Brian Aherne
{{Other people||Brian Ahern (disambiguation){{!}}Brian Ahern}}
{{short description|English actor (1902–1986)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Brian Aherne
| image = Brian Aherne by A. L. Whitey Schafer.jpg
| caption = Aherne (ca. 1942)
| birthname = William Brian de Lacy Aherne
| birth_date = {{birth date|1902|5|2|df=y}}
| birth_place = Kings Norton, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1986|2|10|1902|5|2|df=y}}
| death_place = Venice, Florida, U.S.
| years_active = 1910–1982
| occupation = Actor
| alma_mater = Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
| spouse = {{plainlist|
- {{marriage|Joan Fontaine|1939|1945|end=divorced}}
- {{marriage|Eleanor de Liagre Labrot|1946}}
}}
}}
William Brian de Lacy Aherne (2 May 1902{{spaced ndash}}10 February 1986) was an English actor of stage, screen, radio and television, who enjoyed a long and varied career in Britain and the United States.
His first Broadway appearance in The Barretts of Wimpole Street in 1931 teamed him with Katharine Cornell, with whom he appeared in many productions. In films, he played opposite Madeleine Carroll, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, Constance Bennett and Carole Lombard, and was Oscar-nominated for his role as Emperor Maximilian in Juarez (1939). On TV, he appeared in The Twilight Zone episode, "The Trouble With Templeton", Wagon Train and Rawhide.
Early life and career
=Early life=
He was born in King's Norton, Worcestershire, the second and younger son of the architect William de Lacy Aherne and his wife Louise (née Thomas).{{Cite news|title=Let GEORGE DO IT!|author=|date=November 23, 1935|work=Picturegoer|page=37|quote=WOODLANDER.—Brian Aherne, b. May 2, 1902, King's Norton, Worcestershire; 6 ft. 1 in., blond hair, blue eyes, son of William de Lacy Aherne and Louise Thomas. Educated at Edgaston, Birmingham and Malvern College. Hobbies: golf, tennis, motoring and dancing.|id={{ProQuest|1771207630}}}} His elder brother Pat Aherne was also an actor.{{Cite news|title=Our Foreign Imports: PAT AHERNE SAILS; Hollywood Contract|author=|date=December 1, 1932|work=Kinematograph Weekly|page=44B|quote=He began as a car salesman in Birmingham, and after stage work was juvenile hero of 'Blackeyes,' 'Huntingtower,' and 'Auld Lang Syne.' Brian Aherne, now doing well in the States, is his brother.|id={{ProQuest|2640078422}}}}
Educated in Edgbaston, Birmingham, he received stage training at Italia Conti Academy in London as a child actor and then completed his education at Malvern College.[https://archive.today/20120630130117/http://hwof.com/star/television/brian-aherne The Hollywood Walk of Fame : Brian Aherne biography]
=English stage=
He first appeared on the stage in Birmingham with the Pilgrim Players (which developed into the Birmingham Repertory Theatre) on 5 April 1910 in Fifinella, and he made his first appearance on the London stage at the Garrick Theatre, 26 December 1913 in Where the Rainbow Ends, a play by Clifford Mills and John Ramsey, with music by Roger Quilter, which ran at various theatres for over 25 years.
He then studied with a view to becoming an architect, but, having had considerable amateur experience in Birmingham and with Liverpool's Green Room Club, he obtained an engagement under Robert Courtneidge, and appeared at London's Savoy Theatre, opening on 26 December 1923, as Jack O'Hara in a revival of Paddy the Next Best Thing, the play by W. Gayer-Mackay and Robert Ord (from the novel).{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article220431658 |title=Personality Actor |newspaper=Voice |volume=17 |issue=25 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=17 June 1944 |access-date=16 November 2017 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}
He then toured with Violet Vanbrugh as Hugo in The Flame and appeared at the London Playhouse in May 1924 as Langford in Leon Gordon's White Cargo, in which he played all through 1924–1925.
=English films=
Aherne's first screen appearance was in The Eleventh Commandment in 1924. He made several appearances in productions at Cricklewood Studios by Stoll Pictures, then the largest British film company, including two directed by Sinclair Hill: The Squire of Long Hadley (1925) and A Woman Redeemed (1927).{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74052433 |title=BRIAN AHERNE'S SUCCESS IN "UNDERGROUND" |newspaper=Werribee Shire Banner |issue=1386 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=25 September 1930 |access-date=16 November 2017 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} He was also in King of the Castle (1925) and the comedy Safety First (1926).
