Walter Brennan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Walter Brennan
Brennan in 1958
Born	Walter Andrew Brennan (1894-07-25)July 25, 1894 Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	September 21, 1974(1974-09-21) (aged 80) Oxnard, California, U.S.
Resting place	San Fernando Mission Cemetery, Los Angeles, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, singer
Years active	1925–1972
Known for	Come and Get It (1936) Kentucky (1938) The Westerner (1940) Sergeant York (1941)
Spouse(s)	Ruth Wells ​ ​ (m. 1920)​
Children	3
Awards	Three Academy Awards

Walter Andrew Brennan (born July 25, 1894 – died September 21, 1974) was a famous American actor and singer. He won three Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. This made him one of only three male actors to win three Oscars. He is also the only actor, male or female, to win three awards in the supporting actor category.

Brennan won for his roles in Come and Get It (1936), Kentucky (1938), and The Westerner (1940). He was also nominated for his work in Sergeant York (1941). Some of his other well-known films include To Have and Have Not (1944), My Darling Clementine (1946), Red River (1948), and Rio Bravo (1959).

Walter Brennan's Early Life and Start in Acting

Walter Brennan was born in Lynn, Massachusetts. His parents were immigrants from Ireland. His father was an engineer and inventor. Walter also studied engineering in high school.

After working as a bank clerk, he joined the U.S. Army. He served in France during World War I. While there, he was injured by mustard gas. This injury affected his vocal cords. It gave him a unique, high-pitched voice that became his trademark.

After the war, he worked as a financial reporter. In the early 1920s, he made a lot of money in real estate. But he lost most of it when the market crashed in 1925.

How Walter Brennan Started in Movies

Walter Brennan in Affairs of Cappy Ricks

With little money left, Brennan began working as an extra in films. He started at Universal Studios in 1925. He earned $7.50 a day, which is like $125 today. He worked at Universal off and on for ten years.

His first roles were small parts in movies like Webs of Steel (1925) and The Calgary Stampede (1925). He often played minor characters. He was even a stuntman in some films.

A big change happened when he was in a fight scene. An actor accidentally kicked him in the face and knocked out his teeth. This turned out to be a lucky break. He said, "I looked all right off the set. But when necessary I could take 'em out—and suddenly look about 40 years older." This helped him play older characters.

Walter Brennan's Rise to Stardom

Walter Brennan got a big opportunity in the film The Wedding Night (1935). He was an extra, but his part grew during filming. This led to a contract with producer Sam Goldwyn.

Goldwyn often loaned Brennan to other studios. Brennan's roles slowly became more important. He got a significant part in Barbary Coast (1935). He said this role "really set me up."

He then played one of the main characters in Three Godfathers (1936).

Winning His First Oscar

Brennan's career truly took off when he was cast in Come and Get It (1936). He played Swan Bostrom, a loyal friend. His performance earned him his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

After this, he had his first lead role in Affairs of Cappy Ricks (1937). He also co-starred in Wild and Woolly (1937). He appeared in The Buccaneer (1938).

He played Muff Potter in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938). He also worked with Gary Cooper for the first time as his sidekick in The Cowboy and the Lady (1938).

Winning His Second Oscar

Brennan won his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Kentucky (1938). This was a film about horse racing.

He continued to play older characters. His missing teeth and thin build made him seem older than he was. He used these features to his advantage. In Northwest Passage (1940), he even wore special fake teeth to look like he had rotting teeth.

Winning His Third Oscar

Brennan had one of his most famous roles in The Westerner (1940). He played the villainous Judge Roy Bean opposite Gary Cooper. This role earned him his third Best Supporting Actor Oscar. He won three Oscars in just five years!

He worked with Gary Cooper again in Meet John Doe (1941) and Sergeant York (1941). Sergeant York was a huge hit and earned Brennan his fourth Oscar nomination.

Brennan played the main character in Swamp Water (1941). He also played a reporter in Pride of the Yankees (1942). He appeared in war films like Stand By for Action (1942) and Hangmen Also Die! (1943).

He was known for playing the main character's sidekick or a "grumpy old man." He was in To Have and Have Not (1944) with Humphrey Bogart. He also played a funny pirate in The Princess and the Pirate (1944).

