Henry Brandon (born Heinrich von Kleinbach; 8 June 1912 – 15 February 1990) was an American film and stage
character actor
A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...
with a career spanning almost 60 years, involving more than 100 films; he specialized in playing a wide diversity of ethnic roles.
Early life
Brandon was born in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, the son of Hildegard and Hugo R. von Kleinbach, a merchant.
His parents emigrated to the United States while he was still an infant. After attending Stanford University, where he was a member of the ''
Alpha Sigma Phi
Alpha Sigma Phi (), commonly known as Alpha Sig, is an intercollegiate men's social fraternity with 181 active chapters and provisional chapters. Founded at Yale in 1845, it is the 10th oldest Greek letter fraternity in the United States.
The f ...
'' fraternity, he trained as a theatre actor at the
Pasadena Community Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...
and subsequently performed on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
, continuing to return to the stage periodically throughout his career.
Film career
He made his motion picture debut in 1932 as an uncredited spectator at the Colosseum in ''
The Sign of the Cross''. In the Victorian-era stage melodrama ''The Drunkard'' — played for laughs in a popular local revival — Kleinbach appeared as the wizened old villain "Squire Cribbs". The 22-year-old Kleinbach was so convincing in elderly makeup that he fooled movie producer
Hal Roach
Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr.Randy Skretvedt, Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, a ...
, who hired Kleinbach to play Silas Barnaby, the villain in the
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...
feature ''
Babes in Toyland''. In 1936, having until then been performing under his real name, he adopted the stage name of Henry Brandon. He reprised the Barnaby character in Roach's short-subject production ''
Our Gang Follies of 1938
''Our Gang Follies of 1938'' (later reissued as simply ''Follies of 1938'') is a 1937 American musical short subject, the 161st short subject entry in Hal Roach's ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') series. Directed by Gordon Douglas as a sequel to ...
''.
In the late 1930s Brandon became a familiar face in adventure serials, almost always in villainous roles. In 1940, he had his only starring film role, as the imperious
Fu Manchu
Dr. Fu Manchu () is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, com ...
in the
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...
serial ''
Drums of Fu Manchu
''Drums of Fu Manchu'' (1940) is a 15-chapter Republic serial film based on the character created by Sax Rohmer. Though using the title of the ninth novel in the series, it actually is based on numerous elements from throughout the series to that ...
''. The serial was withdrawn at the express request of the
State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
in 1941 after the U.S. entry into
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 ...
out of concern that it was inciting anti-Chinese sentiment in the American public, which conflicted both with the interests of the
Chinese-American
Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from m ...
population and the international relationship with China as an allied power in the war against Japan.
Character actor
Henry Brandon was a versatile character player, often called upon to portray various ethnic types. He played the character of Renouf, a deserter from the
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...
, in the 1939 remake of ''
Beau Geste
''Beau Geste'' is an adventure novel by British writer P. C. Wren, which details the adventures of three English brothers who enlist separately in the French Foreign Legion following the theft of a valuable jewel from the country house of a rel ...
''. In 1943, he played Major Ruck, a British secret agent in the guise of an
SS officer in ''
Edge of Darkness
''Edge of Darkness'' is a British television drama serial produced by BBC Television in association with Lionheart Television International and originally broadcast in six 55-minute episodes in late 1985. A mixture of crime drama and politica ...
''. In 1948 he appeared as
Giles de Rais in ''
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...
''. He appeared as the African tribal chieftain M'Tara in ''
Tarzan and the She-Devil'' (1953), and a French army captain in ''
Vera Cruz'' (1954).
In 1956, in one of his most famous credits, he played the chief villain, a Comanche chieftain called Scar, in
John Ford
John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
's ''
The Searchers
''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...
''. The following year he portrayed
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...
in ''Hell's Crossroads''. In 1958, he portrayed Acacius Page in ''
Auntie Mame
''Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade'' is a 1955 novel by American author Patrick Dennis chronicling the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward of his Aunt Mame Dennis, the sister of his dead father.
The book is often desc ...
''. In 1959, he played the role of Gator Joe in "Woman in the River" in the crime drama ''
Bourbon Street Beat
''Bourbon Street Beat'' is a private detective television series that aired on the ABC network from October 5, 1959, to July 4, 1960, starring Richard Long as Rex Randolph and Andrew Duggan as Cal Calhoun, with Arlene Howell as detective agency s ...