In 1926. he accompanied Dion Boucicault Jr. to Australia, where he appeared in several plays by J.M. Barrie (as Valentine Brown in the comedy Quality Street, John Shand in the comedy What Every Woman Knows, Crichton in The Admirable Crichton, Simon and Harry in Mary Rose) and Willocks in Aren't We All?, another comedy by Frederick Lonsdale.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55191361 |title=THE STORY Of BRIAN AHERNE |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |volume=IV |issue=32 |date=9 January 1937 |access-date=16 November 2017 |page=6 (Movie World) |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47233451 |title=PORTRAIT of an ACTOR |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |volume=8 |issue=9 |date=3 August 1940 |access-date=16 November 2017 |page=24 (The Movie World) |via=National Library of Australia}}
Aherne reappeared in London at the Strand in March 1927, again as Langford, in White Cargo and continued on the London stage in a succession of plays until late 1930 when he went to the U.S.
His latter silents were two films Shooting Stars and Underground by director Anthony Asquith. Aherne made his sound debut in The W Plan (1930), directed by Victor Saville. He appeared opposite Madeleine Carroll in Madame Guillotine (1931).
U.S. career
File:Aherne-Cornell-Barretts 1931.jpg and Katharine Cornell as Elizabeth in the original Broadway production of The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1931)]]
=Broadway=
Aherne made his first appearance on the New York City stage at the Empire Theatre on 9 February 1931, playing Robert Browning in Rudolf Besier's play The Barretts of Wimpole Street opposite Katharine Cornell. The play was a big success, running for 370 performances. Cornell and Aherne remained lifelong friends and he played in many of her productions.
Aherne returned to Broadway in 1932 for Lucrece, which starred Cornell. It only had a short run. He then went to Hollywood, where he made his American film debut in The Song of Songs (1933) with Marlene Dietrich.
He returned to England, where he starred in the film of Basil Dean's The Constant Nymph (1933).
In 1934, he was reunited with Cornell on Broadway in Romeo and Juliet, playing Mercutio; Cornell was Juliet, and Basil Rathbone was Romeo. It only ran 77 performances.
=Hollywood=
In Hollywood, Aherne supported Ann Harding in The Fountain (1934), released by RKO Pictures. At Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Aherne co-starred with Helen Hayes in What Every Woman Knows (1934), and Joan Crawford in I Live My Life (1935), which was a big hit. In 1935, Aherne and Cornell revived The Barretts of Wimpole Street on Broadway for 24 performances.{{cite news|title=Brian aherne and HIS FILMS. |date=Jun 27, 1936|work=Picture show|issue=35|page=20|id={{ProQuest|1880314806}}}} Aherne returned to RKO for Sylvia Scarlett (1935) with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, a notorious flop.
He returned to Broadway, where he appeared in Cornell's production of Saint Joan (1936), co-starring Maurice Evans. Back in Hollywood, he appeared in Beloved Enemy (1936) with Merle Oberon at Goldwyn Productions.{{cite news|title=Brian Aherne faithful to footlights|date=Oct 16, 1936|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|164640908}}}} Then, in 1937, he appeared as Iago on Broadway in Othello.{{cite news|author=B. A. |date=Jan 7, 1937|title=THE PLAY|work=The New York Times|id={{ProQuest|102024220}}}}
At Warner Bros., Aherne was top-billed in The Great Garrick (1937), directed by James Whale. He supported Constance Bennett in the hit comedy Merrily We Live (1938) for Hal Roach Studios, distributed by MGM. He was Oscar-nominated for his role as Emperor Maxmilian in Juarez (1939).{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92448768 |title=NEWS of the TALKIES |newspaper=The Chronicle |volume=LXXXII |issue=4,676 |location=Adelaide |date=3 August 1939 |access-date=16 November 2017 |page=51 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Hal Roach gave Aherne the star role in Captain Fury (1939) as a bushranger in colonial Australia. He supported Carole Lombard in Vigil in the Night (1940) at RKO, then reunited with Madeleine Carroll in My Son, My Son! (1940) for Edward Small.
=Columbia=
Aherne was billed over Rita Hayworth in The Lady in Question (1940) at Columbia. He made Hired Wife (1940) at Universal with Rosalind Russell; for that studio, he did The Man Who Lost Himself (1941) with Kay Francis.
