz Playhouse of Starsas | |
| 1951 | Schlitz Playhouse of Starsas Sam Bentley | |
| 1949 | Bride for Saleas Paul Martin | |
| 1949 | The Kid from Clevelandas Mike Jackson | |
| 1949 | Illegal Entryas Chief Agent Dan Collins | |
| 1949 | Red Canyonas Matthew Bostel | |
| 1948 | Luxury Lineras Captain Jeremy Bradford | |
| 1948 | Angel on the Amazonas Jim Warburton | |
| 1947 | Christmas Eveas Michael Brooks | |
| 1947 | Slave Girlas Matt Claibourne | |
| 1947 | The Corpse Came C.O.D.as Joe Medford | |
| 1947 | Out of the Blueas Arthur Earthleigh | |
| 1946 | Temptationas Nigel Armine | |
| 1946 | Lover Come Backas Bill Williams | |
| 1946 | Tomorrow Is Foreveras Lawrence Hamilton | |
| 1946 | The Spiral Staircaseas Professor Warren | |
| 1946 | My Reputationas Major Scott Landis | |
| 1945 | The Affairs of Susanas Roger Berton | |
| 1944 | Breakdowns of 1944as Self | |
| 1944 | Experiment Perilousas Dr. Huntington Bailey | |
| 1942 | Breakdowns of 1942as Self | |
| 1942 | Silver Queenas James Kincaid | |
| 1942 | You Can't Escape Foreveras Steve Mitchell | |
| 1942 | The Gay Sistersas Charles Barclay | |
| 1942 | In This Our Lifeas Craig Fleming | |
| 1942 | Twin Bedsas Mike Abbott | |
| 1941 | International Ladyas Tim Hanley | |
| 1941 | They Dare Not Loveas Prince Kurt von Rotenberg | |
| 1941 | The Great Lieas Peter 'Pete' Van Allen | |
| 1941 | Honeymoon for Threeas Kenneth Bixby | |
| 1940 | Breakdowns of 1940as Self | |
| 1940 | South of Suezas John Gamble | |
| 1940 | The Man Who Talked Too Muchas Stephen Forbes | |
| 1940 | 'Til We Meet Againas Dan Hardesty | |
| 1940 | Adventure in Diamondsas Capt. Stephen Dennett | |
| 1940 | The Fighting 69thas Wild Bill Donovan | |
| 1939 | The Rains Cameas Tom Ransome | |
| 1939 | The Old Maidas Clem Spender | |
| 1939 | Land of Libertyas Buck Cantrell (edited from 'Jezebel') | |
| 1939 | Dark Victoryas Dr. Frederick Steele | |
| 1939 | Wings of the Navyas Cass Harrington | |
| 1938 | Breakdowns of 1938as Buck Cantrell (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| 1938 | Swingtime in the Moviesas Himself (uncredited) | |
| 1938 | Secrets of an Actressas Richard 'Dick' Orr | |
| 1938 | Racket Bustersas Denny Jordan | |
| 1938 | Out Where the Stars Beginas Jared Whitney (archive footage) | |
| 1938 | Jezebelas Buck Cantrell | |
| 1938 | Gold Is Where You Find Itas Jared Whitney | |
| 1937 | Breakdowns of 1937as Self | |
| 1937 | Submarine D-1as Lt. Commander Dan Matthews | |
| 1937 | The Go-Getteras Bill Austin | |
| 1937 | Mountain Justiceas Paul Cameron | |
| 1937 | God's Country and the Womanas Steve Russett | |
| 1936 | Breakdowns of 1936as Self | |
| 1936 | More Than a Secretaryas Fred Gilbert | |
| 1936 | Give Me Your Heartas James 'Jim' Baker | |
| 1936 | The Golden Arrowas Johnny Jones | |
| 1936 | The Case Against Mrs. Amesas Matt Logan | |
| 1936 | Snowed Underas Alan Tanner | |
| 1935 | A Dream Comes Trueas Himself (uncredited) | |
| 1935 | Things You Never See on the Screenas Self | |
| 1935 | In Personas Emory Muir | |
| 1935 | The Goose and the Ganderas Bob McNear | |
| 1935 | Special Agentas Bill Bradford | |
| 1935 | Front Page Womanas Curt Devlin | |
| 1935 | Strandedas Mack Hale | |
| 1935 | Living on Velvetas Terry Parker | |
| 1935 | The Right to Liveas Colin Trent | |
| 1934 | The Painted Veilas Jack Townsend | |
| 1934 | Desirableas McAllister | |
| 1934 | Housewifeas William H. Reynolds | |
| 1934 | Stamboul Questas Douglas Beall | |
| 1933 | From Headquartersas Lt. Jim Stevens | |
| 1933 | Femaleas Jim Thorne | |
| 1933 | Baby Faceas Courtland Trenholm | |
| 1933 | Lilly Turneras Bob Chandler | |
| 1933 | The Keyholeas Neil Davis | |
| 1933 | 42nd Streetas Pat Denning | |
| 1933 | Luxury Lineras Dr. Karl Bernhard | |
| 1932 | They Call It Sinas Dr. Tony Travers | |
| 1932 | The Crashas Geoffrey Gault | |
| 1932 | The Purchase Priceas Jim Gilson | |
| 1932 | Week-End Marriageas Peter Acton | |
| 1932 | Miss Pinkertonas Police Inspector Patten | |
| 1932 | The Rich Are Always with Usas Julian Tierney | |
| 1932 | So Big!as Adult Roelf Pool | |
| 1931 | The Lightning Warrioras Alan Scott | |
| 1931 | Homicide Squadas Jimmy | |
| 1931 | Ex-Bad Boyas Donald Swift | |
| 1931 | Charlie Chan Carries Onas Capt. Ronald Keane | |
| 1931 | Fair Warningas Les Haines | |
| 1931 | Once a Sinneras James Brent | |
| 1930 | Under Suspicionas Inspector Turner | |
| 1925 | The Iron Horseas Worker (uncredited) |