''. On October 12, 1959 he played the role of Jason in
Euripides
Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...
' ''
Medea
In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...
'' as a part of the ''
Play of the Week Play of the Week may refer to:
*''ITV Play of the Week'', British TV anthology series broadcast from 1956 to 1966
*''The Play of the Week'', American TV anthology series broadcast from 1959 to 1961
See also
*''Play of the Month
''Play of the M ...
'' television series.
![Una Merkel & Henry Brandon (4505658177)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Una_Merkel_%26_Henry_Brandon_%284505658177%29.jpg)
In 1960, he played a Native American character again as Running Wolf in the episode "Gold Seeker" in the television series ''
The Rebel''. He played Asian characters in two 1961 episodes, viz. "Angel of Death" and "The Assassins", of the television series ''
Adventures in Paradise'' and played an American Indian chieftain again in John Ford's ''
Two Rode Together
''Two Rode Together'' is a 1961 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring James Stewart, Richard Widmark, and Shirley Jones. The supporting cast includes Linda Cristal, Andy Devine, and John McIntire. The film was based upon th ...
''. In 1965, he played the Shug chief in the pilot episode of ''
F Troop
''F Troop'' is a satirical American television sitcom Western about U.S. soldiers and Native Americans in the Wild West during the 1860s that originally aired for two seasons on ABC. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965, and ...
'' and made a guest appearance on the TV programme ''
Honey West
Honey West is a fictional character created by the husband and wife writing team Gloria and Forest Fickling under the pseudonym "G.G. Fickling", and appearing in eleven mystery novels by the duo.
The character is notable as being one of the firs ...
'' "A Matter of Wife and Death" (episode 4).
Personal life
Brandon married in 1941; the marriage produced one son before ending in 1946.
[ He subsequently had a long relationship with the actor ]Mark Herron
Truman "Mark" Herron (8 July 1928 – 13 January 1996) was an American actor and the fourth husband of singer and actress Judy Garland. They were married on November 14, 1965, in Las Vegas, Nevada, but they separated after five months of marri ...
. Herron left Brandon in the mid-1960s, and was briefly the fourth husband of Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
. Herron and Garland separated after five months of marriage, after which Herron returned to Brandon and remained with him until Brandon's death.
Death
Brandon lived in West Hollywood
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...
in his final years. He suffered a heart attack and died on 15 February 1990, at the age of 77, at Cedars-Sinai Hospital
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...
in Los Angeles. His body was cremated, and the ashes were reportedly scattered at an undisclosed theatre location.
Selected filmography
* '' The Sign of the Cross'' (1932) as Colosseum Spectator (uncredited)
* '' Babes in Toyland'' (1934) as Silas Barnaby
* '' The Trail of the Lonesome Pine'' (1936) as Wade Falin
* ''The Preview Murder Mystery
''The Preview Murder Mystery'' is a 1936 American mystery-comedy, directed by Robert Florey and shot in the Paramount studio. The plot follows a studio public relations man who attempts to trap a killer using television technology, allowing on ...
'' (1936) as The Bat Man (uncredited)
* ''Big Brown Eyes
''Big Brown Eyes'' is a 1936 American crime comedy film. In the film, police officer Danny Barr (Cary Grant) is chasing jewel robbers. His girlfriend Eve Fallon (Joan Bennett) is initially working as a manicurist, but quickly takes a job as a re ...
'' (1936) as Don Butler
* '' The Garden of Allah'' (1936) as Hadj
* '' Killer at Large'' (1936) as Mr. Zero
* '' Black Legion'' (1937) as Joe Dombrowski
* ''Jungle Jim
Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began on January 7, 1934, as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle ...
'' (1937, Serial) as The Cobra
* ''Secret Agent X-9
''Secret Agent X-9'' is a comic strip created by writer Dashiell Hammett ('' The Maltese Falcon'') and artist Alex Raymond (''Flash Gordon''). Syndicated by King Features, it ran from January 22, 1934 until February 10, 1996.
Premise and publ ...
'' (1937, Serial) as Blackstone
* ''I Promise to Pay
''I Promise to Pay'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by D. Ross Lederman.
Cast
* Chester Morris as Eddie Lang
* Leo Carrillo as Richard Farra
* Helen Mack as Mary Lang
* Thomas Mitchell as District Attorney J.E. Curtis
* Thurston Hall ...
