Barry Fitzgerald

Birth Name:

William Joseph Shields

Birth Place:

Dublin, Ireland, United Kingdom

Profession

Actor, Soundtrack

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

Fast Facts