Henry Brandon
Encyclopedia
Henry Brandon was an American character actor
in over 100 films, famous for playing India
n, Arab
, Persian
, Turkish
, Native American
and East Asian roles, usually villain
s.
Born Heinrich von Kleinbach in Berlin
, Germany
, his parents emigrated to the United States while he was still an infant. A stage actor, he performed on Broadway
and continued to act on stage periodically throughout his acting career. He made his motion picture debut in 1932, His most famous acting roles were as "Chief Cicatrice" (Scar) in John Ford
's The Searchers
in 1956 and "Chief Quanah Parker" in Ford's Two Rode Together
in 1961. In 1955, Brandon portrayed Nate Champion
, the first casualty of the Johnson County Range War of Wyoming
, in an episode of Jim Davis
's syndicated
western television series, Stories of the Century
.
In 1940, Brandon appeared in the title role of the famous Republic serial Drums of Fu Manchu
. He also played a French army captain in Robert Aldrich
's Vera Cruz
(1954), and "Officer Chaney" in John Carpenter
's 1976 film, Assault on Precinct 13
. Many people will remember him for his role as "Silas Barnaby", the evil character in the Laurel & Hardy 1934 classic Babes in Toyland
later retitled March of the Wooden Soldiers. He was also the nasty opera manager who signed Alfalfa to an unbreakable contract singing "The Barber of Seville" in the Little Rascals/Our Gang short Our Gang Follies of 1938
. He was memorable as the foreign spy Derek in a 1965 two-part episode of Mister Ed
. In the 1960s TV series "The Outer Limits", Brandon played General Crawford in the episode "The Chameleon" starring Robert Duvall. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as Acacius Page in the 1958 film Auntie Mame
.
Brandon died in 1990 from a heart attack.
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
in over 100 films, famous for playing India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n, Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
, Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
, Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
and East Asian roles, usually villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s.
Born Heinrich von Kleinbach in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, his parents emigrated to the United States while he was still an infant. A stage actor, he performed on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and continued to act on stage periodically throughout his acting career. He made his motion picture debut in 1932, His most famous acting roles were as "Chief Cicatrice" (Scar) in John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
's The Searchers
The Searchers (film)
The Searchers is a 1956 American Western film directed by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, and set during the Texas–Indian Wars...
in 1956 and "Chief Quanah Parker" in Ford's Two Rode Together
Two Rode Together
Two Rode Together is a 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...
in 1961. In 1955, Brandon portrayed Nate Champion
Nate Champion
Nathan "Nate" D. Champion was a key figure in the Johnson County War. Labeled falsely by the wealthy cattlemens association in Wyoming as a rustler, Champion was the first person murdered by a band of hit men hired by the cattlemen...
, the first casualty of the Johnson County Range War of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, in an episode of Jim Davis
Jim Davis (actor)
Jim Davis was an American actor, best known for his role as Jock Ewing in the CBS prime-time soap Dallas, a role which he held up until his death in April 1981.-Biography:...
's syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
western television series, Stories of the Century
Stories of the Century
Stories of the Century is a Western television series that ran in syndication through Republic Pictures between January 23, 1954, and March 11, 1955.-Synopsis:...
.
In 1940, Brandon appeared in the title role of the famous Republic serial Drums of Fu Manchu
Drums of Fu Manchu
Drums of Fu Manchu is a 15-chapter Republic movie serial very loosely based on the novel by Sax Rohmer, starring Henry Brandon, William Royle and Robert Kellard...
. He also played a French army captain in Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert...
's Vera Cruz
Vera Cruz (film)
Vera Cruz is a 1954 American Technicolor Western starring Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, and featuring Denise Darcel, Sara Montiel, and Cesar Romero. The movie was directed by Robert Aldrich from a story by Borden Chase...
(1954), and "Officer Chaney" in John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
's 1976 film, Assault on Precinct 13
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976 film)
Assault on Precinct 13 is a 1976 American action-thriller film written and directed by John Carpenter. It stars Austin Stoker as a police officer who defends a defunct precinct against an attack by a relentless criminal gang, along with Darwin Joston as a convicted murderer who helps him. Laurie...
. Many people will remember him for his role as "Silas Barnaby", the evil character in the Laurel & Hardy 1934 classic Babes in Toyland
Babes in Toyland (1934 film)
Babes in Toyland is a Laurel and Hardy musical film released in November 1934. The film is also known by its alternate titles Laurel and Hardy in Toyland, Revenge Is Sweet , March of the Wooden Soldiers and Wooden Soldiers .Based on Victor Herbert's popular 1903 operetta Babes in Toyland, the film...
later retitled March of the Wooden Soldiers. He was also the nasty opera manager who signed Alfalfa to an unbreakable contract singing "The Barber of Seville" in the Little Rascals/Our Gang short Our Gang Follies of 1938
Our Gang Follies of 1938
Our Gang Follies of 1938 is a 1937 American musical short subject, the 161st short subject entry in Hal Roach's Our Gang series...
. He was memorable as the foreign spy Derek in a 1965 two-part episode of Mister Ed
Mister Ed
Originally produced in late 1960, Mister Ed is an American television situation comedy produced by Filmways that first aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966....
. In the 1960s TV series "The Outer Limits", Brandon played General Crawford in the episode "The Chameleon" starring Robert Duvall. He is perhaps best remembered for his role as Acacius Page in the 1958 film Auntie Mame
Auntie Mame (film)
Auntie Mame is a 1958 film based on the novel by Patrick Dennis and its theatrical adaptation by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee. This film version stars Rosalind Russell and was directed by Morton DaCosta...
.
Brandon died in 1990 from a heart attack.
Selected filmography
- Babes in ToylandBabes in Toyland (1934 film)Babes in Toyland is a Laurel and Hardy musical film released in November 1934. The film is also known by its alternate titles Laurel and Hardy in Toyland, Revenge Is Sweet , March of the Wooden Soldiers and Wooden Soldiers .Based on Victor Herbert's popular 1903 operetta Babes in Toyland, the film...
(1934) - Dark Streets of CairoDark Streets of CairoDark Streets of Cario is a 1940 American mystery film directed by László Kardos and starring Sigrid Gurie, Ralph Byrd, Eddie Quillan, George Zucco and Katherine DeMille.-Cast:* Sigrid Gurie - Ellen Stephens* Ralph Byrd - Dennis Martin...
(1940) - Under Texas SkiesUnder Texas Skies (1940 film)Under Texas Skies is a 1940 American Western "Three Mesquiteers" B-movie directed by George Sherman.- Cast :* Robert Livingston as Stony Brooke* Bob Steele as Tucson Smith* Rufe Davis as Lullaby Joslin* Lois Ranson as Helen Smith...
(1940) - The SearchersThe SearchersThe Searchers may refer to:* The Searchers , a 1956 American movie** The novel it was based on, by Alan Le May* The Searchers , a music group* The Searchers , a 2009 Iranian television show* A comic from Caliber Comics...
(1956)