MGM put Aherne in support of Jeanette MacDonald for Smilin' Through (1941). He supported Claudette Colbert in Skylark (1941) at Paramount and Rosalind Russell in My Sister Eileen (1942) at Columbia. He stayed at that studio to support Loretta Young in A Night to Remember (1942) and was one of many stars in Forever and a Day (1943).
At Columbia, Aherne supported Merle Oberon in First Comes Courage (1943) and Rosalind Russell in The Beautiful Cheat (1943).
In 1943, he quit films to become a flight instructor for the Royal Air Force at Falcon Field, Arizona.{{cite news|title=Brian aherne to teach flying. |date=Jun 18, 1943|work=The New York Times|id={{ProQuest|106609371}}}} In November 1943, it was reported Columbia paid him $144,958 for the year, making him the second highest paid person at Columbia after Harry Cohn.{{cite news|title=BRIAN AHERNE GETS $144,958 FOR FILM WORK |date=Nov 5, 1943|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|165492356}}}}
He fell ill with influenza while touring army camps in 1944.{{cite news|title=Brian aherne is better |date=Jan 2, 1944|work=The New York Times|id={{ProQuest|107060191}}}}
=Postwar=
In 1945, he and Cornell returned to Broadway in a revival of The Barretts of Wimpole Street.{{cite news|title=Katharine Cornell and Brian Aherne to star in revival of 'The Barretts' here in April|date=Feb 26, 1945|work=The New York Times|id={{ProQuest|107270108}}}} He stayed in New York to appear in The French Touch (1945–1946), directed by René Clair.
Aherne returned to movies with RKO's The Locket (1946), billed after Laraine Day. He was top-billed in Smart Woman (1948), co-starring producer Constance Bennett. He did Drums Along the Amazon (1948) for Republic.
Aherne was in a Broadway revival of She Stoops to Conquer (1949–1950).
=Television=
Aherne made his television debut with "Dear Brutus" for The Ford Theatre Hour (1950), which he had performed on stage in Boston.{{cite news|title=Brian Aherne to appear in 'Dear Brutus'|date=Aug 10, 1950|work=The Christian Science Monitor|id={{ProQuest|508243377}}}} He followed it with "The Magnificent Gesture" for Armstrong Circle Theatre (1950),{{cite news |title=Two Dramas Added For Summer Airing! Satan To Make Bow |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75950116/the-cincinnati-enquirer/ |access-date=April 17, 2021 |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |date=June 6, 1950 |page=16|via = Newspapers.com}} "A Well-Remembered Voice" for Lux Video Theatre, "The Old Flame" for The Billy Rose Show (1951), "The Buccaneer" for Pulitzer Prize Playhouse (1951), and Betty Crocker Star Matinee (1952).
File:Brian Aherne in I Confess trailer.jpg (1953)]]
He and Cornell reunited on stage in The Constant Wife (1951–1952). Then Aherne returned to Hollywood. He had supporting roles in I Confess (1953), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and Titanic (1953) as Captain E.J. Smith.
Aherne did Escapade (1953) on Broadway and "Two for Tea" for Lux Video Theatre and "Element of Risk" and "Breakdown" for Robert Montgomery Presents (1953).
20th Century Fox asked Aherne back to Hollywood to play King Arthur in Prince Valiant (1954) and to play a supporting part in A Bullet Is Waiting (1954).
He did Quadrille (1954–1955) on Broadway with the Lunts, then "Now in Rehearsal" for the Eddie Cantor episode of The Colgate Comedy Hour (1955). Aherne did "The Martyr" for General Electric Theater (1955), "Reunion in Vienna" for Producers' Showcase (1955), and "The Round Dozen" and "Appearances and Reality" for The Star and the Story (1955).
Aherne went to MGM for The Swan (1956). On TV, he did "One Minute from Broadway" for Sneak Preview (1956), "Night Shriek" for Climax! (1956), "The Sacred Trust" and "The Lamp of Father Cataldo" for Crossroads (1956), "The Transfer" for The Errol Flynn Theatre (1956), "Safe Enough" for Studio 57 (1957), and "Story Without a Moral" for Goodyear Theatre (1959).
In 1957, he went on a national tour of My Fair Lady, playing Professor Henry Higgins. In 1960, he played the title role of "The Trouble with Templeton" on the television series The Twilight Zone.
