Brett Halsey (born Charles Oliver Hand, June 20, 1933) is an American film actor, sometimes credited as Montgomery Ford. He appeared in

B pictures A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

and in European-made feature films. He originated the role of

John Abbott Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party. Abbot ...

on the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

'' (from May 1980 to March 1981). Halsey is a great-nephew of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Admiral William F. Halsey Jr., also known as Bull Halsey, commander of the Pacific Allied naval forces during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

selected Brett Halsey's acting name from the admiral.

Career

Interested in acting since he was a child, young Brett was employed as a page at

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

Television studios, where he met

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

and Benny's wife,

Mary Livingstone Mary Livingstone (born Sadya Marcowitz, later known as Sadie Marks; June 25, 1905–June 30, 1983) was an American radio comedienne and actress. She was the wife and radio partner of comedian Jack Benny. Enlisted casually to perform on her h ...

, who presented him to William Goetz, the head of

, who placed him in a school with other aspiring actors for the studio. Halsey appeared as Swift Otter, a Cheyenne Indian in the 1956 episodes "The Spirit of Hidden Valley" and "The Gentle Warrior" of the CBS

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

series, ''

Brave Eagle ''Brave Eagle'' is a 26-episode half-hour western television series which aired on CBS from September 28, 1955, to March 14, 1956, with rebroadcasts continuing until June 6. Keith Larsen, who was of Norwegian descent, starred as Brave Eagle, a pe ...

'', starring

Keith Larsen Keith Larsen (born Keith Larsen Burt, June 17, 1924 – December 13, 2006) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who starred in three short-lived television series between 1955 and 1961. Background Larsen was born in Salt ...

as a young Indian chief. In that same year he played “Elser” (a troubled teen cowboy) in James Arness’s TV Western Series ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

''. In 1958, Halsey guest-starred several times as Lieutenant Summers in Richard Carlson's syndicated western series, ''

Mackenzie's Raiders ''Mackenzie's Raiders'' is an American Western television series starring Richard Carlson that aired thirty-nine episodes in syndication between 1958 and 1959. The series is narrated by Art Gilmore, and was produced by Ziv Television Programs. ...

'', a

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

al account of cavalry Colonel

Ranald S. Mackenzie Ranald Slidell Mackenzie, also called Bad Hand, (July 27, 1840 – January 19, 1889) was a career United States Army officer and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was described by General Ulysses S. Grant as its ...

, set at

Fort Clark, Texas Fort Clark was a frontier fort located just off U.S. Route 90 near Brackettville, in Kinney County, Texas, United States. It later became the headquarters for the 2nd Cavalry Division. The Fort Clark Historic District was added to the National ...

. That same year, Halsey had the lead role of a life-saving sailor in an episode of another syndicated series, ''

Highway Patrol A highway patrol, or state patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is prima ...

''. He also appeared in ''

Harbor Command ''Harbor Command'' is an American police series that was syndicated from October 11, 1957, to July 4, 1958. The series stars Wendell Corey as Captain Ralph Baxter, an officer of the Harbor Police of a large coastal city (the city is unnamed, b ...

'', a military drama about the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

. He appeared as Robert Finchley in the 1958 ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'' episode, "The Case of the Cautious Coquette", and starred in the

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

teen flick ''

The Cry Baby Killer ''The Cry Baby Killer'' is a 1958 teen exploitation film produced by Roger Corman that marked Jack Nicholson's film debut. The film was out of print and difficult to find until 2006, when it was issued on DVD for the first time by Buena Vista Home ...

''. In 1959, he had a co-starring role in the science-fiction film ''

The Atomic Submarine ''The Atomic Submarine'' is a 1959 independent film, independently made, American black-and-white science-fiction film directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and starring Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, Brett Halsey, Joi Lansing and Jean Moorhead, with John ...

''. Halsey appeared in the episode "Thin Ice" in 1959 of '' Five Fingers''. From 1961–62, Halsey starred with

Barry Coe Barry S. Coe (born Barry Clark Heacock; November 26, 1934 – July 16, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in film and on television from 1956–1978. Many of his movie parts were minor, but he co-starred in one series, titled '' Follow the ...

