Walter Brennan
Born	25 July 1894 Swampscott, Massachusetts, USA
Died	21 September 1974 Oxnard, California, USA

Walter Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was a three time Academy Award winning American actor. He is remembered as one of the premier character actors in motion picture history. www. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Swampscott, a beach town north of Boston, Massachusetts (measuring 3 square miles, and abutting [[Salem, Massachusetts], [Marblehead, Massachusetts,] and [Lynn, Massachusetts]]) was an important destination for the wealthy and affluent at the beginning of the 20th century; while Revere Beach, which lies just several miles down the road, has the... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A character actor is an actor who predominantly performs supporting parts, often in similar roles throughout the course of a career. ...

Early Life and Career

Born Walter Andrew Brennan in Swampscott, Massachusetts to Irish emigrants on July 25, 1894, his father was an engineer and inventor. The younger Brennan would go on to study engineering before becoming an actor. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Swampscott. ... Engineering is the application of scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. ...

While in school, he became interested in acting, and began to perform in vaudeville. After serving in World War I (where, according to legend, his vocal cords were damaged by poison gas), he moved to Guatemala and raised pineapples, before settling in Los Angeles. During the 1920s he would become involved in the real-estate market where he would make a forture. Unfortunately, he lost most of his money when the market took a sudden downturn. Finding himself broke, he would begin taking bit parts in as many films as he could get in order to earn money. He also worked as a stunt man during this time. Vaudeville is a style of multi-act theatre which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Italy Russia United States Serbia Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von Hötzendorf Ä°smail Enver Ferdinand I Casualties... Binomial name Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... ...

In the early 1930s he began appearing in higher quality films and received more substantial roles as his talent was recognized. This culminated with his receiving the very first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1937 for his role as Swan Bostrom in the period film Come and Get It. See also: 1929 in film 1930 1931 in film 1930s in film 1920s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films The Indians Are Coming Madam Satan Der Blaue Engel Academy Awards Best Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front - Universal Studios Best Actress: Norma Shearer - The Divorcee... The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... See also: 1936 in film 1937 category:1937 films 1938 in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US. May 7 - Shall We Dance premieres in the US. Top grossing films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Conquest Damaged Lives... Come and Get It is a 1936 film directed by Howard Hawks and William Wyler. ...

Successful Career as a Character Actor

Throughout his career, Brennan was frequently called upon to play characters considerably older than he was in real life. An accident in 1932 that cost him many of this teeth; his rapidly thinning hair, thin build, and raspy voice all made him seem older than he really was. He used these physical features to great effect in many of his roles. He was particularly skilled in playing the hero's sidekick or as the "grumpy old man" in a picture. He was hardly ever cast as the villain. One notable exception to this was his role as the heartless Old Man Clanton in the classic 1946 film My Darling Clementine opposite Henry Fonda. My Darling Clementine is a 1946 western film which tells the story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral between the Earp brothers and the Clanton gang. ... Henry Fonda in the classic 1957 film 12 Angry Men. ...

In the 1950s, he starred in the television series The Real McCoys, and appeared in several other movies and television programs, usually as an eccentric "old-timer" or "prospector". He also made a few recordings, the most popular being "Old Rivers" in 1962. See also: 1949 in television, other events of 1950, 1951 in television and the list of years in television. // Events February 12 - European Broadcasting Union (EBU) inaugurated. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... The Real McCoys was a television situation comedy. ...

In 1967, he starred in the television series The Guns of Will Sonnett, where he played a father in search of his gunfighter son, James, with his grandson, Jeff, played by Dack Rambo. After the series went off the air, Brennan continued working in both television and feature films. Among his television appearances at this time were three episodes of Alias Smith and Jones, the western comedy starring Pete Duel and Ben Murphy. Brennan played retired confidence man Silky O'Sullivan in two episodes, and Elmer Gantry, one member of a dwindling trail drive team, in another. See also: 1966 in television, other events of 1967, 1968 in television and the list of years in television. For the American network television schedule, please see 1967-68 American network television schedule. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... The Guns of Will Sonnett was a Western television series set in the 1870s which ran on the ABC television network from 1967 to 1969. ... Dack Rambo (born Norman Rambo, November 13, 1941 in Earlimart, California, USA) was an American actor, most notable for appearing in Dallas. ... Alias Smith and Jones was a television western series on ABC from 1971 to 1973, starring Pete Duel and Ben Murphy. ... Pete Duel (24 February 1940 – 31 December 1971) was an American actor, best known for his role in the television series, Alias Smith and Jones. ... Benjamin E. Murphy (born March 6, 1942) is an American actor. ...

