George O'Brien

George O'Brien (April 19, 1899 – September 4, 1985) was an American actor, popular during the silent film era and into the sound film era of the 1930s. He is best known today as the lead actor in F. W. Murnau's 1927 Academy Award-winning film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. O'Brien also starred in a number of Westerns in the 1930s and 1940s, including roles in 14 films under director David Howard and 10 with acclaimed filmmaker John Ford.

Early life O'Brien was born in San Francisco, California, the oldest son of Daniel J. and Margaret L. (née Donahue) O'Brien; O'Brien's father later became the chief of police for the City of San Francisco. (Dan O'Brien ordered the arrest of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in September 1921 at the scandalous Labor Day party held by Arbuckle.)

In 1917, O'Brien enlisted in the United States Navy to fight in World War I, serving on a submarine chaser. He volunteered to act as a stretcher bearer for wounded Marines and was decorated for bravery. After the war, O'Brien became Light Heavyweight boxing champion of the Pacific Fleet.

O'Brien spent the remainder of the 1920s as an extremely popular leading man in films, often starring in action and adventure roles with popular actresses of the era, such as Alma Rubens, Anita Stewart, Dolores Costello, Madge Bellamy, Olive Borden (with whom he was linked romantically during the 1920s), and Janet Gaynor. With the advent of sound, O'Brien displayed a strong, confident voice and remained a leading star of westerns and outdoor adventures. In 1938, he signed with RKO Radio Pictures to headline a western series; O'Brien (often atop his horse Mike) was well received and was ranked consistently among the top 10 cowboy stars. During this series of westerns, he starred with actress Virginia Vale on six occasions and with actor Chill Wills five times. The RKO series was stopped at 17 movies when O'Brien re-enlisted in the Navy; he was replaced by RKO with Tim Holt who had a longer association with RKO than O'Brien.

Military service During World War II, O'Brien served as a beachmaster in the Pacific, and was decorated several times. He left service with the rank of commander. He later joined the United States Naval Reserve and retired with the rank of captain in 1962, having four times been recommended for the rank of admiral.

Following his service in World War II, O'Brien occasionally took featured parts in films directed by John Ford, including Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Cheyenne Autumn. O'Brien's last leading role was in the 1951 movie Gold Raiders, with O'Brien handling the action and the Three Stooges' (Shemp Howard, Larry Fine, and Moe Howard) doing comedy routines.

While serving in the Naval Reserve, O'Brien took on a project for the Department of Defense as part of President Eisenhower's "People to People" program. He was project officer for a series of orientation films on three Asian countries. One of these films, This Is Korea, was directed by John Ford. The other two countries covered were Formosa (Taiwan) and the Philippines.

Personal life In the 1920s, O'Brien dated actress Olive Borden for many years, and most thought they would marry. For some reason (some say his family did not approve of Olive), they ended their relationship and he eventually married actress Marguerite Churchill on July 15, 1933. Their first child, Brian, died 10 days after his birth. Daughter Orin O'Brien became a double bassist for the New York Philharmonic. Their youngest child Darcy O'Brien was a successful writer and college professor. George and Marguerite divorced in 1948.

Later years and death O'Brien suffered a stroke in 1981 and was bedridden the last four years of his life. He died in 1985 in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa. His son Darcy was a professor at the University of Tulsa.

For his contribution to the movie industry, O'Brien was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6201 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles.

Partial filmography + Film performances Year Film Role Notes1922 Moran of the Lady Letty Deck Hand The Ghost Breaker A Ghost White Hands Sailor directed by Lambert Hillyer 1923 The Ne'er-Do-Well Clifford directed by Alfred E. Green1924The Man Who Came Back Henry Potter directed by Emmett J. FlynnThe Iron Horse Davy Brandon directed by John FordShadows of Paris Louis directed by Herbert Brenon1925The Dancers Tony directed by Emmett J. Flynn The Fighting Heart Denny Bolton directed by John Ford Havoc Dick Chappel directed by Rowland V. Lee Thank You Kenneth Jamieson directed by John Ford1926 The Johnstown Flood Tom O'Day directed by Irving Cummings The Silver Treasure Nostromo directed by Rowland V. Lee The Blue Eagle George Darcy directed by John Ford 3 Bad Men Dan O'Malley directed by John Ford1927 Is Zat So? Ed "Chick" Cowan directed by Alfred E. Green Paid to Love Crown Prince Michael directed by Howard Hawks Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans Farmer directed by F. W. Murnau East Side, West Side John Breen directed by Allan Dwan1928 Noah's Ark Travis/Japheth directed by Michael CurtizSharp Shooters George directed by John G. Blystone 1929 Salute Cadet John Randall True Heaven Lieutenant Philip Gresson directed by James Tinling Masked Emotions Bramdlet Dickery directed by Kenneth Hawks 1930 Rough Romance Billy West 1931 Riders of the Purple Sage Jim Lassiter directed by Hamilton McFadden Seas Beneath Cmdr. Robert "Bob" Kingsley directed by John Ford A Holy Terror Tony Bard "Woodbury" directed by Irving Cummings 1932 The Golden West David Lynch/Motano directed by David Howard Robbers' Roost Jim Wall directed by David Howard and Louis King 1933 The Last Trail Tom Daley directed by James Tinling 1934 Frontier Marshal Michael Wyatt directed by Lewis Seiler 1935 The Cowboy Millionaire Bob Walker directed by Edward F. Cline 1936 Daniel Boone Daniel Boone directed by David Howard 1937 Windjammer Bruce Lane directed by Ewing Scott Park Avenue Logger Grant Curran directed by David Howard 1938 Painted Desert Bob McVey directed by David Howard Lawless Valley Larry Rhodes directed by David Howard Gun Law Tom O'Malley directed by David Howard The Renegade Ranger Captain Jack Steele directed by David Howard Border G-Man Jim Galloway directed by David Howard 1939 Timber Stampede Scott Baylor directed by David Howard Arizona Legion Boone Yeager directed by David HowardThe Fighting Gringo Wade Barton directed by David Howard The Marshal of Mesa City Cliff Mason directed by David Howard 1940 Triple Justice Brad Henderson directed by David Howard Stage to Chino Dan Clark directed by Edward Killy 1947 My Wild Irish Rose William "Duke" Muldoon directed by David Butler 1948 Fort Apache Capt. Sam Collingwood 1949 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Maj. Mac Allshard 1951 Gold Raiders George O'Brien 1964 Cheyenne Autumn Major Braden

+ Television performances Year Title Role Notes 1957 Studio 57 1 episode

Awards Year Award Result Category Notes 1976 Western Heritage Awards Trustees Award for outstanding career portraying the Western movie hero