'' (1937) as Henchman Fancyface
* ''Island Captives
''Island Captives'' is a 1937 American adventure film directed by Paul Kerschner and written by Al Martin. The film stars Edward Nugent, Joan Barclay, Henry Brandon, Charles King, Forrest Taylor and Carmen Laroux. The film was released on July ...
'' (1937) as Dick Bannister
* ''The Last Train from Madrid
''The Last Train from Madrid'' is a 1937 American war drama film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Dorothy Lamour, Lew Ayres and Gilbert Roland. It is set during the Spanish Civil War. The film was one of the few contemporary Hollywood film ...
'' (1937) as Radio Announcer (uncredited)
* ''West Bound Limited
''West Bound Limited'' is a 1937 American action film directed by Ford Beebe and starring Lyle Talbot, Polly Rowles, Frank Reicher, Henry Brandon, Henry Hunter and William Lundigan. Written by Maurice Geraghty, the film was released on July ...
'' (1937) as Joe Forbes
* ''Conquest
Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms.
Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...
'' (1937) as Staff Officer (uncredited)
* ''Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...
'' (1937) as Larry (uncredited)
* ''I Met My Love Again
''I Met My Love Again'' is a 1938 American romantic drama film distributed by United Artists, directed by Joshua Logan, Arthur Ripley and George Cukor. The screenplay was written by David Hertz, based on the novel ''Summer Lightning'' by Allene ...
'' (1938) as Bruno - the Painter (uncredited)
* '' Three Comrades'' (1938) as Valentin - Man with Eye Patch (uncredited)
* ''Spawn of the North
''Spawn of the North'' is a 1938 American adventure film about rival fishermen in Alaska starring George Raft and featuring Henry Fonda, Dorothy Lamour, Akim Tamiroff and John Barrymore. The picture was directed by Henry Hathaway and was an ...
'' (1938) as Davis (uncredited)
* ''If I Were King
''If I Were King'' is a 1938 American biographical and historical film starring Ronald Colman as medieval poet François Villon, and featuring Basil Rathbone and Frances Dee. It is based on the 1901 play and novel, both of the same name, by Jus ...
'' (1938) as Soldier (uncredited)
* ''The Last Express
''The Last Express'' is an adventure video game designed by Jordan Mechner and published by Broderbund in 1997 for PC. Players take on the role of an American who accepts an invite by a friend to join them on the Orient Express, days before the ...
'' (1938) as Henchman Pinky
* ''The Last Warning
''The Last Warning'' is a 1928 American mystery film directed by Paul Leni, and starring Laura La Plante, Montagu Love, and Margaret Livingston.
''The Last Warning'' was also one of the very last silent films Universal made — except it was a ...
'' (1938) as Willie the Creep (uncredited)
* ''Pirates of the Skies
''Pirates of the Skies'' (aka ''Plane 66'') is a 1939 American action film directed by Joseph A. McDonough and written by Lester Cole and Ben Grauman Kohn. The film stars Kent Taylor, Rochelle Hudson, Regis Toomey, Marion Martin, Samuel S. Hinds ...
'' (1939) as Gang Pilot (uncredited)
* ''Buck Rogers
Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily US newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, books ...
'' (1939, Serial) as Captain Laska
* ''Beau Geste
''Beau Geste'' is an adventure novel by British writer P. C. Wren, which details the adventures of three English brothers who enlist separately in the French Foreign Legion following the theft of a valuable jewel from the country house of a rel ...
'' (1939) as Renouf - Another Deserter
* ''Conspiracy
A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...
'' (1939) as Carlson - Crewman
* ''Nurse Edith Cavell
''Nurse Edith Cavell'' is a 1939 American film directed by British director Herbert Wilcox about Edith Cavell.
The film was nominated at the 1939 Oscars for Best Original Score.
Plot
The story follows the broadly true story of Edith Cavell w ...
'' (1939) as Lt. Schultz
* ''The Marshal of Mesa City
''The Marshal of Mesa City'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by David Howard from a screenplay by Jack Lait Jr..
Although no story credit was given, this film bears a striking similarity to the 1935 western, ''The Arizonian'', whose s ...
'' (1939) as Duke Allison
* ''Geronimo
Geronimo ( apm, Goyaałé, , ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache ba ...