Status in Film History

Film historians and critics have long regarded Brennan as one of the finest character actors in motion picture history. While the roles he was adept at playing were extremely diverse, he is probably best remembered for his portrayals in movie Westerns. He was the first actor to win three Academy Awards. He remains the only person to have won three Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor (see Academy Awards below). A character actor is an actor who predominantly performs supporting parts, often in similar roles throughout the course of a career. ... Broncho Billy Anderson, from The Great Train Robbery The Western movie is one of the classic American film genres. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent film awards in the United States and most watched awards ceremony in the world. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent film awards in the United States and most watched awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ...

Unlike many actors, Brennan's career never really went into decline. As the years went on, he was able ply his talents to find work in dozens of high quality films, and later television appearances throughout the 1950s and 60s. As he grew older, he simply become a more familiar, almost comforting film figure whose talented and entertaining performances continued to endear him to new generations of fans. In all, he would appear in more than 230 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly five decades.

Political Beliefs and Later Life

Brennan was politically conservative, and supported American Independent Party candidate (and former governor of Alabama) George Wallace over Republican Party candidate (and, at the time, former Vice President) Richard Nixon during the 1968 Presidential campaign because he felt Nixon was too liberal. American Independent Party is a United States political party. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Governor George Wallace (in front of door) standing defiantly against desegregation while being confronted by Deputy U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach at the University of Alabama. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ...

For his contribution to the television industry, Walter Brennan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6501 Hollywood Blvd. In 1970, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. An example of a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, for the film actress Carole Lombard. ... The Hall of Great Western Performers is a Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. ... Bronze Wrangler The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum and art gallery, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, housing one of the largest collections of: Western, American cowboy, American rodeo, and American Indian; art, artifacts, and archival materials, in the world. ... Nickname: Capital of the New Century, OKC, O-City Location in Oklahoma County and the state of Oklahoma. ...

On his death from emphysema, aged 80, on September 21, 1974 in Oxnard, California, Walter Brennan was interred in San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Brennan's wife, Ruth, whom he married in 1920, lived to be 100, and is buried next to him. They had four children, a daughter and three sons. September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Nickname: The City that Cares Location Location of Oxnard, California Government Country State County United States California Ventura County Mayor Dr. Thomas E. Holden Geographical characteristics Area    - City km²  (36. ... The San Fernando Mission Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery operated by the Los Angeles Archdiocese since 1800, and is located at 11160 Stranwood Avenue in the Mission Hills community of northern Los Angeles, California, near the Mission San Fernando Rey de España. ... Nickname: City of Angels , (The Angels), Tinseltown, The Big Orange Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1,290. ...

Academy Awards

Wins:

• 1936 - Best Supporting Actor in Come and Get It
• 1939 - Best Supporting Actor in Kentucky
• 1941 - Best Supporting Actor in The Westerner

Nominations: Come and Get It is a 1936 film directed by Howard Hawks and William Wyler. ... Kentucky is a 1938 film with Walter Brennan. ... The Westerner is a 1940 film with Walter Brennan. ...

• 1942 - Best Supporting Actor in Sergeant York

For the unsuccessful U.S. weapon system, see M247 Sergeant York. ... The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Come and Get It is a 1936 film directed by Howard Hawks and William Wyler. ... Joseph Schildkraut (March 22, 1896 – January 21, 1964) was a film actor. ... The Life of Emile Zola is a 1937 movie giving a biography of the famous French author Émile Zola. ... Kentucky is a 1938 film with Loretta Young, Richard Greene, and Walter Brennan. ... Thomas Mitchell (July 11, 1892 – December 17, 1962) was an American film actor. ... Trevor and Wayne Stagecoach is a 1939 Western which tells the tale of a motley group of strangers thrown together on a stagecoach which is attacked by Indians. ... The Westerner is a 1940 film with Walter Brennan. ... Donald Crisp (July 27, 1880 – May 25, 1974) was a film actor and director. ... How Green Was My Valley is a novel of 1939, by Richard Llewellyn. ...

See also

• Other notable figures in Western films

Notable figures in Western style motion pictures and/or television series, some of whom have been voted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. ...

External links

• Walter Brennan at the Internet Movie Database
• Walter Brennan at Find A Grave