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Brian Donlevy
★ Acting

Brian Donlevy

1901 – 1972 · Portadown, County Armagh, Ireland [now in Northern Ireland], UK · Active 1923–2021

Born in 1901 in Ulster, Brian Donlevy became a staple of American cinema, especially known for his tough-guy roles from the 1930s through the 1960s. His performance as Sergeant Markoff in Wake Island (1942) showcased his ability to embody gritty characters, while his role in The Glass Key (1942) further solidified his presence in film noir. Donlevy's work in A Cry in the Night (1956) and Curse of the Fly (1965) highlights his versatility within the cult genre, making him a significant figure in the exploration of darker cinematic themes.

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Wake Island

Wake Island

1942 ★ 5.5
as Maj. Geoffrey Caton

December, 1941. With no hope of relief or re-supply, a small band of United States Marines tries to keep the Japanese Navy from capturing their island base.

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Career Highlights Top 6 by popularity · TMDB

Filmography

120 credits
2020s 1 credit
2021
Movie ★ 6.3
1990s 2 credits
1997
Movie ★ 7.7
1994
The World of Hammer as Self (archive footage)
TV ★ 6.7
1980s 3 credits
1987
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life as Self (archive footage)
Movie ★ 6.5
1987
Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood as Professor Bernard Quatermass (archive footage)
Movie ★ 6.4
1982
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid as (in "The Glass Key") (archive footage)
Movie ★ 6.7
1960s 16 credits
1969
Pit Stop as Grant Willard
Movie ★ 6.8
1968
Rogue's Gallery as Detective Lee
Movie ★ 7.0
1968
Arizona Bushwhackers as Mayor Joe Smith
Movie ★ 4.3
1967
Movie ★ 5.2
1967
Hostile Guns as Marshal Willett
Movie ★ 5.6
1966
Gammera the Invincible as Gen. Terry Arnold
Movie ★ 5.0
1966
Waco as Ace Ross
Movie ★ 6.7
1966
The Fat Spy as George Wellington
Movie ★ 3.1
1966
TV ★ 6.7
1965
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini as B.D. 'Big Deal' MacPherson
Movie ★ 5.3
1965
Curse of the Fly as Henri Delambre
Movie ★ 5.4
1964
The Big Parade of Comedy as Kurt Devlynne in 'A Southern Yankee' (arch. foot.) (uncredited)
Movie ★ 7.2
1962
The Pigeon That Took Rome as Col. Sherman Harrington
Movie ★ 5.3
1961
The Errand Boy as Tom 'T.P.' Paramutual
Movie ★ 6.1
1960
Girl In Room 13 as Steve Marshall
Movie ★ 6.0
1950s 28 credits
1959
Never So Few as Gen. Sloan
Movie ★ 5.5
1959
Juke Box Rhythm as George Manton
Movie ★ 7.7
1959
Rawhide as Jed Reston
TV ★ 7.2
1959
TV ★ 6.8
1958
Cowboy as Doc Bender, Trailhand
Movie ★ 6.5
1958
TV ★ 6.0
1957
Quatermass 2 as Prof. Bernard Quatermass
Movie ★ 6.4
1957
Escape from Red Rock as Bronc Grierson
Movie ★ 7.0
1957
DuPont Show of the Month as Constable Dale
TV ★ 7.4
1957
Perry Mason as General Roger Brandon
TV ★ 7.7
1956
Movie ★ 5.4
1956
TV ★ 6.2
1955
The Big Combo as Joe McClure
Movie ★ 7.0
1955
The Quatermass Xperiment as Prof. Bernard Quatermass
Movie ★ 6.5
1954
Climax! as Sam Marvin
TV ★ 3.8
1953
Woman They Almost Lynched as Charles Quantrill
Movie ★ 6.6
1952
Hoodlum Empire as Sen. William J. 'Bill' Stephens
Movie ★ 6.5
1952
Ride the Man Down as Bide Marriner
Movie ★ 7.7
1952
TV ★ 5.3
1951
Slaughter Trail as Capt. Dempster
Movie ★ 4.5
1951
Fighting Coast Guard as Cmdr. McFarland
Movie ★ 6.7
1950
Shakedown as Nick Palmer
Movie ★ 6.4
1950
Kansas Raiders as Quantrill
Movie ★ 6.0
1950
TV ★ 6.9
1950