Aherne was invited back to 20th Century Fox for a sizable supporting role in the big budget The Best of Everything (1959). Aherne's final Broadway appearance was in Dear Liar (1960) with Cornell, where he played George Bernard Shaw ("with great vivacity" according to The New York Times{{cite news|author=B. A. |date=Mar 18, 1960|title=Katharine Cornell and Brian Aherne star|work=The New York Times|id={{ProQuest|115030788}}}}) opposite Cornell's Mrs Patrick Campbell. He acted in the movie Susan Slade (1961). He did "The Bruce Saybrook Story" on Wagon Train (1961), and "The Gentleman's Gentleman" on Rawhide (1961). He also appeared as guest host on the TV panel show The Name's the Same.
=Final years=
Aherne's final film roles included Lancelot and Guinevere (1963) as King Arthur, The Waltz King (1964) for Disney (as Johann Strauss I), and The Cavern (1964).
He settled in Switzerland. He appeared in a play in England and agreed to return to Hollywood to play Rosalind Russell's love interest in Rosie! (1967).{{Cite news|author=Norma, L.B.|title='Rosie' lures Aherne from semi-retirement.|date=Oct 15, 1967|work=Chicago Tribune|id={{ProQuest|169978520}}}}
In 1970, he appeared as a mystery guest on What's My Line?.
=Radio career=
Aherne co-starred in the "Florence Nightingale" episode of Theatre Guild on the Air 13 April 1952.{{cite news|last1=Kirby|first1=Walter|title=Better Radio Programs for the Week|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2394805/decatur_daily_review_april_13_1952/|newspaper=The Decatur Daily Review|date=13 April 1952|page=48|via = Newspapers.com|access-date = 11 May 2015}} {{Open access}} In 1945, he played sleuth Simon Templar in the mystery series The Saint. He also appeared in an episode of The Burns and Allen Show titled "Brian Aherne's Shorts" on March 28, 1944.
Personal life and death
Between 1939 and 1945, Aherne was married to actress Joan Fontaine; the marriage ended in divorce.{{cite news|title=Joan Fontaine awarded divorce from Brian Aherne|date=Jun 3, 1944|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|165524777}}}} He married Eleanor de Liagre Labrot in 1946,{{Cite news|title=Mrs. Eleanor Labrot And Brian Aherne, Actor, Are Married; Alfred de Liagre's Daughter Wed; Her Brother is Theatrical Producer|author=|date=January 28, 1946|work=New York Herald Tribune|page=44B|quote=|id={{ProQuest|1291135607}}}} and their union lasted until his death in 1986.{{Cite news|title=Brian Aherne, 83; Stage and Film Star Admired for Suavity|author=Bird, David|date=February 11, 1986|work=New York Times|page=D30|quote=He is survived by his wife, the former Eleanor de Liagre, whom he married in 1946.|id={{ProQuest|110871613}}}}
Aherne published his autobiography A Proper Job in 1969 as well as A Dreadful Man (1979), a biography of his close friend George Sanders.Brian Aherne. A Dreadful Man: The Story of Hollywood's Most Original Cad, George Sanders. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1979. {{ISBN|0-671-24797-2}}.
Aherne was a pilot and charter member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.{{cite journal|journal=AOPA Pilot|date=May 2014|page=79|title=A Plane-Crazy America}}
Aherne died of heart failure in Venice, Florida at the age of 83 on 10 February 1986. He was cremated at Sarasota Crematory.{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Scott |title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. |date=19 August 2016 |page=11 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-2599-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA11 |access-date=October 6, 2023 |language=en}}
Recognition
He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1772 Vine Street.{{cite web |url=http://www.hwof.com/stars?recipient=Brian_Aherne |title=Hollywood Walk of Fame database |publisher=HWOF.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125180431/http://www.hwof.com/stars?recipient=Brian_Aherne |archive-date=25 January 2013 |df=dmy-all }}{{Cite news |date=11 February 1986 |title=Brian Aherne, 83, An Actor For 75 Years |newspaper=Sun-Sentinel |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-02-11/news/8601090590_1_brian-aherne-malvern-college-noel-coward |access-date=15 October 2011 |archive-date=15 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315201128/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-02-11/news/8601090590_1_brian-aherne-malvern-college-noel-coward |url-status=dead }}{{inconsistent cite}}Obituary Variety, 12 February 1986.
