David Brian
Brian in 1951
Born
Brian James Davis

(1914-08-05)August 5, 1914
New York City, U.S.
DiedJuly 15, 1993(1993-07-15) (aged 78)
EducationCity College of New York
OccupationActor
Years active1935–1974
1983–1984
Spouse(s)Bonita Fiedler (19??–1948; divorced)
(m. 1949)

Brian James Davis (August 5, 1914 – July 15, 1993), better known as David Brian, was an American actor.[1] He is best known for his role in Intruder in the Dust (1949), for which he received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination. Brian's other notable film roles were in The Damned Don't Cry (1950), This Woman Is Dangerous (1952), Springfield Rifle (1952), Dawn at Socorro (1954), and The High and the Mighty (1954).

On February 8, 1960, Brian was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.

Early years

Brian was born Brian Davis in New York City.[2] After school at City College, he found work as a doorman, then entered show business with a song-and-dance routine in vaudeville and in night clubs. He did a wartime stint with the United States Coast Guard during World War II and returned to acting on the New York stage after the war.

Film

Persuaded by Joan Crawford to try his hand at film acting, Brian joined her in Hollywood and, in 1949, signed a contract with Warner Bros. The New York City native appeared in such films as Flamingo Road (1949) and The Damned Don't Cry! (1950) with Joan Crawford, and Beyond the Forest (1949) with Bette Davis. He also had a role in the film Springfield Rifle (1952), which starred Gary Cooper, and in the John Wayne movie The High and the Mighty (1954) as Ken Childs.

Brian was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as Best Supporting Actor for his role in Intruder in the Dust (1949).[3]

Television

In the 1950s and 1960s, Brian was active in television with guest roles in dozens of shows ranging from dramatic to comedic, from Rawhide to I Dream of Jeannie. In 1954 and 1955, he portrayed the lead character on the TV show Mr. District Attorney.[4]

Brian has a star in the television section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was dedicated on February 8, 1960.[5]

Personal life

Brian was married to Bonita Fiedler; they divorced in 1948.[4] In 1950, she filed a paternity suit against him, seeking his support for a son born to her. The suit claimed that Brian had admitted to being the baby's father. Brian's attorney, on the other hand, said that Brian did not think he was the child's father. At the time of the suit, Brian was married to Adrian Booth, an actress[6] known as Lorna Gray.[2] On August 11, 1951, a jury found in Brian's favor after another man testified to having been intimate with the mother "several times during the year before the child was born".[7]

Brian's marriage to Booth also had legal problems. In 1949, columnist Jimmie Fidler reported that Booth's "recent marriage to actor David Brian has been set aside by an L.A. judge because of illegalities in his divorce from a former mate".[8]

Death

Brian died July 15, 1993, of heart disease and cancer in Sherman Oaks, California.[2]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1935 'G' Men The Chief 1949 reissue scene; uncredited
1949 Flamingo Road Dan Reynolds
1949 Intruder in the Dust John Gavin Stevens
1949 Beyond the Forest Neil Latimer
1950 The Damned Don't Cry George Castleman
1950 The Great Jewel Robber Gerard Graham Dennis
1950 Breakthrough Captain Tom Hale
1951 Inside Straight Rip MacCool
1951 Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison Mark Benson
1951 Fort Worth Blair Lunsford
1952 This Woman is Dangerous Matt Jackson
1952 Springfield Rifle Austin McCool
1952 Million Dollar Mermaid Alfred Harper
1953 A Perilous Journey Monty Breed
1953 Ambush at Tomahawk Gap Egan
1954 The High and the Mighty Ken Childs
1954 Dawn at Socorro Dick Braden
1955 Timberjack Croft Brunner
1955 No Place to Hide Dr. Dobson
1956 Fury at Gunsight Pass Whitey Turner
1956 The First Traveling Saleslady James Carter
1956 Accused of Murder Police Lt. Roy Hargis
1956 The White Squaw Sigrod Swanson
1958 Ghost of the China Sea Martin French
1959 The Rabbit Trap Everett Spellman
1961 Pocketful of Miracles Governor
1962 How the West Was Won Lilith's Attorney
1966 The Rare Breed Ellsworth
1966 Castle of Evil Robert Hawley
1968 The Destructors Hogan
1969 Childish Things Dad Jennings
1969 The Girl Who Knew Too Much Had Dixon
1971 The Seven Minutes Cardinal McManus

