Barry Fitzgerald Biography

Fast Facts

• The only person to ever be nominated for a Leading Actor and Supporting Actor Oscar for the same role in a single film, as the Academy changed nomination rules to prevent this in the future
• Brother of actor Arthur Shields
• Attended Skerry's College while also working at the Abbey Theatre before turning to acting full-time
• Quote: "A golf course is nothing but a pool room moved outdoors․"
• After focusing his efforts on acting full-time in 1929, he would quickly land numerous small roles on films produced in the United Kingdom before traveling to Hollywood in the mid-1930s
• Earned quiet, supporting role status after more than a decade of constant film work in the 1940s before earning well-deserved critical acclaim for "Going My Way", a role that would land him an Oscar
• An avid golfer, he broke the head off of his Oscar statuette while practicing his golf swing in his home