1. William Brian de Lacy Aherne was an English actor of stage, screen, radio and television, who enjoyed a long and varied career in Britain and the United States.
43 Facts About Brian Aherne
1. 2.
Brian Aherne was born in King's Norton, Worcestershire, the second and younger son of the architect William de Lacy Aherne and his wife Louise.
3.
Brian Aherne first appeared on the stage in Birmingham with the Pilgrim Players 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.
4.
Brian Aherne 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.
5.
Brian Aherne 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 and A Woman Redeemed.
6.
Brian Aherne was in King of the Castle and the comedy Safety First.
7.
Brian 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 US.
8.
Brian Aherne made his sound debut in The W Plan, directed by Victor Saville.
9.
Brian Aherne appeared opposite Madeleine Carroll in Madame Guillotine.
10.
Brian 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.
11.
Cornell and Brian Aherne remained lifelong friends and he played in many of her productions.
12.
Brian Aherne returned to Broadway in 1932 for Lucrece, which starred Cornell.
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Brian Aherne then went to Hollywood, where he made his American film debut in The Song of Songs with Marlene Dietrich.
14.
Brian Aherne returned to England, where he starred in the film of Basil Dean's The Constant Nymph.
15.
In Hollywood, Brian Aherne supported Ann Harding in The Fountain, released by RKO Pictures.
16.
Brian Aherne returned to RKO for Sylvia Scarlett with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, a notorious flop.
17.
Brian Aherne returned to Broadway, where he appeared in Cornell's production of Saint Joan, co-starring Maurice Evans.
18.
Brian Aherne supported Constance Bennett in the hit comedy Merrily We Live for Hal Roach Studios, distributed by MGM.
19.
Brian Aherne was Oscar-nominated for his role as Emperor Maxmilian in Juarez.
20.
Brian Aherne was billed over Rita Hayworth in The Lady in Question at Columbia.
21.
Brian Aherne made Hired Wife at Universal with Rosalind Russell; for that studio, he did The Man Who Lost Himself with Kay Francis.
22.
Brian Aherne supported Claudette Colbert in Skylark at Paramount and Rosalind Russell in My Sister Eileen at Columbia.
23.
Brian Aherne stayed at that studio to support Loretta Young in A Night to Remember and was one of many stars in Forever and a Day.
24.
At Columbia, Brian Aherne supported Merle Oberon in First Comes Courage and Rosalind Russell in The Beautiful Cheat.
25.
Brian Aherne fell ill with influenza while touring army camps in 1944.
26.
Brian Aherne stayed in New York to appear in The French Touch, directed by Rene Clair.
27.
Brian Aherne returned to movies with RKO's The Locket, billed after Laraine Day.
28.
Brian Aherne was top-billed in Smart Woman, co-starring producer Constance Bennett.
29.
Brian Aherne did Drums Along the Amazon for Republic.
30.
Brian Aherne was in a Broadway revival of She Stoops to Conquer.
31.
Brian Aherne made his television debut with "Dear Brutus" for The Ford Theatre Hour, which he had performed on stage in Boston.
32.
Brian Aherne did Quadrille on Broadway with the Lunts, then "Now in Rehearsal" for the Eddie Cantor episode of The Colgate Comedy Hour.
33.
Brian Aherne was invited back to 20th Century Fox for a sizable supporting role in the big budget The Best of Everything.
34.
Brian Aherne did "The Bruce Saybrook Story" on Wagon Train, and "The Gentleman's Gentleman" on Rawhide.
35.
Brian Aherne appeared as guest host on the TV panel show The Name's the Same.
36.
Brian Aherne co-starred in the "Florence Nightingale" episode of Theatre Guild on the Air 13 April 1952.
37.
Brian Aherne appeared in an episode of The Burns and Allen Show titled "Brian Aherne's Shorts" on March 28,1944.
38.
Between 1939 and 1945, Brian Aherne was married to actress Joan Fontaine; the marriage ended in divorce.
39.
Brian Aherne married Eleanor de Liagre Labrot in 1946, and their union lasted until his death in 1986.
40.
Brian Aherne published his autobiography A Proper Job in 1969 as well as A Dreadful Man, a biography of his close friend George Sanders.
41.
Brian Aherne was a pilot and charter member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
42.
Brian Aherne died of heart failure in Venice, Florida at the age of 83 on 10 February 1986.
43.
Brian Aherne was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1772 Vine Street.