Barry Fitzgerald
Encyclopedia
Barry Fitzgerald was an Irish
stage, film and television actor.
, Dublin, Ireland
. He is the older brother of Irish actor Arthur Shields
. He went to Skerry's College, Dublin, before going on to work in the civil service, while also working at the Abbey Theatre
. By 1929, he turned to acting full-time. He was briefly a roommate of famed playwright Sean O'Casey
and starred in such plays as O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock
and the premiere of The Silver Tassie
.
Fitzgerald went to Hollywood to star in another O'Casey work, The Plough and the Stars
(1936), directed by John Ford
. He had a successful Hollywood career in such films as The Long Voyage Home
(1940), How Green Was My Valley
(1941), And Then There Were None
(1945), The Naked City
(1948), and The Quiet Man
(1952). Fitzgerald achieved a feat unmatched in the history of the Academy Awards
: he was nominated for both the Best Actor Oscar and the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the same performance, as "Father Fitzgibbon" in Going My Way
(1944). (Academy Award rules have since been changed to prevent this.) He won the Best Supporting Actor Award; an avid golfer, he later broke the head off his Oscar statue while practising his golf swing. (During World War II, Oscar statues were made of plaster instead of gold, owing to wartime metal shortages.)
He returned to live in Dublin in 1959.
Fitzgerald has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
, for movies at 6220 Hollywood Blvd. and for television at 7001 Hollywood Blvd.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
stage, film and television actor.
Life
He was born William Joseph Shields in Walworth Road, PortobelloPortobello, Dublin
In Dublin, Portobello is an area stretching westwards from South Richmond Street as far as Upper Clanbrassil Street bordered on the north by the South Circular Road and on the south by the Grand Canal....
, Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He is the older brother of Irish actor Arthur Shields
Arthur Shields
Arthur Shields was an Irish stage and film actor.Born into an Irish Protestant family in Portobello, Dublin, he started acting in the Abbey Theatre when still a young man. He was the younger brother of Oscar-winning actor Barry Fitzgerald. An Irish nationalist, he fought in the Easter Rising of...
. He went to Skerry's College, Dublin, before going on to work in the civil service, while also working at the Abbey Theatre
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
. By 1929, he turned to acting full-time. He was briefly a roommate of famed playwright Sean O'Casey
Seán O'Casey
Seán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.- Early life:...
and starred in such plays as O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock
Juno and the Paycock
Juno and the Paycock is a play by Sean O'Casey, and one of the most highly regarded and oft-performed plays in Ireland. It was first staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1924...
and the premiere of The Silver Tassie
The Silver Tassie (play)
The Silver Tassie is a four-act Expressionist play about the First World War, written between 1927 and 1928 by the Irish playwright Seán O'Casey. It was O'Casey's fourth play and attacks imperialist wars and the suffering that they cause. O'Casey described the play as "A generous handful of stones,...
.
The Plough and the Stars (film)
The Plough and the Stars is a 1936 drama film directed by John Ford based on the play of the same name by Seán O'Casey.-Cast:* Barbara Stanwyck - Nora Clitheroe* Preston Foster - Jack Clitheroe* Barry Fitzgerald - Fluther Good...
(1936), directed by John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
. He had a successful Hollywood career in such films as The Long Voyage Home
The Long Voyage Home
The Long Voyage Home is an American drama film and directed by John Ford. It features John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Barry Fitzgerald, Wilfrid Lawson, John Qualen, Mildred Natwick, Ward Bond, among others....
(1940), How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley (film)
How Green Was My Valley is a 1941 drama film directed by John Ford. The film, based on the 1939 Richard Llewellyn novel, was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and written by Philip Dunne. The film stars Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Anna Lee, Donald Crisp, and Roddy McDowall...
(1941), And Then There Were None
And Then There Were None (1945 film)
And Then There Were None is a 1945 film adaption of Agatha Christie's best-selling mystery novel And Then There Were None directed by René Clair....
(1945), The Naked City
The Naked City
The Naked City is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Jules Dassin. The movie, shot partially in documentary style, was filmed on location on the streets of New York City, featuring landmarks such as the Williamsburg Bridge the Whitehall Building and an apartment building on West 83rd...
(1948), and The Quiet Man
The Quiet Man
The Quiet Man is a 1952 American Technicolor romantic comedy-drama film. It was directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen and Barry Fitzgerald. It was based on a 1933 Saturday Evening Post short story by Maurice Walsh...