Gary Lockwood Gary Lockwood (born John Gary Yurosek; February 21, 1937) is an American actor. Lockwood is best known for his roles as astronaut Frank Poole in the film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968), and as Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell in the '' Star ...

, and

Gigi Perreau Gigi Perreau (born February 6, 1941) is an American film and television actress. Early years The daughter of French-born Robert and Eleanor Child Perreau-Saussine, she was born Ghislaine Elizabeth Marie Thérèse Perreau-Saussine. Career Perrea ...

in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

adventure television series '' Follow the Sun'', a story of two free-lance magazine writers living in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

. In 1961, Halsey won the

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for "New Star of the Year". His ''Follow the Sun'' co-star,

, had won the same honor in 1960. The award was discontinued in 1983. Halsey played supporting and co-starring roles in Hollywood, having appeared in such films as ''

Return of the Fly ''Return of the Fly'' is a 1959 American horror science-fiction film and sequel to '' The Fly'' (1958). It is the second installment in ''The Fly'' film series. It was released in 1959 as a double feature with '' The Alligator People''. It was ...

'' (1959), '' Jet Over the Atlantic'' (1959), '' The Best of Everything'' (1959), ''

Return to Peyton Place ''Return to Peyton Place'' is a 1959 novel by Grace Metalious, a sequel to her best-selling 1956 novel '' Peyton Place''. Plot summary After the phenomenal success of her first novel, Metalious hastily penned a sequel centering on the life and ...

'' (1961) and ''

Twice-Told Tales ''Twice-Told Tales'' is a short story collection in two volumes by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The first volume was published in the spring of 1837 and the second in 1842. The stories had all been previously published in magazines and annuals, hence th ...

'' (1963). By the early 1960s, he relocated to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

where he found himself in demand in adventurous films such as '' Seven Swords for the King'' (1962) or ''

The Avenger of Venice ''The Avenger of Venice'' ( it, Il ponte dei sospiri, es, El puente de los suspiros, link=no) is a 1964 adventure film written and directed by Pierro Pierotti and Carlo Campogalliani and starring Brett Halsey and Gianna Maria Canale. It is b ...

'' (1964), being often cast a

swashbuckling A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring, ...

hero. He also appeared in a few

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s and

Eurospy film Eurospy film, or Spaghetti spy film (when referring to Italian-produced films in the genre), is a genre of spy films produced in Europe, especially in Italy, France, and Spain, that either sincerely imitated or else parodied the British James Bo ...

s, including '' Espionage in Lisbon'' (1965), ''

Kill Johnny Ringo ''Uccidete Johnny Ringo'', internationally released as ''Kill Johnny Ringo'', is a 1966 Italian western film directed by Gianfranco Baldanello. It is the film debut in the Spaghetti Western genre for Brett Halsey. Cast * Brett Halsey: Johnny Ri ...

'' (1966), '' Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die!'' (1968), ''

All on the Red ''All on the Red'' ( it, Tutto sul rosso) is a 1968 Italian crime-thriller film written and directed by Aldo Florio and starring Brett Halsey. Plot Cast * Brett Halsey as Mike Chapman * Barbara Zimmermann as Belinda Duval * Piero Lulli ...

'' (1968), ''

Twenty Thousand Dollars for Seven ''Twenty Thousand Dollars for Seven'' ( it, Kidnapping! Paga o uccidiamo tuo figlio, also known as ''20.000 dollari sporchi di sangue'') is a 1969 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Alberto Cardone and starring Brett Halsey. Cast *Brett ...

'' (1969) and ''

Roy Colt and Winchester Jack ''Roy Colt & Winchester Jack'' is a 1970 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Mario Bava. Plot Gunslingers Roy Colt and Winchester Jack fail to make a living through crime and Roy dissolves the partnership to earn an honest buck in Carson ...

'' (1970), sometimes using the name Montgomery Ford. He returned to the United States in the early 1970s and worked in film and television. He appeared in the serials ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' and '' Love Is a Many Splendored Thing'', and films such as ''

Where Does It Hurt? ''Where Does it Hurt?'' is a 1972 American comedy film written and directed by Rod Amateau and starring Peter Sellers, Jo Ann Pflug, Rick Lenz, Pat Morita, and Harold Gould. The film is a darkly satirical look at capitalism in a hospital environ ...