'' (1939) (scenes deleted)
* ''Drums of Fu Manchu
''Drums of Fu Manchu'' (1940) is a 15-chapter Republic serial film based on the character created by Sax Rohmer. Though using the title of the ninth novel in the series, it actually is based on numerous elements from throughout the series to that ...
'' (1940) as Dr. Fu Manchu
* '' Half a Sinner'' (1940) as Handsome
* ''Ski Patrol
Ski patrols are organizations that provide medical, rescue, and hazard prevention services to the injured in ski area boundaries, or sometimes beyond into backcountry settings. Many have technical-medical certifications, such as Outdoor Emergen ...
'' (1940) as Jan Sikorsky
* '' Florian'' (1940) as Groom (uncredited)
* ''The Ranger and the Lady
''The Ranger and the Lady'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Roy Rogers, and George "Gabby" Hayes.
Plot
Texas Ranger Captain Roy Colt (Roy Rogers) disapproves of the tactics of his superior, General Augustus ...
'' (1940) as General Augustus Larue
* ''Doomed to Die
''Doomed to Die'' is a 1940 American mystery film directed by William Nigh and starring Boris Karloff as Mr. Wong with Marjorie Reynolds and Grant Withers. It is a sequel to the 1940 film, '' The Fatal Hour'',Stephen Jacobs, ''Boris Karloff: Mor ...
'' (1940) as Attorney Victor Martin
* '' Under Texas Skies'' (1940) as Tom Blackton
* ''Dark Streets of Cairo
''Dark Streets of Cairo'' is a 1940 American mystery film directed by László Kardos and starring Sigrid Gurie, Ralph Byrd, Eddie Quillan, George Zucco and Katherine DeMille. The central plot of the film concerns " group ofjewel smugglers in ...
'' (1940) as Hussien
* ''The Son of Monte Cristo
''The Son of Monte Cristo'' is a 1940 American black-and-white swashbuckling adventure film from United Artists, produced by Edward Small, directed by Rowland V. Lee, that stars Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, and George Sanders. The Small producti ...
'' (1940) as Lt. Schultz
* ''Underground
Underground most commonly refers to:
* Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth
Underground may also refer to:
Places
* The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston
* The Underground ...
'' (1941) as Rolf
* '' Two in a Taxi'' (1941) as Professor
* '' The Shepherd of the Hills'' (1941) as Bald Knobber (uncredited)
* '' Hurricane Smith'' (1941) as Sam Carson
* '' Bad Man of Deadwood'' (1941) as Ted Carver
* ''The Corsican Brothers
''The Corsican Brothers'' (french: Les Frères corses) is a novella by Alexandre Dumas, père, first published in 1844. It is the story of two conjoined brothers who, though separated at birth, can still feel each other's physical distress. It h ...
'' (1941) as Marquis de Raveneau (uncredited)
* '' Night in New Orleans'' (1942) as Croupier (uncredited)
* ''Edge of Darkness
''Edge of Darkness'' is a British television drama serial produced by BBC Television in association with Lionheart Television International and originally broadcast in six 55-minute episodes in late 1985. A mixture of crime drama and politica ...
'' (1943) as Maj. Ruck (uncredited)
* ''Northwest Outpost
''Northwest Outpost'' (also known as ''End of the Rainbow'') is a 1947 American musical film, Musical Western (genre), Western film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey. The film was Eddy's last, and is an operetta film ...
'' (1947) as Chinese Junk Captain (uncredited)
* ''Old Los Angeles
''Old Los Angeles'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and written by Gerald Drayson Adams and Clements Ripley. The film stars Wild Bill Elliott, John Carroll, Catherine McLeod, Joseph Schildkraut, Andy Devine and Estelita ...
'' (1948) as Larry Stockton
* '' Canon City'' (1948) as Freeman
* ''Hollow Triumph
''Hollow Triumph'' (working title ''The Man Who Murdered Himself'', reissued in the United States as ''The Scar'') is a 1948 American film noir crime film directed by Steve Sekely starring Paul Henreid, Joan Bennett and Leslie Brooks. It was rel ...
'' (1948) as Big Boy (uncredited)
* ''Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...
'' (1948) as Captain Gilles de Rais
* '' The Paleface'' (1948) as Wapato (medicine man)
* ''Wake of the Red Witch
''Wake of the Red Witch'' is a 1948 American adventure film directed by Edward Ludwig, produced by Edmund Grainger and starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Gig Young, Adele Mara and Luther Adler. It is based upon the 1946 novel of the same name wri ...