Lux Video Theatre as Dan Carmody
TV ★ 6.7
1950
Lux Video Theatre as Walter Williams
TV ★ 6.7
1950
Lux Video Theatre as Daniel J. McGinty
TV ★ 6.7
1940s 37 credits
1949
Impact as Walter Williams
Movie ★ 6.1
1949
The Lucky Stiff as John J. Malone
Movie ★ 5.8
1948
Command Decision as Brigadier General Clifton I. Garnet
Movie ★ 6.6
1948
A Southern Yankee as Kurt Devlynn
Movie ★ 5.5
1948
TV ★ 5.4
1947
Kiss of Death as Assistant D.A. Louis D'Angelo
Movie ★ 7.1
1947
The Beginning or the End as Maj. Gen. Leslie R. Groves
Movie ★ 6.4
1947
Killer McCoy as Jim Caighn
Movie ★ 6.3
1947
Heaven Only Knows as Adam 'Duke' Byron
Movie ★ 6.5
1947
Song of Scheherazade as Capt. Vladimir Gregorovitch
Movie ★ 6.6
1947
Movie ★ 9.5
1946
Canyon Passage as George Camrose
Movie ★ 6.7
1946
The Virginian as Trampas
Movie ★ 6.2
1946
Two Years Before the Mast as Richard Henry Dana
Movie ★ 6.5
1946
Movie ★ 6.5
1945
Duffy's Tavern as Brian Donlevy
Movie ★ 6.4
1944
Movie ★ 6.9
1944
An American Romance as Stefan Dubechek aka Steve Dangos
Movie ★ 6.1
1944
Twenty Years After as (archive footage)
Movie ★ 8.0
1943
Hangmen Also Die! as Dr. Franticek Svoboda
Movie ★ 6.9
1943
Stalingrad as Narrator (English version)
Movie ★ 5.7
1942
Wake Island as Maj. Geoffrey Caton
Movie ★ 5.9
1942
The Glass Key as Paul Madvig
Movie ★ 6.6
1942
The Remarkable Andrew as General Andrew Jackson
Movie ★ 7.4
1942
A Gentleman After Dark as Harry Melton
Movie ★ 4.6
1942
Stand by for Action as Lieut. Cmdr. Martin Roberts
Movie ★ 7.1
1942
Two Yanks in Trinidad as Vince Barrows
Movie ★ 4.0
1942
Nightmare as Daniel Shane
Movie ★ 6.3
1941
Hold Back the Dawn as Movie Actor (uncredited)
Movie ★ 6.7
1941
Movie ★ 6.2
1941
The Great Man's Lady as Steely Edwards
Movie ★ 6.3
1941
Billy the Kid as Jim Sherwood
Movie ★ 5.3
1941
I Wanted Wings as Capt. Mercer
Movie ★ 5.6
1941
Movie ★ 6.5
1940
The Great McGinty as Daniel 'Dan' McGinty
Movie ★ 7.0
1940
Brigham Young as Angus Duncan
Movie ★ 4.6
1940
Movie ★ 6.2
1930s 25 credits
1939
Beau Geste as Sergeant Markoff
Movie ★ 7.0
1939
Allegheny Uprising as Ralph Callendar
Movie ★ 5.8
1939
Jesse James as Barshee
Movie ★ 6.5
1939
Movie ★ 7.2
1939
Union Pacific as Sid Campeau
Movie ★ 6.7
1939
Behind Prison Gates as Agent Norman Craig / Red Murray
Movie ★ 10.0
1938
In Old Chicago as Gil Warren
Movie ★ 6.7
1938
Battle of Broadway as Chesty Webb
Movie ★ 5.0
1938
We're Going to Be Rich as Yankee Gordon
Movie ★ 5.0
1938
Sharpshooters as Steve Mitchell
Movie ★ 8.0
1937
This Is My Affair as Batiste Duryea
Movie ★ 7.3
1937
Born Reckless as Bob Kane
Movie ★ 5.4
1937
Midnight Taxi as Charles 'Chick' Gardner
Movie ★ 6.3
1936
36 Hours to Kill as Frank Evers
Movie ★ 6.1
1936
Movie ★ 6.6
1936
High Tension as Steve Reardon
Movie ★ 5.8
1936
Crack-Up as Ace Martin
Movie ★ 5.9
1936
13 Hours by Air as James Evarts
Movie ★ 5.3
1936
Human Cargo as Packy Campbell
Movie ★ 7.5
1936
Half Angel as Duffy Giles
Movie ★ 7.5
1935
Barbary Coast as Knuckles Jacoby
Movie ★ 6.4
1935
Movie ★ 9.0
1935
Another Face as Broken Nose Dawson / Spencer Dutro III
Movie ★ 4.8
1932
A Modern Cinderella as Charlie the Chauffeur
Movie ★ 5.5
1932
Ireno as Drunk (uncredited)
Movie ★ 7.5
1920s 8 credits
1929
Two Americans as Unknown
Movie ★ 7.0
1929
Gentlemen of the Press as Kelly - Reporter (uncredited)
Movie ★ 6.7
1929
Mother's Boy as Harry O'Day
Movie ★ 7.0
1926
A Man of Quality as Richard Courtney
Movie ★ 10.0
1925
Movie ★ 8.0
1924
Damaged Hearts as Jim Porter
Movie ★ 8.0
1924
Movie ★ 5.6
1923
Jamestown as Minor Role (Uncredited)
Movie ★ 10.0