Brian Donlevy

Acting

Brian Donlevy

Born February 9, 1901 · Portadown, County Armagh, Ireland [now in Northern Ireland], UK

Died April 6, 1972 · aged 71

Brian Donlevy (February 9, 1901 – April 5, 1972) was an Ulster-born American film actor, noted for playing tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He usually appeared in supporting roles. Among his best known films are Beau Geste (1939) and The Great McGinty (1940). For his role as Sergeant Markoff in Beau Geste he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His obituary in The …

Known For

Kiss of DeathKiss of Death · 1947
Kiss of Death
7.11947
MovieCrimeThriller
An ex-con trying to go straight must face a crazed criminal out for revenge.
Brigham YoungBrigham Young · 1940
Brigham Young
4.61940
MovieHistoryRomance
Based on the story of the famous Mormon leader, it follows Brigham Young and his challenge to transport his people across the Rocky mountains to settle in Salt Lake City. The plot focuses on two fictitious characters, Jonathan Kent and Zina Webb and the hardships they have to face along the way.
Five Golden DragonsFive Golden Dragons · 1967
Five Golden Dragons
5.21967
MovieDramaAction
While travelling through Hong Kong, Bob Mitchell accidentally stumbles into the middle of criminal negotiations between a mean gang, the Five Golden Dragons and the local mobsters.
Fighting Coast GuardFighting Coast Guard · 1951
Fighting Coast Guard
6.71951
MovieWarDrama
Story of how the Coast Guard trained to help win World War II.
In Old ChicagoIn Old Chicago · 1938
In Old Chicago
6.71938
MovieDramaHistory
The O'Leary brothers -- honest Jack and roguish Dion -- become powerful figures, and eventually rivals, in Chicago on the eve of its Great Fire.
Dead Men Don't Wear PlaidDead Men Don't Wear Plaid · 1982
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
6.71982
MovieComedyMystery
Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.
Heaven Only KnowsHeaven Only Knows · 1947
Heaven Only Knows
6.51947
MovieComedyFamily
Also released as Montana Mike, Heaven Only Knows is an offbeat western with fantasy overtones. Hard-bitten gambling boss Brian Donlevy rules his frontier community with brawn and bullets. To his dismay, Donlevy discovers that he has a guardian angel (Robert Cummings), who shows up in the guise of an Eastern tenderfoot. The angel has been sent from Above to save Donlevy's soul, and to that end encourages the one-time villain to squire a minister's daughter (Jorja Curtwright) rather than his usual dance-hall girls. Donlevy is also given tips on winning against his enemies without resorting to gunplay. The gambler finally redeems himself with Heaven by rescuing the angel from a lynch mob (how can you lynch an angel?) Heaven Only Knows deserves an "E" for Effort for bringing a fresh twist to the venerable western genre.
A Southern YankeeA Southern Yankee · 1948
A Southern Yankee
5.51948
MovieComedyHistory
Red Skelton plays Aubrey Filmore, a feather-brained but lovable bellboy who dreams of becoming an agent for the Union's secret service during the Civil War.