'' (1948) as Kurinua (uncredited)
* '' The Fighting O'Flynn'' (1949) as Lt. Corpe
* ''Tarzan's Magic Fountain
''Tarzan's Magic Fountain'' is a 1949 Tarzan film directed by Lee Sholem and starring Lex Barker as Tarzan and Brenda Joyce as his companion Jane. The film also features Albert Dekker and Evelyn Ankers. It was co-written by Curt Siodmak.
This ...
'' (1949) as Siko
* ''Cattle Drive
A cattle drive is the process of moving a herd of cattle from one place to another, usually moved and herded by cowboys on horses.
Europe
In medieval central Europe, annual cattle drives brought Hungarian Grey cattle across the Danube River ...
'' (1951) as Jim Currie
* ''The Golden Horde
The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragmen ...
'' (1951) as Juchi, Son of Genghis Khan
* ''Flame of Araby
''Flame of Araby'' (a.k.a. ''Flame of the Desert'') is a 1951 American Technicolor adventure film directed by Charles Lamont starring Maureen O'Hara and Jeff Chandler. British film star Maxwell Reed made his American film debut in the picture. ...
'' (1951) as Malik
* ''Harem Girl
''Harem Girl'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by Edward Bernds and written by Edward Bernds and Elwood Ullman. The film stars Joan Davis, Peggie Castle, Arthur Blake, Paul Marion, Donald Randolph and Henry Brandon. The film was release ...
'' (1952) as Hassan Ali
* ''Scarlet Angel
''Scarlet Angel'' is a 1952 American Technicolor historical adventure film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Yvonne de Carlo, Rock Hudson and Richard Denning. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. The two leads appeared to ...
'' (1952) as Pierre
* '' Wagons West'' (1952) as Clay Cook
* '' Hurricane Smith'' (1952) as Sam
* ''The War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...
'' (1953) as Cop at Crash Site
* '' Scared Stiff'' (1953) as Pierre
* ''Pony Express
The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...
'' (1953) as Joe Cooper
* ''Raiders of the Seven Seas
''Raiders of the Seven Seas'' is a 1953 American swashbuckler film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring John Payne and Donna Reed. The supporting cast features Gerald Mohr, Lon Chaney Jr. and Anthony Caruso.
Plot
The pirate Barbarossa raids ...
'' (1953) as Captain Goiti
* '' Tarzan and the She-Devil'' (1953) as M'Tara, Locopo Chief
* ''The Caddy
''The Caddy'' is a 1953 American semi- musical-comedy- sports film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. It is noteworthy for Dean Martin introducing the hit song "That's Amore".
Plot
Harvey Miller, whose father was a famous golf pro, is ...
'' (1953) as Mr. Preen
* '' War Arrow'' (1953) as Maygro
* '' Knock on Wood'' (1954) as Second Trenchcoat Man
* ''Casanova's Big Night
''Casanova's Big Night'' is a 1954 American comedy film starring Bob Hope and Joan Fontaine, which is a spoof of swashbuckling historical adventure films. It was directed by Norman Z. McLeod.
Hope plays a tailor who impersonates Giacomo Casanova ...
'' (1954) as Capt. Rugello
* '' Vera Cruz'' (1954) as Capt. Danette
* ''Lady Godiva of Coventry
''Lady Godiva of Coventry'' is a 1955 American Technicolor historical drama film, directed by Arthur Lubin. It starred Maureen O'Hara in the title role. Alec Harford, the English actor who portrayed Tom the Tailor, died eight months before the f ...
'' (1955) as Bejac
* ''Silent Fear
''Silent Fear'' is a 1956 American adventure film directed by Edward L. Cahn and written by Steve Fisher. The film stars Andrea King, Peter Adams, Henry Brandon, Malcolm Atterbury, José Treviño and Enrique Zambrano. The film was released by Gi ...
'' (1956) as Cliff Sutton
* ''Comanche
The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...
'' (1956) as Black Cloud
* ''The Searchers
''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...
'' (1956) as Chief Cicatriz (Scar)
* '' Bandido'' (1956) as Gunther
* ''The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
'' (1956) as Commander of the Hosts
* ''Hell's Crossroads
''Hell's Crossroads'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Franklin Adreon and starring Stephen McNally, Peggie Castle, and Robert Vaughn. The film's sets were designed by the art director Frank Arrigo.
