Brian Donlevy Biography

Fast Facts

• Won third place for Best Actor in the 1942 New York Film Critics Circle Awards for "Wake Island․"
• After he died of throat cancer, his ashes were scattered over Santa Monica Bay
• Modeled for illustrator J․C․ Leyendecker before his acting career took off
• Went to France with Company C, 127th Infantry Regiment, during World War I
• His career was boosted early in his professional life when he earned a part in the Broadway play "What Price Glory," which ran for two years
• Lied about his age to join the Army National Guard when he was 14 so he could participate in the mobilization for the Pancho Villa Expedition
• Best remembered for his role as McGinty in "The Great McGinty․"
• Usually played tough guys on screen, his characters often bad from the start or destined to fall
• Voiced characters in several radio shows, including a reprisal of "The Great McGinty" and the lead character in "Dangerous Assignment," which later transitioned onto television
• Was interested in both gold mining and writing poetry