'' (1972) with

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

. He had supporting roles in higher-profile films such as ''

Ratboy ''Ratboy'' is a 1986 American drama film directed by and starring Sondra Locke. The make-up effects were designed by Rick Baker. The film's scenario is at times comic or serious, and one of its peculiarities is that there never is any explanatio ...

'' (1986) and ''

The Godfather Part III ''The Godfather Part III'' is a 1990 American crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from the screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo. The film stars Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy García, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegn ...

'' (1990), and worked with Italian horror director

Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including comedies and Spaghetti Westerns, he garn ...

on '' The Devil's Honey'' (1986), ''

Touch of Death The touch of death (or death-point striking) refers to any martial arts technique reputed to kill using seemingly less than lethal force targeted at specific areas of the body. The concept known as ''dim mak'' (), alternatively ' () traces its ...

'' (1988), ''

A Cat in the Brain ''A Cat in the Brain'' ( it, Un gatto nel cervello (I volti del terrore)), also known as ''Nightmare Concert'', is a 1990 Italian horror film written and directed by Lucio Fulci. Fulci stars as a fictionalized version of himself, a tortured horr ...

'' (1990) and '' Demonia'' (1990). He also appeared as the captain of a luxury space liner in the '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' episode "Cruise Ship to the Stars", and the ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC f ...

'' episode "Death Lends a Hand". Later roles include ''

Beyond Justice ''Beyond Justice'', also known as ''Desert Law'', ''Law of the Desert'' and ''Maktub, Law of the Desert'', is a 1991 Italian action-thriller film directed by Duccio Tessari that was shot in Morocco. The film was edited from the three-part, 300-mi ...

'' (1992), starring

Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. Hauer's career began in 1969 with the title role in the Dutch television series ' ...

, ''

Expect No Mercy ''Expect No Mercy'' is the ninth studio album by the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth, released in 1977. The original version was rejected by the label and these versions were the bonus tracks on the Salvo CD. The originally released version ...

'' (1995), and the TV movie ''

Free Fall In Newtonian physics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. In the context of general relativity, where gravitation is reduced to a space-time curvature, a body in free fall has no force acting on i ...

'' (1999).

Personal life

In 1954, Halsey married

Renate Hoy Renate Hoy, also credited as Renate Huy and Erika Nordin,(born 31 December 1930 in Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, Germany) is a German actress. Career After winning the title of Miss Nürnberg, she was crowned Miss Germany of 1952. She then travelled ...

, an actress who had won the ''Miss Germany'' contest that year, and who appeared in such films as ''

The Sea Chase ''The Sea Chase'' is a 1955 World War II drama film starring John Wayne and Lana Turner, and featuring David Farrar, Lyle Bettger, and Tab Hunter. It was directed by John Farrow from a screenplay by James Warner Bellah and John Twist based on ...

'' with

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

. They had two children, son Charles Oliver Hand, Jr. and daughter Tracy Leigh. Halsey and Hoy divorced in 1959. As an adult, their son Charles, known as "Rock Halsey" and "Rock Bottom", was a member of the Los Angeles-based punk rock band Rock Bottom & The Spys. Charles was murdered in prison while serving a 25-year sentence for drug-related crimes. From 1960 to 1962, Halsey was married to Italian actress

Luciana Paluzzi Luciana Paluzzi (born 10 June 1937) is an Italian actress. She is perhaps best known for playing SPECTRE assassin Fiona Volpe in the fourth James Bond film, '' Thunderball'', but she had important roles in notable films of the 1960s and 1970s in ...

. They had one son, Christian. In 1961, the two co-starred as a newlywed couple in the film, ''

''. In 1964, Halsey married the popular German actress and singer

Heidi Brühl Heidi Rosemarie Brühl (; 30 January 1942 – 8 June 1991) was a German singer and actress who came to prominence as a young teenager and had a prolific career in film and television. She was also a successful recording artist, and is known for ...