Movies

Kiss of DeathKiss of Death · 1947
Kiss of Death
7.11947
MovieCrimeThriller
An ex-con trying to go straight must face a crazed criminal out for revenge.
Brigham YoungBrigham Young · 1940
Brigham Young
4.61940
MovieHistoryRomance
Based on the story of the famous Mormon leader, it follows Brigham Young and his challenge to transport his people across the Rocky mountains to settle in Salt Lake City. The plot focuses on two fictitious characters, Jonathan Kent and Zina Webb and the hardships they have to face along the way.
Five Golden DragonsFive Golden Dragons · 1967
Five Golden Dragons
5.21967
MovieDramaAction
While travelling through Hong Kong, Bob Mitchell accidentally stumbles into the middle of criminal negotiations between a mean gang, the Five Golden Dragons and the local mobsters.
Fighting Coast GuardFighting Coast Guard · 1951
Fighting Coast Guard
6.71951
MovieWarDrama
Story of how the Coast Guard trained to help win World War II.
In Old ChicagoIn Old Chicago · 1938
In Old Chicago
6.71938
MovieDramaHistory
The O'Leary brothers -- honest Jack and roguish Dion -- become powerful figures, and eventually rivals, in Chicago on the eve of its Great Fire.
Dead Men Don't Wear PlaidDead Men Don't Wear Plaid · 1982
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
6.71982
MovieComedyMystery
Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.
Heaven Only KnowsHeaven Only Knows · 1947
Heaven Only Knows
6.51947
MovieComedyFamily
Also released as Montana Mike, Heaven Only Knows is an offbeat western with fantasy overtones. Hard-bitten gambling boss Brian Donlevy rules his frontier community with brawn and bullets. To his dismay, Donlevy discovers that he has a guardian angel (Robert Cummings), who shows up in the guise of an Eastern tenderfoot. The angel has been sent from Above to save Donlevy's soul, and to that end encourages the one-time villain to squire a minister's daughter (Jorja Curtwright) rather than his usual dance-hall girls. Donlevy is also given tips on winning against his enemies without resorting to gunplay. The gambler finally redeems himself with Heaven by rescuing the angel from a lynch mob (how can you lynch an angel?) Heaven Only Knows deserves an "E" for Effort for bringing a fresh twist to the venerable western genre.
A Southern YankeeA Southern Yankee · 1948
A Southern Yankee
5.51948
MovieComedyHistory
Red Skelton plays Aubrey Filmore, a feather-brained but lovable bellboy who dreams of becoming an agent for the Union's secret service during the Civil War.
Crack-UpCrack-Up · 1936
Crack-Up
5.91936
MovieThrillerDrama
Betrayal and espionage abound as an experimental aircraft is readied for its maiden voyage.
Never So FewNever So Few · 1959
Never So Few
5.51959
MovieWarDrama
A U.S. military troop takes command of a band of Burmese guerillas during World War II.
Destry Rides AgainDestry Rides Again · 1939
Destry Rides Again
7.21939
MovieWesternComedy
Tom Destry, son of a legendary frontier peacekeeper, doesn’t believe in gunplay. Thus he becomes the object of widespread ridicule when he rides into the wide-open town of Bottleneck, the personal fiefdom of the crooked Kent.
Twenty Years AfterTwenty Years After · 1944
Twenty Years After
8.01944
MovieDocumentary
This short celebrates the 20th anniversary of MGM. Segments are shown from several early hits, then from a number of 1944 releases.
Jesse JamesJesse James · 1939
Jesse James
6.51939
MovieWestern
After railroad agents forcibly evict the James family from their family farm, Jesse and Frank turn to banditry for revenge.
Union PacificUnion Pacific · 1939
Union Pacific
6.71939
MovieDramaWestern
One of the last bills signed by President Lincoln authorizes pushing the Union Pacific Railroad across the wilderness to California. But financial opportunist Asa Barrows hopes to profit from obstructing it. Chief troubleshooter Jeff Butler has his hands full fighting Barrows' agent, gambler Sid Campeau; Campeau's partner Dick Allen is Jeff's war buddy and rival suitor for engineer's daughter Molly Monahan. Who will survive the effort to push the railroad through at any cost?
Hammer: The Studio That Dripped BloodHammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood · 1987
Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood
6.41987
MovieDocumentary
A retrospective of the films of Britain's Hammer Studios, renowned for making stylish horror films in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Included are clips from Hammer productions and interviews with actors, actresses, directors and producers who worked on these films.
CowboyCowboy · 1958
Cowboy
6.51958
MovieWestern
Chicago hotel clerk Frank Harris dreams of life as a cowboy, and he gets his chance when, jilted by the father of the woman he loves, he joins Tom Reece and his cattle-driving outfit. Soon, though, the tenderfoot finds out life on the range is neither what he expected nor what he's been looking for...
An American RomanceAn American Romance · 1944
An American Romance
6.11944
MovieRomanceDrama
A European immigrant becomes a master of industry but almost loses his family.
Quatermass 2Quatermass 2 · 1957
Quatermass 2
6.41957
MovieScience FictionHorror
In England, a group of space scientists led by Bernard Quatermass, who have developed plans for the first Moon colony, learn that a secret, ostensibly government-run, complex of identical design has been built in a remote part of England and is the focus of periodic falls of small, hollow "meteorites" originating in outer space. Quatermass determines to investigate and uncovers a terrifying extraterrestrial life form which has already begun action to take over the Earth.
Hangmen Also Die!Hangmen Also Die! · 1943
Hangmen Also Die!
6.91943
MovieDramaThriller
During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, surgeon Dr. Franticek Svoboda, a Czech patriot, assassinates the brutal "Hangman of Europe", Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich, and is wounded in the process. In his attempt to escape, he is helped by history professor Stephen Novotny and his daughter Mascha.
JamestownJamestown · 1923
Jamestown
10.01923
MovieDocumentary
The founding of the first English colony at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1612 and the many problems that confronted the struggling colonists are depicted.
The VirginianThe Virginian · 1946
The Virginian
6.21946
MovieWestern
Arriving at Medicine Bow, eastern schoolteacher Molly Woods meets two cowboys, irresponsible Steve and the "Virginian," who gets off on the wrong foot with her. To add to his troubles, the Virginian finds that his old pal Steve is mixed up with black-hatted Trampas and his rustlers...then finds himself at the head of a posse after said rustlers; and Molly hates the violent side of frontier life.
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the LineBarbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line · 1997
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
7.71997
MovieDocumentary
Born Ruby Stevens, she was orphaned when she was four. A chance audition led to a chorus job. By 17 she was a Ziegfeld Girl. At 20 she earned excellent reviews for a bit part in a Broadway play — and she had a new name: Barbara Stanwyck.
Beau GesteBeau Geste · 1939
Beau Geste
7.01939
MovieAdventureDrama
Brothers Beau, John and Digby Geste join the Foreign Legion, where they fall under the rule of tyrannical Sergeant Markoff. Beau and John are assigned to Fort Zinderneuf, where Markoff tries to break their spirit, aware of a dark family secret concerning a fabulous jewel one of them carries. As tensions rise, Arabs attack the fort and rivalries must be thrown aside in a desperate battle for life.
StalingradStalingrad · 1943
Stalingrad
5.71943
MovieDocumentaryWar
A Soviet documentary chronicling the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the turning points of World War II. Filmed on the front lines, it depicts the brutal devastation of the city, the resilience of its defenders, and the eventual Soviet counteroffensive that encircled and defeated the German 6th Army. Released internationally—with the U.S. version retitled The City That Stopped Hitler: Heroic Stalingrad—the film served both as a record of the Red Army’s victory and as a powerful work of wartime propaganda.