Plot
The events leading up to th ...
'' (1957) as Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...
* ''The Land Unknown
''The Land Unknown'' is a 1957 science fiction CinemaScope adventure film about a naval expedition trapped in an Antarctic jungle. The story was allegedly inspired by the discovery of unusually warm water in Antarctica in 1947. It stars Jock M ...
'' (1957) as Dr. Carl Hunter
* ''Omar Khayyam
Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, an ...
'' (1957) as Commander
* '' The Buccaneer'' (1958) as British Major
* ''Auntie Mame
''Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade'' is a 1955 novel by American author Patrick Dennis chronicling the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward of his Aunt Mame Dennis, the sister of his dead father.
The book is often desc ...
'' (1958) as Acacius Page
* ''Okefenokee'' (1959) as Joe Kalhari
* ''The Big Fisherman
''The Big Fisherman'' is a 1959 American historical drama film directed by Frank Borzage about the life of Simon Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus. Starring Howard Keel, Susan Kohner and John Saxon, the production is adapted from the 1948 n ...
'' (1959) as Menicus
* ''Two Rode Together
''Two Rode Together'' is a 1961 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring James Stewart, Richard Widmark, and Shirley Jones. The supporting cast includes Linda Cristal, Andy Devine, and John McIntire. The film was based upon th ...
'' (1961) as Chief Quanah Parker
* ''Captain Sindbad
''Captain Sindbad'' is a 1963 independently made fantasy and adventure film, produced by Frank King and Herman King, directed by Byron Haskin, that stars Guy Williams and Heidi Brühl. The film was shot at the Bavaria Film studios in Germany a ...
'' (1963) as Colonel Kabar
* ''The Ballad of Hector, The Stowaway Dog'' (1964, TV Series) as Circus Roustabout
* ''When the North Wind Blows
''When the North Wind Blows'' is a 1974 American film written and directed by Stewart Raffill. It gave a rare lead role to Henry Brandon.
It was also known as ''The Snow Tiger''.Which was shot in New Mexico.
Cast
* Henry Brandon as Avakum
*Herber ...
'' (1974) as Avakum
* '' Assault on Precinct 13'' (1976) as Sgt. Chaney
* '' Run for the Roses'' (1977) as Jeff
* ''Mission to Glory: A True Story'' (1977) as Father Canion
* ''Bud and Lou'' (1978, TV Movie) as Bernie
* '' Hollywood Knight'' (1979) as Curley
* ''Evita Peron'' (1981, TV Movie) as General Ramirez
* ''To Be or Not to Be To Be or Not to Be may refer to:
* ''To be, or not to be'', the soliloquy from ''Hamlet''.
Films and TV, theatre and books
* ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1942 film), directed by Ernst Lubitsch
* ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1983 film), a remake produced ...
'' (1983) as Nazi Officer
* ''Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II
''Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II'' is a 1989 American sword and sorcery film written and directed by Charles B. Griffith and starring David Carradine, Mel Welles and Lana Clarkson. It was Griffith's last feature film credit and is a sequel to the ...
'' (1989) as Zarz (final film role)
Selected theatre performances
*''Medea
In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...
'' (New York, 1949)
*''Twelfth Night
''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...
'' (Broadway, 1949)
*''The Lady's Not For Burning
''The Lady's Not for Burning'' is a 1948 play by Christopher Fry.
A romantic comedy in three acts, in verse, it is set in the Middle Ages ("1400, either more or less or exactly"). It reflects the world's "exhaustion and despair" following Wor ...
'' (New York, 1957)
*'' Arsenic and Old Lace'' (Florida, 1985)
References
Notes
Sources
*Theatre appearances taken from a ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' obituary, February 22, 1990.
*Other information compiled from Classic Move Hub and IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
Further reading
* Cassara, B. & Greene, R., "Henry Brandon: King of the Bogeymen" (Pub. BearManor Media, 2018).
*Scapperotti, Dan. "Memories of Fu Manchu". ''Starlog'' (Jan 1987), 60-64. Article about Brandon's movie career.
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandon, Henry
1912 births
1990 deaths
American male film actors
Bisexual male actors
Bisexual men
German emigrants to the United States
Male actors from Berlin
Male actors from Los Angeles
20th-century American male actors
American male stage actors
Stanford University alumni
LGBT people from California
LGBT actors from Germany
20th-century LGBT people
American bisexual actors