George O'Brien is an American film actor, silent film and sound film star of the 30s. O'Brien's most famous film work was the lead role in the 1927 film Sunrise: A Song of Two Men, directed by Murnau.
Biography
George O'Brien was born on April 19, 1899 in San Francisco, California. In addition to him, the family had two more children: his younger brother Daniel George and Margaret Donahue O'Brien. His father, Dan O'Brien, was the Chief of Police for the City of San Francisco and became famous for leading the arrest of the notorious mobster Roscoe "Fat Man" Arbuckle in September 1921 at a controversial Labor Day party organized by Arbuckle. Following his retirement from the police force, Dan O'Brien took over as California's director of penology.
During World War I in 1917, George O'Brien joined the United States Navy and served on a submarine. During the battle, O'Brien distinguished himself by removing many wounded Marines from the battlefield and for this was awarded the Medal of Bravery. After the end of the war, O'Brien took up boxing seriously and soon became the light heavyweight champion of the Pacific Fleet.
During World War II, O'Brien re-enlisted in the US Navy and served in the Pacific Fleet as a landing instructor. He was repeatedly awarded and graduated from the war as an officer. After the war, he continued his military service in the US Naval Reserve and retired only in 1962 with the rank of admiral.
Career
At the age of 20, O'Brien came to conquer Hollywood. At first he wanted to become a cameraman, and he managed to get a job as assistant cameraman with Tom Meeks and Buck Jones.
O'Brien began his acting career by performing several different roles and working as a stuntman. O'Brien's earliest known role was in George Melford's 1922 directorial drama Lady Moran Letty. This film became the most famous motion picture starring Rudolph Valentino.
In 1924, O'Brien managed to get his first leading role in the drama film The Man Who Came Back. His co-star in the film was the English actress Dorothy McKale, who also starred on the screen.
In the same year, famed film director John Ford invited O'Brien to star in the film "Iron Horse" with actress Madge Bellamy. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences and grossed a high box office, so Ford renewed O'Brien's contract for another 9 films.
In 1927, O'Brien starred with director Murnau in Sunrise: A Song of Two People, opposite actress Janet Gaynor. This motion picture won three Academy Awards and became the most famous film with O'Brien in the title role.
In the same 1927, O'Brien played a leading role in New York in the epic drama "East side, West side".
O'Brien spent the remainder of the 1920s as a hugely popular film actor who was frequently invited to star in action and adventure films. He was paired with the most popular actresses of the time: Alma Rubens, Anita Stewart, Dolores Costello, Madge Bellamy, Janet Gaynor and Olive Borden. O'Brien even had a romantic relationship with the latter in the 1920s.
With the advent of sound films, O'Brien specialized in leading Western roles and rarely filmed outside of the genre. Throughout the 1930s, O'Brien was listed as a Hollywood star. Westerns starring him have consistently ranked in the top 10 at the box office. Almost always, he starred in the saddle of his beloved horse named Mike.
After the end of World War II, George O'Brien continued to maintain friendly relations with his former mentor John Ford and occasionally starred in his films. These were Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Autumn in Cheyenne.
O'Brien's last major role was in the 1951 film The Golden Raiders and in the comedy film Three Puppets of the same year.
While serving at the US Naval Reserve, O'Brien completed a project for the Department of Defense under President Eisenhower's People to People Program. The project was a series of films designed to inform military personnel about the peculiarities of service in various Asian countries.
O'Brien served as the project's lead officer. One of a series of films about Korea was directed by George's old friend John Ford. The other two films about Formosa (Taiwan) and the Philippines were directed by other directors.
In 1976, O'Brien received the Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Career as a Western Hero.
Personal life
In the 1920s, O'Brien dated American film actress Olive Borden for many years in a row. Many thought they would eventually get married, but for some reason they ended their relationship. Probably due to the fact that O'Brien's relatives did not approve of Olive Borden.
On July 15, 1933, George O'Brien married another film actress, Margaret Churchill. His wife bore him a son, who was named Brian, but he died unexpectedly 10 days after his birth. The second child of this marriage was the daughter of Orin O'Brien, the third - the son of Darcy O'Brien.
Subsequently, Orin O'Brien became a famous double bass player at the New York Philharmonic. Darcy O'Brien became a successful writer and college professor.
George divorced his wife Margarita in 1948.
In 1981, O'Brien suffered a stroke and remained bedridden for the rest of his life. After four years of this existence, he died on September 4, 1985 in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
For his contribution to the film industry, George O'Brien was honored with a personal star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Its star is set at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.
