Henry Brandon (actor)
| Henry Brandon | |
|---|---|
| Born | Heinrich von Kleinbach June 8, 1912 Berlin, Germany |
| Died | February 15, 1990 (aged 77) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Harry Brandon Harry Kleinbach Henry Kleinbach Heinrich von Kleinbach |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1932–1989 |
| Partner | Mark Herron |
Henry Brandon (June 8, 1912 – February 15, 1990) was an American character actor in over 100 films, famous for playing Indian, Arab, Persian, Turkish, Native American and East Asian roles, usually villains.
Born Heinrich von Kleinbach in Berlin, Germany, his parents emigrated to the United States while he was still an infant. A stage actor, he performed on Broadway and continued to act on stage periodically throughout his acting career. He made his motion picture debut in 1932. His most famous acting roles were as "Chief Cicatrice" (Scar) in John Ford's The Searchers in 1956 and "Chief Quanah Parker" in Ford's Two Rode Together in 1961. In 1955, Brandon portrayed Nate Champion, the first casualty of the Johnson County War of Wyoming, in an episode of Jim Davis's syndicated western television series, Stories of the Century.
In 1940, Brandon appeared in the title role of the famous Republic serial Drums of Fu Manchu. He also played a French army captain in Robert Aldrich's Vera Cruz (1954), and "Officer Chaney" in John Carpenter's 1976 film, Assault on Precinct 13. Many people will remember him for his role as "Silas Barnaby", the evil character in the Laurel & Hardy 1934 classic Babes in Toyland later retitled March of the Wooden Soldiers. He was also the nasty opera manager who signed Alfalfa to an unbreakable contract singing "The Barber of Seville" in the Little Rascals/Our Gang short Our Gang Follies of 1938. He was memorable as the foreign spy Derek in a 1965 two-part episode of Mister Ed. In the 1960s TV series The Outer Limits, Brandon played General Crawford in the episode "The Chameleon" starring Robert Duvall. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as Acacius Page in the 1958 film Auntie Mame.
Brandon died in 1990 from a heart attack. He was cremated.
[edit] Selected filmography
- Babes in Toyland (1934)
- Dark Streets of Cairo (1940)
- Under Texas Skies (1940)
- Ski Patrol (1940)
- The Searchers (1956)
- Captain Sindbad (1963)
- The Ballad of Hector, The Stowaway Dog (1964, TV)
[edit] Further Reading
Scapperotti, Dan. "Memories of Fu Manchu". Starlog (Jan 1987), 60-64. Article about Brandon's movie career.
[edit] External links
- Henry Brandon at the Internet Movie Database
- Henry Brandon (actor) at Find a Grave
- Henry Brandon at AllRovi
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