Walter Brennan's Western Roles

Brennan often played characters in Western movies. He was the villain Old Man Clanton in My Darling Clementine (1946). He worked with Henry Fonda in this film.

He was in Red River (1948), playing John Wayne's sidekick. This is considered one of his best films. He continued to appear in many Westerns throughout the 1950s.

Some of his Western films include Singing Guns (1950), Along the Great Divide (1951), and The Far Country (1954) with James Stewart. He also had a good part in Bad Day at Black Rock (1955).

Walter Brennan's Later Career

Working in Television

Brennan started acting in television shows. He appeared in episodes of Screen Directors Playhouse and Lux Video Theatre. He once said he liked TV more than movies because there were no "long lay offs between jobs."

Walter Brennan in Rio Bravo

He continued to make movies like The Proud Ones (1956). He played Debbie Reynolds's grandfather in Tammy and the Bachelor (1957).

Brennan took on a lead role in God Is My Partner (1957). This low-budget movie became a surprise success.

The Real McCoys TV Show

Brennan had often turned down offers to star in a TV series. But he agreed to The Real McCoys. This was a sitcom about a poor family from West Virginia who moved to California. The show was very popular and ran from 1957 to 1963.

During the show's run, Brennan still appeared in films. He was in another Howard Hawks movie, Rio Bravo (1959), with John Wayne and Dean Martin.

After The Real McCoys ended, Brennan played a river pirate in How the West Was Won (1963).

Singing Career

His success on The Real McCoys led Walter Brennan to record some songs. His most popular song was "Old Rivers" in 1962. It was about an old farmer and his mule. The song reached number five on the U.S. Billboard chart. At 67, Brennan was the oldest person to have a Top 40 hit at that time. He had another Top 40 hit with "Mama Sang a Song" in 1962.

More TV Roles and Disney Films

Brennan starred in another TV series called The Tycoon (1964–1965). He also appeared in films for the Disney company. His first Disney film was Those Calloways (1965).

Walter Brennan in The Guns of Will Sonnett, 1967

In 1967, he starred in The Guns of Will Sonnett (1967–1969). He played an older man looking for his gunfighter son. He also starred in Disney's The Gnome-Mobile (1967).

Brennan played a villain in Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) with James Garner. He also starred in TV movies like The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969).

His last regular TV series was To Rome with Love (1969–1971). Walter Brennan's final film role was in the Western Smoke in the Wind (1975).

Walter Brennan's Personal Life

The Real McCoys (1962), from left to right: Tony Martínez, Walter Brennan, Richard Crenna

In 1920, Walter Brennan married Ruth Caroline Wells. They were married for 54 years and had three children: Arthur, Walter, and Ruth.

In 1940, Brennan bought a large ranch in Joseph, Oregon. He built a motel, a movie theater, and a store in the town. He continued to visit his ranch between filming movies. Some of his family still live in that area.

Walter Brennan's grave at San Fernando Mission Cemetery

Walter Brennan spent his last years retired at his ranch in California. He passed away from a lung disease called emphysema at age 80. He is buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Walter Brennan's Views and Beliefs

Walter Brennan was a Roman Catholic. He believed strongly in his faith. He also had strong political views. He was a conservative Republican. He was against Communism.

He supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election. Later, he supported George Wallace in 1968. In 1972, he supported John G. Schmitz. He also supported Ronald Reagan for governor of California.

Walter Brennan's Legacy in Film

Film experts consider Walter Brennan one of the best character actors ever. A character actor is someone who plays unique and memorable supporting roles. He is best known for his roles in Western movies. These include Judge Roy Bean in The Westerner, Nadine Groot in Red River, and Deputy Stumpy in Rio Bravo.

He was the first actor to win three Academy Awards. He is still the only person to win Best Supporting Actor three times. In the early days of the Academy Awards, many extras could vote. Brennan was very popular with the Union of Film Extras, so he won every time he was nominated. After his third win, the rules changed, and extras could no longer vote for the Oscars.

Walter Brennan appeared in over 230 films and TV shows. His career lasted almost 50 years. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1970, he was honored in the Western Performers Hall of Fame.

Walter Brennan's Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Radio Shows

Music Albums

Music Singles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Walter Brennan para niños

• List of actors with Academy Award nominations