About Me
......Born July 25th, 1894 in SWAMPSCOTT Massachussetts (see photos).
Passed away on September 21st, 1974; laid to rest in San Fernando (Ca) Mission Cemetery.(see photo)
......The 5'11" actor studied to be an engineer in college; tried vaudeville work, banking and lumberjacking.
...After service in World War 1, Brennan went to Guatemala and grew pineapples.
...Eventually he relocated to Los Angeles and speculated in real estate.
He began to do unbilled film work, and some stunting in 1923, and appeared in at least 74 films between 1925-1935.
.................Some unusual pre-fame roles include the first Three Stooges(musical!) short made without Ted Healy, WOMAN HATERS, 1934.
And his small roles in two famous James Whale films:
having his bicycle 'borrowed' by the titular THE INVISIBLE MAN in 1933;
and THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, 1935.
........................He lost his teeth in an accident in 1932, cementing the typecasting of character roles that were often older than himself.
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Walter won the FIRST 'Supporting Actor' Oscar for the role of SWAN BOSTROM in the 1936 COME AND GET IT, direction begun under Howard Hawks and completed by William Wyler, with logging scenes by Richard Rosson.
Brennan eventually became the FIRST actor to accumulate THREE Academy Awards, and to date is STILL the ONLY actor to have won THREE Best Supporting Actor Oscars.
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His popular TV show THE REAL McCOYS (1957-1963) won Emmys for himself and co-star Richard Crenna. It was an early program to feature a NAME star as it's lead, and was generally a model for rural-comedy shows to follow.
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In 1970 he was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
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Some later roles were his three guest appearances on ALIAS SMITH AND JONES between 1971 - '72.
and SMOKE IN THE WIND, 1975, directed by his son, ANDY BRENNAN.
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His relatives still live in and around Joseph, Oregon (see photos), where Brennan had maintained a working ranch. {And what a gorgeous area!}
He owned several local businesses, including the INDIAN LODGE MOTEL (see photo) which "still displays several of his portraits in the [main] office."
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--------------------------MUSIC STATISTICS------
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..........Walter Brennan had FOUR singles that charted in the Top 100.
.............His single OLD RIVERS first charted on April 7th, 1962; and stayed for 11 weeks, PEAKING AT NUMBER FIVE. {I'm assuming this is the Top 100 'Pop' chart}
...........SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY--------------------------------
FURY , 1936, d: Fritz Lang. Brennan as 'Bugs' Meyers..........
THREE GODFATHERS , 1936, d: Richard Boleslawski..........
COME AND GET IT , 1936, d: Howard Hawks, Richard Rosson, William Wyler.
Walter wins his first Supporting Actor Oscar..........
KENTUCKY , 1938, d: David Butler. Brennan wins Best Supporting Actor Oscar..........
THE STORY OF VERNON AND IRENE CASTLE , 1939, d: H. C. Potter. Starring Fred Estaire and Ginger Rogers..........
THE WESTERNER , 1940, d: William Wyler. Brennan's third Supporting Actor Oscar win..........
SERGEANT YORK , 1941, d: Howard Hawks. Walter is nominated for Best Supporting Actor Academy Award (Donald Crisp won, for How Green Was My Valley)..........
SWAMP WATER , 1941, d: Jean Renoir. Brennan co-stars with Walter Huston, another terrific actor (with no teeth). This film has a great cast besides these two pros..........
HANGMEN ALSO DIE , 1943, d: Fritz Lang, sc: Bertolt Brecht/Fritz Lang...........
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT , 1944, d: Howard Hawks..........
MY DARLING CLEMENTINE , 1946, d: John Ford. Brennan's only film with John Ford; who a LOT of people didn't get on well with..........
BLOOD ON THE MOON , 1948, d: Robert Wise..........
THE FAR COUNTRY , 1954, d: Anthony Mann..........
GOOD-BYE, MY LADY , 1956, d: William Wellman. Walter co-stars with Brandon DeWilde..........
THE OSCAR , 1966, d: Russell Rouse, sc: Harlan Ellison/Clarence Greene..........
THE GNOME-MOBILE , 1967, d: Robert Stevenson..........
GUNS OF WILL SONNETT (TV) , 1967-69, created by Richard Carr and Aaron Spelling....................................................
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