Filmography
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" |
| colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Film |
|---|
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
| 1924
| Norman Barchester | |
| rowspan=2|1925
|Jim Luttrell | |
| King of the Castle
| Colin O'Farrell | |
| 1926
| Hippocrates Rayne | |
| 1927
| Geoffrey Maynefleet | |
| rowspan=2|1928
| Julian Gordon | |
| Underground
| Bill | |
| 1930
| Colonel Duncan Grant | |
| 1931
| Louis Dubois | |
| rowspan=2|1933
| Richard Waldow | |
| The Constant Nymph
| Lewis Dodd | |
| rowspan=2|1934
|Lewis Allison | |
| What Every Woman Knows
| John Shand | |
| rowspan=2|1935
| Terence "Terry" O'Neill | |
| Sylvia Scarlett
| Michael Fane | |
| 1936
| Dennis Riordan | |
| 1937
| David Garrick | |
| 1938
| E. Wade Rawlins | |
| rowspan=2|1939
| Juarez | nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role |
| Captain Fury
| Captain Michael Fury | |
| rowspan=4|1940
| Dr. Robert S. Prescott | |
| My Son, My Son!
| William Essex | |
| The Lady in Question
| Andre Morestan | |
| Hired Wife
| Stephen Dexter | |
| rowspan=3|1941
| John Evans / Malcolm Scott | |
| Smilin' Through
| Sir John Carteret | |
| Skylark
|Jim Blake | |
| rowspan=2|1942
| Robert Baker | |
| A Night To Remember
| Jeff Troy | |
| rowspan=3|1943
|Jim Trimble | |
| First Comes Courage
| Captain Allan Lowell | |
| What a Woman!
| Henry Pepper | |
| 1946
| Dr. Harry Blair | |
| rowspan=2|1948
| Robert Larrimore | |
| Angel on the Amazon
| Anthony Ridgeway | Alternative titles: Drums Along the Amazon |
| rowspan=2|1953
| Chief Prosecutor Willy Robertson | |
| Titanic
| [[Edward Smith (sea captain)| Captain Edward John Smith]] | |
| rowspan=2|1954
| King Arthur | |
| A Bullet Is Waiting
| David Canham | |
| 1956
| The Swan | Father Carl Hyacinth | |
| 1959
| Fred Shalimar | |
| 1961
| Stanton Corbett | |
| 1963
| King Arthur | Alternative title: Sword of Lancelot |
| 1964
| Gen. Braithwaite | |
| 1967
| Rosie! | Oliver Stevenson | (final film role) |
| colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Television |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
| 1950
| | |
| 1950–1953
| Phillip Armstrong | 3 episodes |
| 1951
| | 1 episode |
| 1951–1953
| Mr. Don/Reggie | 2 episodes |
| rowspan=2|1955
| Colonel Tafferty | 1 episode |
| Producers' Showcase
| Rudolf Maximilian | 1 episode |
| 1955–1956
| Father Cataldo | 3 episodes |
| rowspan=3|1956
| Climax! | David | 1 episode |
| Cavalcade of America
| John Kirk | 1 episode |
| Sneak Preview
| | 1 episode |
| 1959
| James Rupert/James Spencer | 1 episode |
| 1960
| Booth Templeton | 1 episode |
| 1961
| Rawhide | Woolsey | 1 episode |
| 1961
| Lord Bruce Saybrook | 1 episode |
| 1963
| The Wonderful World of Disney | Johann Strauss Sr. | 2 episodes |
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| Year
! Award ! Category ! Nominated work ! Result |
|---|
| 1940
| Juarez | {{Nom}} |
Footnotes
{{reflist}}
References
- Parker, John, editor, Who's Who in the Theatre, 10th edition revised, London, 1947, p. 200-1.
External links
{{Portal|Biography}}
- {{IBDB name}}
- {{IMDb name|0000731}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20081024044352/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/16633 Brian Aherne] at the British Film Institute
- [http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=84162 Brian Aherne as Julian Gordon in Shooting Stars (video clip, appearance at 2:55m)] at British-Pathé
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aherne, Brian}}
Category:20th-century English male actors
Category:20th-century Royal Air Force personnel
Category:English male film actors
Category:English male silent film actors
Category:English male stage actors
Category:English male television actors
Category:Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
Category:English expatriate male actors in the United States
Category:Male actors from Birmingham, West Midlands
Category:People educated at Malvern College
Category:People from Kings Norton
Category:Military personnel from Birmingham, West Midlands