TV Shows

Perry MasonPerry Mason · 1957
Perry Mason
7.71957
SeriesMysteryDrama
The cases of master criminal defense attorney Perry Mason and his staff who handled the most difficult of cases in the aid of the innocent.
Robert Montgomery PresentsRobert Montgomery Presents · 1950
Robert Montgomery Presents
6.01950
SeriesDrama
Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950 until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its seven-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example, Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theater, ....The Johnson's Wax Program, and so on.
Climax!Climax! · 1954
Climax!
3.81954
SeriesDramaMystery
Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs of that era to be broadcast in color. Many of the episodes were performed and broadcast live.
RawhideRawhide · 1959
Rawhide
7.21959
SeriesWesternDrama
The tale of trail boss Gil Favor and his trusty foreman Rowdy Yates as they drives cattle across the old west. Along the way they meet up with adventure and drama.
The Colgate Comedy HourThe Colgate Comedy Hour · 1950
The Colgate Comedy Hour
6.91950
SeriesComedy
The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show starred many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, Ben Blue, Robert Paige, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Broadway dancer Wayne Lamb and Spike Jones and His City Slickers.
Dick Powell's Zane Grey TheatreDick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre · 1956
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
6.21956
SeriesWesternDrama
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, sometimes simply called Zane Grey Theatre, is an American Western anthology series which ran on CBS from 1956 to 1961.
Family AffairFamily Affair · 1966
Family Affair
6.71966
SeriesComedyFamily
Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do civil engineer and bachelor Bill Davis as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis' traditional English gentleman's gentleman, Mr. Giles French, also had adjustments to make as he became saddled with the responsibility of caring for 15-year-old Cissy and the 6-year-old twins, Jody and Buffy. The show ran for 138 episodes. Family Affair was created and produced by Don Fedderson, also known for My Three Sons and The Millionaire.
The TexanThe Texan · 1958
The Texan
6.01958
SeriesWestern
The Texan was a Western television series starring popular B movie actor Rory Calhoun, which aired on the CBS television network from 1958 to 1960.
Studio OneStudio One · 1948
Studio One
5.41948
SeriesDrama
An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. Studio One, presented by Westinghouse, was one of the first of the anthology TV programs. The episodes were often abridged remakes of movies from years gone by and many future well-known television and movie actors appeared in the productions.
Dangerous AssignmentDangerous Assignment · 1952
Dangerous Assignment
5.31952
Series
A U.S. government agent travels the world on undercover missions in this 1950s series. Star Brian Donlevy originated the role on radio in the '40s.
The DuPont Show with June AllysonThe DuPont Show with June Allyson · 1959
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
6.81959
SeriesDrama
The DuPont Show with June Allyson is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959 to April 3, 1961 with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961. The series was hosted by actress June Allyson.
DuPont Show of the MonthDuPont Show of the Month · 1957
DuPont Show of the Month
7.41957
SeriesDramaComedy
DuPont Show of the Month is an acclaimed 90-minute television anthology series that aired monthly on CBS from 1957 to 1961. The DuPont Company also sponsored a weekly half-hour anthology drama series hosted by June Allyson, The DuPont Show with June Allyson. During the Golden Age of Television, DuPont Show of the Month was one of numerous anthology series telecast between 1949 and 1962. Superficially, it resembled Playhouse 90 and other anthologies, but DuPont Show of the Month focused less on contemporary dramas and more on adaptations of literary classics, including Oliver Twist, The Prince and the Pauper, Billy Budd, The Prisoner of Zenda, A Tale of Two Cities and The Count of Monte Cristo.
Target: The Corruptors!Target: The Corruptors! · 1961
Target: The Corruptors!
5.71961
SeriesMysteryCrime
Target: The Corruptors! is an American crime drama series starring Stephen McNally which aired on ABC from September 29, 1961 to June 8, 1962. The series was produced by Dick Powell's Four Star Television.
The World of HammerThe World of Hammer · 1994
The World of Hammer
6.81994
SeriesDocumentary
The World of Hammer is a thirteen-part British documentary series created and written by Robert and Ashley Sidaway for Channel 4. Initially broadcast from 12 August to 4 November 1994, the series is narrated by English actor and frequent Hammer collaborator Oliver Reed.