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Brian Donlevy, the Good Bad Guy
Brian Donlevy (1901-1972) was an underrated film actor with surprising range and a little-heralded gift for comedy. Often typecast as a villain, he played the definitive bad guy in such films as Destry Rides Again, Union Pacific and Beau Geste (all in 1939). He showed his versatility in the title role of Preston Sturges' political satire The Great McGinty (1940) and impressed both New York critics and the Soviet government as the cooly authoritative Major Caton in Wake Island (1942). Donlevy was fondly remembered as globe-trotting U.S. Special Agent Steve Mitchell in the television series Dangerous Assignment (1952) and as Professor Quatermass in two acclaimed science fiction films. This first ever biography of Donlevy covers his colorful early life as a boy soldier, his years playing comedy roles on Broadway and his long career in Hollywood.
Claire Trevor
Claire Trevor (1910-2000) is best remembered as the alluring blonde femme fatale in such iconic noir films as Murder, My Sweet (1944) and Raw Deal (1948). Yet she was a versatile performer who brought rare emotional depth to her art. She was effective in a range of diverse roles, from an outcast prostitute in John Ford's classic Stagecoach (1939) to the ambitious tennis mother in Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951) to the embittered wife of a landowner in William Wellman's overlooked gem My Man and I (1952). Nominated for three Oscars, she deservedly won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Gaye Dawn, a gangster's broken-down moll in Key Largo (1948). The author covers her life and career in detail, recognizing her as one of the finest actresses of her generation.
Van Heflin
A versatile craftsman, actor Van Heflin was never concerned with popularity or comfortable with stardom. Lauded by his peers, Heflin won over moviegoers with his portrayal of resolute homesteader Joe Starrett in George Stevens' classic Shane (1953). He impressed in all genres, convincingly portraying every type of character from heel to hero. Van Heflin first garnered attention as the sensitive, alcoholic friend of gangster Johnny Eager (1941), for which he won an Academy Award, and later gave notable performances in a string of noirs, dramas and westerns. He was memorable as the psychotic cop in Joseph Losey's masterpiece The Prowler (1951) but equally impressive as the doubtful executive in Jean Negulesco's smart satire Woman's World (1954). This first full-length biography of Heflin covers his early life as a sailor and his career on stage and screen, providing detailed commentary on all his films.
Ruth Roman
With her striking looks, the raven-haired, dark eyed Ruth Roman had an air of sophistication that made her seem sexy yet wholesome. She had to strive harder than most to establish herself as a leading actress in Hollywood during its glory years and finally broke through in 1949 with her role in Champion. As one of the last Warner Bros. contract players, she appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's classic Strangers on a Train. Seen at her best in strong parts, such as the ambitious Ronda Castle in Anthony Mann's The Far Country or as a modern-day Lady Macbeth, she enjoyed a varied career as a freelancer before re-inventing herself as a character actress of note on television. A remarkable return to the screen in the bizarre psycho-horror The Baby (1973) assured her of cult status. This is the first book dedicated to a committed but often undervalued actress who is fondly remembered by fans of classic film. More than a biography, it seeks to contextualize the actress within her own time, illuminate her Hollywood experience and celebrate her extensive career.
Edmond O'Brien
One of the most versatile actors of his generation, Edmond O'Brien made a series of iconic noir films. From a man reporting his own murder in D.O.A. (1949) to the conflicted title character in The Bigamist (1953), he portrayed the confusion of the postwar Everyman. His memorable roles spanned genres from Shakespeare to westerns and comedies--he also turned his hand to directing. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as the harassed press agent Oscar Muldoon in Joseph Mankiewicz's bitter Cinderella fable The Barefoot Contessa (1954). This first in-depth study of O'Brien charts his life and career from Broadway to Hollywood and to the rise of television, revealing a devoted family man dedicated to his craft.
John Hodiak
He became a star overnight as surly, sexy, usually shirtless Kovac in Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944). Handsome and personable, John Hodiak (1914-1955) embraced his heritage as the son of Polish-Ukrainian immigrants, making him a rare Golden Age actor whose true ethnicity (and birth name) were widely known by moviegoers. Starting in radio, Hodiak was brought to Hollywood by MGM, starring in films like A Bell for Adano (1945) and The Harvey Girls (1946). In making Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944), he and co-star Anne Baxter fell in love despite divergent backgrounds and wed after a tumultuous courtship. The 1950s saw the breakdown of his marriage but also new professional opportunities, notably...
Ray Milland
With no formal training as an actor, Welsh-born Ray Milland (1907-1986), a former trooper in the British Army's Household Cavalry, enjoyed a half-century career working alongside some of the great directors and stars from the Golden Age of cinema. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as the alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend (1945), a defining moment that enabled him to break free from romantic leads and explore darker shades of his debonair demeanor, such as the veiled menace of his scheming husband in Hitchcock's Dial M For Murder (1954). A consummate professional with wide range, Milland took the directorial reins in several of his starring vehicles in the 1950s, most notably in the intelligent Western A Man Alone (1955). He comfortably slipped into most genres, from romantic comedy to adventure to film noir. Later he turned to science fiction and horror movies, including two with cult filmmaker Roger Corman. This first complete filmography covers the actor's screen career, with a concise introductory biography and an appendix listing his extensive radio and television credits.
S. Sylvan Simon, Moviemaker
He was Red Skelton's favorite director, and mentored Lucille Ball in the art of physical comedy. In his 15-year Hollywood career, S. Sylvan Simon (1910-1951) directed and/or produced more than 40 films, with stars like Lana Turner, Abbott and Costello, and Wallace Beery. Though he loved to make moviegoers laugh, he demonstrated his versatility with murder mysteries, war stories, and musicals. After a decade at MGM, he moved to Columbia, where he produced his own projects, including the Western melodrama Lust for Gold, and popular slapstick comedies like The Fuller Brush Girl. As head of production, reporting to irascible Harry Cohn, he produced the award-winning Born Yesterday, and was worki...
Rochelle Hudson
Rochelle Hudson's career as an actress was planned from the start (born in 1916) by her ambitious stage mother. Given rigorous dance and musical training as a child, Hudson won her first film contract at the age of 14. A WAMPAS Baby Star in 1931, she co-starred with actors such as W.C. Fields, Henry Fonda, Claudette Colbert, Will Rogers and Fredric March in classic films like Imitation of Life (1934) and Les Miserables (1935). But within a few years, she was stuck in B movies and frustrated. Stepping away from Hollywood, Hudson worked as a realtor and a rancher, and even did wartime espionage work for the Navy. She continued acting occasionally, in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), the TV sitcom...
Edmond O'Brien
One of the most versatile actors of his generation, Edmond O'Brien made a series of iconic noir films. From a man reporting his own murder in D.O.A. (1949) to the conflicted title character in The Bigamist (1953), he portrayed the confusion of the postwar Everyman. His memorable roles spanned genres from Shakespeare to westerns and comedies--he also turned his hand to directing. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as the harassed press agent Oscar Muldoon in Joseph Mankiewicz's bitter Cinderella fable The Barefoot Contessa (1954). This first in-depth study of O'Brien charts his life and career from Broadway to Hollywood and to the rise of television, revealing a devoted family man dedicated to his craft.