. They had two children, son Clayton Alexander Siegfried and daughter Nicole. They were divorced in 1976. Toward the end of the 1990s, Halsey moved to

San José, Costa Rica San José (; meaning "Saint Joseph") is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of the Central Valley, within San José Canton. San ...

, to teach film acting. He now resides in

Laguna Hills Laguna Hills (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in south Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby—Laguna Niguel and Lagun ...

with his fourth wife, Victoria (née Korda), granddaughter of

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)To Hell and Back'' (1955) *''

'' (TV Series) as Elser in S1E21’s “Helping Hand” (1956) *''

High School Hellcats ''High School Hellcats'' is a 1958 American exploitation film starring Yvonne Lime, Bret Halsey, and Jana Lund and directed by Edward L. Bernds. It is part of a series of exploitation films about juvenile delinquents produced during the 1950s b ...

'' (1958) *''

Lafayette Escadrille The La Fayette Escadrille (french: Escadrille de La Fayette) was the name of the French Air Force unit escadrille N 124 during the First World War (1914–1918). This escadrille of the ''Aéronautique Militaire'' was composed largely of Ameri ...

'' (1958) *''

The Girl in Lovers Lane ''The Girl in Lovers' Lane'' is a 1960 American film directed by Charles R. Rondeau following the adventures of two drifters who get involved with the residents of the little town of Sherman. The working title of the film was ''The Young and the D ...

'' (1960) *''

Four Fast Guns ''Four Fast Guns'' is a 1960 American Western film directed by William J. Hole Jr. and written by James Edmiston and Dallas Gaultois. The film stars James Craig, Martha Vickers, Edgar Buchanan, Brett Halsey, Paul Richards and Richard Martin. ...

'' (1960) *''

Desire in the Dust ''Desire in the Dust'' is a 1960 film released by the 20th Century Studios, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, directed by William F. Claxton, produced by Robert L. Lippert and starring Raymond Burr, Martha Hyer and Joan Bennett. The screenp ...

'' (1960) as Dr. Ned Thomas *''

'' (1961) *''

The Seventh Sword ''The Seventh Sword'' ( it, Le sette spade del vendicatore, french: Sept épées pour le roi, also known as ''Seven Swords for the King'') is a 1962 Italian-French adventure film directed by Riccardo Freda. It is a remake of Freda's debut film '' ...

'' (1962) *''

The Magnificent Adventurer ''The Magnificent Adventurer'' ( it, Il magnifico avventuriero) is a 1963 adventure film directed by Riccardo Freda. It is loosely based on real life events of Benvenuto Cellini. Plot Cast Production ''The Magnificent Adventurer'' was di ...

'' (1963) *''

'' (1964) *''

Berlin, Appointment for the Spies ''Berlin, Appointment for the Spies'' (Italian: ''Berlino - Appuntamento per le spie'') is a 1965 Italian Eurospy film directed by Vittorio Sala and starring Dana Andrews. The film is also known as ''Bang You're Dead''. It was retitled ''Spy in ...

'' (1965) *'' Espionage in Lisbon'' (1965) *''

'' (1966) *'' Today We Kill... Tomorrow We Die!'' (1968) *''

'' (1968) *''

'' (1969) *'' Roy Colt & Winchester Jack'' (1970) *''

Four Times That Night ''Four Times That Night'' ( it, Quante volte... quella notte, "How many times... that night") is a 1971 commedia sexy all'italiana film directed by Mario Bava. Plot Male model John Price encounters Tina Bryant while walking her poodle, "Cool Ru ...

'' (1971) *''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy TV series that was aired on CBS from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The show aired for 147 episodes spanning seven seasons. It was consistently among the top-rated television serie ...

'' (1979) as Dunlap (Episode: The Rustlers) *''

'' (1982) as Carter (Episode: Enos in Trouble) *''

'' (1984) as Jason Dillard (Episode: Dukes in Hollywood) *'' The Devil's Honey'' (1986) *''

'' (1988) *''

'' (1990) *''

'' (1990) as Douglas Michelson *'' Demonia'' (1990) *'' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' (1994) as Commissioner Kincaid

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Halsey, Brett 1933 births Living people American expatriates in Italy American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Male Spaghetti Western actors New Star of the Year (Actor) Golden Globe winners Male actors from Santa Ana, California