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1953 The Revlon Mirror Theater Episode: "Flight from Home"
1953–1956 Schlitz Playhouse Phil Derringer / Philip Gordon 3 episodes
1954 The Ford Television Theatre Winnie Driscoll Episode: "The Taming of the Shrewd"
1954 Your Play Time Episode: "Flight from Home"
1954–1955 Mr. District Attorney D.A. Paul Garrett 15 episodes
1954–1961 General Electric Theater Frank Freeman / David 2 episodes
1956 Celebrity Playhouse Episode: "The Twelve Year Secret"
1956–1957 Crossroads Minister / Reverend Richard Farrell 3 episodes
1958 Target Foster Episode: "The Tattoo Artist"
1959 Alcoa Theatre Bard Kanger Episode: "Shadow of Evil"
1959 Rawhide Jacob Calvin
1960 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse Bleeck Episode: "Murder Is a Private Affair"
1960–1961 The Untouchables Brian O'Malley / Dink Conway 2 episodes
1961 Cain's Hundred Frank Andreotis Episode: "Degrees of Guilt"
1961RawhideThad ClemensS3:E26, "Incident of the Painted Lady"
1962 Target: The Corruptors! Chairman Tremaine Episode: "One for the Road"
1963 Laramie Walt Douglas Episode: "Protective Custody"
1963 The Dakotas Fargo Episode: "Fargo"
1963 Death Valley Days Jacob Hamblin Episode: "The Peacemaker"
1964 Kraft Suspense Theatre Mark Nelson Episode: "Who Is Jennifer?"
1964 Daniel Boone Major Horton Episode: "The Choosing"
1965 Profiles in Courage Charlton Episode: "Judge Benjamin Barr Lindsey"
1965 Laredo Theo Henderson Episode: "Three's Company"
1965 I Dream of Jeannie P.J. Ferguson Episode: "The Yacht Murder Case"
1966 Honey West Store Manager C.C. Rockwell Episode: "The Perfect Un-crime"
1966 Branded Gregory Hazin 3 episodes
1966 Please Don't Eat the Daisies Roland Cunningham Episode: "A-Hunting We Will Go"
1966 Iron Horse Charlie Farrow Episode: "No Wedding Bells for Tony"
1967 Love on a Rooftop Willoughby Episode: "Going Home to Daughter"
1967 The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. Logan Petrie Episode: "The High and the Deadly Affair"
1967 Hondo Ben Dow Episode: "Hondo and the Ghost of Ed Dow"
1968 Star Trek: The Original Series John Gill Episode: "Patterns of Force"
1968 Cimarron Strip Turner Episode: "The Greeners"
1968 Mannix Clifton Ross Sr. Episode: "Night Out of Time"
1968–1974 Gunsmoke Tait Cavanaugh / Clay White / Branch Nelson 3 episodes
1969–1970 The Name of the Game Chancellor Archer / Elton Wakefield 2 episodes
1970 The Immortal Arthur Maitland 2 episodes
1971 O'Hara, U.S. Treasury The Big Guy Episode: "Operation: Spread"
1972 The Manhunter Walter Sinclair TV movie
1972 Mission: Impossible Benjamin Dane Episode: "Movie"
1972 Search J.R. Devlin Episode: "In Search of Midas"
1973 Hec Ramsey Henry T. Madden Episode: "Mystery of the Yellow Rose"
1973 Police Story Borenson Episode: "Death on Credit"
1975 Archer Episode: "Shades of Blue"
1983–1984 Father's Day Union Spokesman / Starter 2 episodes

References

  1. "David Brian". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Aaker, Everett (2006). Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6409-8. pp. 68–70.
  3. "Golden Globe Awards for 'David Brian'". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Pace, Eric (July 19, 1993). "David Brian, 82, Actor, Is Dead; Starred in 'Mr. District Attorney'". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  5. "David Brian". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  6. "David Brian Named in Paternity Suit". Independent. Long Beach, Calif. Long Beach Independent. September 7, 1950. p. 14. Retrieved April 7, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. "David Brian Wins Paternity Case". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. Ogden, Utah. Ogden Standard-Examiner. August 11, 1951. p. 2. Retrieved April 7, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. Fidler, Jimmie (October 2, 1949). "In Hollywood With Jimmie Fidler". Monroe Morning World. Monroe, Louisiana. Monroe Morning World. p. 4. Retrieved April 7, 2016 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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