(1952). Fitzgerald achieved a feat unmatched in the history of the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
: he was nominated for both the Best Actor Oscar and the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the same performance, as "Father Fitzgibbon" in Going My Way
Going My Way
Going My Way is a 1944 film directed by Leo McCarey. It is a light-hearted musical comedy-drama about a new young priest taking over a parish from an established old veteran . Crosby sings five songs in the film. It was followed the next year by a sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's. This picture was...
(1944). (Academy Award rules have since been changed to prevent this.) He won the Best Supporting Actor Award; an avid golfer, he later broke the head off his Oscar statue while practising his golf swing. (During World War II, Oscar statues were made of plaster instead of gold, owing to wartime metal shortages.)
He returned to live in Dublin in 1959.
Fitzgerald has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
, for movies at 6220 Hollywood Blvd. and for television at 7001 Hollywood Blvd.
Filmography
- Juno and the PaycockJuno and the Paycock (film)Juno and the Paycock is a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Barry Fitzgerald, Maire O'Neill, Edward Chapman and Sara Allgood.The film was based on a successful play by Sean O'Casey.-Plot:...
(1930) - The Plough and the StarsThe Plough and the Stars (film)The Plough and the Stars is a 1936 drama film directed by John Ford based on the play of the same name by Seán O'Casey.-Cast:* Barbara Stanwyck - Nora Clitheroe* Preston Foster - Jack Clitheroe* Barry Fitzgerald - Fluther Good...
(1936) - Ebb TideEbb Tide (1937 film)Ebb Tide is a 1937 American drama film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Oskar Homolka, Frances Farmer and Ray Milland. Much of the film is set in the South Seas and is based on a story by Robert Louis Stevenson....
(1937) - Bringing Up BabyBringing up BabyBringing Up Baby is an American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, and released by RKO Radio Pictures....
(1938) - Four Men and a PrayerFour Men and a Prayer-Cast:* Loretta Young - Miss Lynn Cherrington* Richard Greene - Geoffrey Leigh* George Sanders - Wyatt Leigh* David Niven - Christopher Leigh* C. Aubrey Smith - Col. Loring Leigh* J. Edward Bromberg - Gen. Torres* William Henry - Rodney Leigh...
(1938) - Marie AntoinetteMarie Antoinette (1938 film)Marie Antoinette is a 1938 film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starred Norma Shearer as Marie Antoinette...
(1938) (uncredited) - The Dawn PatrolThe Dawn Patrol (1938 film)The Dawn Patrol is a 1938 American war film, a remake of the pre-Code 1930 film of the same name. Both were based on the short story "The Flight Commander" by John Monk Saunders, an American writer said to have been haunted by his inability to get into combat as a flyer with the U.S...
(1938) - Pacific Liner (1939)
- The Saint Strikes BackThe Saint Strikes BackThe Saint Strikes Back, released in 1939, is the second film featuring the crimefighting crusader Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". George Sanders replaced Louis Hayward, who had played the Saint in The Saint in New York. The movie was produced by RKO and also featured Wendy Barrie as female gang...
(1939) - Full Confession (1939)
- The Long Voyage HomeThe Long Voyage HomeThe Long Voyage Home is an American drama film and directed by John Ford. It features John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Barry Fitzgerald, Wilfrid Lawson, John Qualen, Mildred Natwick, Ward Bond, among others....
(1940) - San Francisco Docks (1940)
- The Sea WolfThe Sea Wolf (1941 film)The Sea Wolf is a 1941 black-and-white film adaptation of Jack London's novel The Sea Wolf with Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, and John Garfield. The film was written by Robert Rossen and directed by Michael Curtiz....
(1941) - How Green Was My ValleyHow Green Was My Valley (film)How Green Was My Valley is a 1941 drama film directed by John Ford. The film, based on the 1939 Richard Llewellyn novel, was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and written by Philip Dunne. The film stars Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Anna Lee, Donald Crisp, and Roddy McDowall...
(1941) - Tarzan's Secret TreasureTarzan's Secret TreasureTarzan's Secret Treasure is a 1941 Tarzan film based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is the fifth in the MGM Tarzan series to star Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan.-Plot:An expedition team arrives on Tarzan's escarpment...
(1941) - The Amazing Mrs. HollidayThe Amazing Mrs. HollidayThe Amazing Mrs. Holliday is a 1943 film starring Deanna Durbin as a missionary who goes to great lengths, even posing as "Mrs. Holliday", in order to get some Chinese war orphans into the United States. Director Jean Renoir was replaced by Bruce Manning partway through production...
