Donald Brian
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Donald Brian | |
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| Born | February 17, 1877 St. Johns, Newfoundland |
| Died | December 22, 1948 Great Neck, Long Island, New York |
| Occupation(s) | actor singer |
| Years active | 1899–1939 |
| Spouse(s) | Florence Gleason Pope Virginia O'Brien (1 daughter) |
Donald Brian (February 17, 1877 – December 22, 1948) was an actor, dancer and singer born in St. John's, Newfoundland (now Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada). In 1907, he starred in the hit operetta The Merry Widow. The same year, he was called "King of Broadway" by The New York Times.[citation needed] Brian is also noted for helping President Theodore Roosevelt act more relaxed in public and teaching Frank Sinatra to dance and entertain U.S. Troops in England with Bob Hope.[citation needed]
Life and career
Brian, a tenor, was employed in a Boston machine shop and, at the age of 16, began performing with a vocal quartet. When he joined a theatrical troupe in New York City, he was soon in demand as a leading man. He had leading roles in more than 20 Broadway musicals. In 1915 Brian signed with film producer Jesse L. Lasky to do two films, The Voice in the Fog (1915) and The Smugglers (1916). After the latter he made no more film appearances until the sound era. His first sound film was an excerpt of his role in Peggy O'Hooligan (1925), made in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process.[citation needed]
Selected Broadway musicals and operettas
- 1899 – On the Wabash
- 1902 – Florodora
- 1904 – Little Johnny Jones by George M. Cohan
- 1906 – 45 Minutes From Broadway
- 1907 – The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár
- 1909 – The Dollar Princess
- 1911 – The Siren
- 1914 – The Girl From Utah
- 1916 – Sybil
- 1918 – The Girl Behind the Gun
- 1919 – Buddies
- 1921 – The Chocolate Soldier
- 1922 – Up She Goes
- 1925 – Peggy O'Hooligan
- 1926 – No, No, Nanette
- 1939 – Very Warm for May
Brian was president of the Catholic Actor's Guild and helped many young budding performers excel in their career.[citation needed]
He was married twice, first to a divorced woman named Mrs. Florence Gleason Pope and second to stage actress Virginia O'Brien (not to be confused with the film actress born 1919). He and O'Brien had one daughter, Denise.[1]
Brian died in Great Neck, New York in 1948.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ Great Stars of the American Stage (Profile #72) by Daniel C. Blum c. 1952 (reprint 1954)
External links
- Donald Brian at the Internet Broadway Database
- Donald Brian at IMDb
- Who's Who in Musicals
- Donald Brian University of Washington, Sayre collection
- Donald Brian NY Public Library, Billy Rose collection
- Mrs. Donald Brian(Virginia O'Brien) with Eugene Walter and Charlotte Walker
Further reading
- Donald Brian: the king of Broadway by Charles Foster (2005) ISBN 1-55081-214-9
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