(1943) - Corvette K-225Corvette K-225Corvette K -225 is a 1943 film starring Randolph Scott and Ella Raines. It was released in the UK as The Nelson Touch. Tony Gaudio was nominated for the 1943 Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on the film....
(1943) - Going My WayGoing My WayGoing My Way is a 1944 film directed by Leo McCarey. It is a light-hearted musical comedy-drama about a new young priest taking over a parish from an established old veteran . Crosby sings five songs in the film. It was followed the next year by a sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's. This picture was...
(1944) - I Love a Soldier (1944)
- None but the Lonely Heart (1944)
- Incendiary BlondeIncendiary BlondeIncendiary Blonde is a 1945 American musical drama film of 1920s nightclub star Texas Guinan. Filmed in Technicolor by director George Marshall, it starred actress Betty Hutton in the title role. The music was written by Robert Emmett Dolan...
(1945) - Duffy's Tavern (1945)
- And Then There Were NoneAnd Then There Were None (1945 film)And Then There Were None is a 1945 film adaption of Agatha Christie's best-selling mystery novel And Then There Were None directed by René Clair....
(1945) - The Stork ClubThe Stork Club (1945 film)- Plot summary :Judy Peabody saves an old man from drowning. He turns out to be Jerry Bates, "J.B." to his lawyer Curtis, "Pop" to Judy, who mistakenly believes the wealthy old-timer to be poor....
(1945) - Two Years Before the MastTwo Years Before the Mast (film)Two Years Before the Mast is a 1946 adventure film based on Richard Henry Dana, Jr.'s travel book of the same name. It starred Alan Ladd, Brian Donlevy, William Bendix, Howard Da Silva and Esther Fernández.-Plot summary:...
(1946) - California (1947)
- Easy Come, Easy Go (1947)
- Welcome Stranger (1947)
- The Naked CityThe Naked CityThe Naked City is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Jules Dassin. The movie, shot partially in documentary style, was filmed on location on the streets of New York City, featuring landmarks such as the Williamsburg Bridge the Whitehall Building and an apartment building on West 83rd...
(1948) - The Sainted SistersThe Sainted SistersThe Sainted Sisters is a 1948 comedy film starring Veronica Lake and co-starring Joan Caulfield, Barry Fitzgerald, George Reeves, William Demarest and Beulah Bondi...
(1948) - Miss Tatlock's MillionsMiss Tatlock's MillionsMiss Tatlock's Millions is an American screwball comedy directed by Richard Haydn in 1948.- Cast :* John Lund : Tim Burke, impersonator of Schuyler Tatlock* Wanda Hendrix : Nan Tatlock* Barry Fitzgerald : Denno Noonan* Monty Woolley : Miles Tatlock...
(1948) - Top o' the Morning (1949)
- The Story of SeabiscuitThe Story of SeabiscuitThe Story of Seabiscuit is a 1949 American drama film directed by David Butler. The screenplay was written by John Taintor Foote. The film is a fictionalized account of the career of the racehorse Seabiscuit with a subplot involving the romance between the niece of a horse trainer and a jockey...
(1949) - Union StationUnion Station (film)Union Station is a film noir, directed by Rudolph Maté. The drama features William Holden, Barry Fitzgerald, and Nancy Olson, among others.-Plot:...
(1950) - Silver City (1951)
- Ha da venì... don Calogero! (1952)
- The Quiet ManThe Quiet ManThe Quiet Man is a 1952 American Technicolor romantic comedy-drama film. It was directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen and Barry Fitzgerald. It was based on a 1933 Saturday Evening Post short story by Maurice Walsh...
(1952) - Tonight's the Night (film) (1954)
- The Catered AffairThe Catered AffairThe Catered Affair , also known as Wedding Party, is a family drama film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Richard Brooks and produced by Sam Zimbalist from a screenplay by Gore Vidal, based on a television play by Paddy Chayefsky...
(1956) - RooneyRooney (film)Rooney is a 1958 British comedy film directed by George Pollock and starring John Gregson, Muriel Pavlow and Barry Fitzgerald. The film depicts the life of James Ignatius Rooney, a Gaelic sportsman at the weekends, and a Dublin rubbish collector during the week...
(1958) - Broth of a Boy (1959)
- Cradle of GeniusCradle of GeniusCradle of Genius is a 1961 Irish short documentary film directed by Paul Rotha. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
(1961)