Barry Fitzgerald

Barry Fitzgerald

Born: March 9, 1888
Died: January 14, 1961
in Dublin, Ireland
Brother of actor Arthur Shields, with whom he performed in several films, most notably John Ford's The Quiet Man (1952). One of the very few character actors ever to achieve star status.

Fitzgerald was the only player ever nominated for the Academy Award for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in the same year for the same role. The recognition was for Going My Way (1944). After he received this double nomination, the Academy immediately changed their rules to prevent this from happening again, rules which have remained unchanged to this day.

One of Hollywood's finest character actors and most accomplished scene stealers, Barry Fitzgerald was born William Joseph Shields in 1888 in Dublin, Ireland. Educated to enter the banking business, the diminutive Irishman with the irresistible brogue was bitten by the acting bug in the 1920s and joined Dublin's world-famous Abbey Players. He subsequently starred in the Abbey Theatre production of Sean O'Casey's Juno And The Paycock, a role that he recreated in his film debut for director Alfred Hitchcock in 1930. He was coaxed to the U.S. in 1935 by John Ford to appear in Ford's film adaptation of another O'Casey masterpiece, The Plough and the Stars (1936). Fitzgerald took up residence in Hollywood and went on to give outstanding performances in such films as The Long Voyage Home (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), None But the Lonely Heart (1944), And Then There Were None (1945), Two Years Before the Mast (1946) and what is probably the role for which he is most fondly remembered, The Quiet Man (1952). He won the Academy Award For Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of gruff, aging Father Fitzgibbon in Going My Way (1944). He was also nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for the same role and was the only actor to ever be so honored. Barry Fitzgerald died in his beloved Dublin in 1961.

Movies for Barry Fitzgerald...

Bing Crosby: Rediscovered
Title: Bing Crosby: Rediscovered
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: December 2, 2014
Type: Movie
Bing Crosby was, without a doubt, the most popular and influential multi-media star of the first half of the twentieth century, pulling audiences in with his intimate, laid-back voice and innate charm. Narrated by Stanley Tucci and directed by Robert Trachtenberg, this film explores the life and legend of this iconic performer, revealing a personality far more complex than the image the public had only thought they'd known.
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Cradle of Genius
Title: Cradle of Genius
Released: September 25, 1961
Type: Movie
Cradle of Genius is a 1961 Irish short documentary film directed by Paul Rotha on the history of the Abbey Theatre. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.
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Title: Play of the Week
Released: October 12, 1959
Type: TV
This syndicated anthology series staged a different play every week covering all genres, dramas, comedies, musicals, fantasies, mysteries, et al, utilizing some of the best talent appearing on Broadway.
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Broth of a Boy
Title: Broth of a Boy
Character: Patrick Farrell
Released: February 6, 1959
Type: Movie
An Irish codger, 110, wants a piece of the action for doing a British producer's TV show.
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Rooney
Title: Rooney
Character: Grandfather
Released: March 24, 1958
Type: Movie
The life of James Ignatius Rooney, a Dublin rubbish collector during the week and a Gaelic sportsman at the weekends.
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The Catered Affair
Title: The Catered Affair
Character: Uncle Jack Conlon
Released: June 14, 1956
Type: Movie
An Irish cabby in the Bronx watches his wife go overboard planning their daughter's wedding.
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Title: Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Character: Harold 'Stretch' Sears
Released: October 2, 1955
Type: TV
A television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock featuring dramas, thrillers, and mysteries.
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Happy Ever After
Title: Happy Ever After
Character: Thady O'Heggarty
Released: June 29, 1954
Type: Movie
The whole village mourns when General O'Leary, owner of a hunting estate in South Ireland, is killed in an accident. His nephew, Jasper O'Leary, takes over the state and soon has aroused the displeasure of all, with the exception of Serena McGluskey, as much a schemer as he is a cad. Led by Thady O'Heggarty, the villagers plot to drive Jasper away. They use the occasion of "O'Leary Night", when the ghost of the first O'Leary walks the halls, to create general chaos.
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Title: General Electric Theater
Released: February 1, 1953
Type: TV
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.
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The Quiet Man
Title: The Quiet Man
Character: Michaleen Oge Flynn
Released: July 21, 1952
Type: Movie
An American man returns to the village of his birth in Ireland, where he finds love and conflict.
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Ha da venì... don Calogero!
Title: Ha da venì... don Calogero!
Character: Don Calogero
Released: March 4, 1952
Type: Movie
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Silver City
Title: Silver City
Character: R.R. Jarboe
Released: December 1, 1951
Type: Movie
Having masterminded the hold up of his company office, a mining engineer is barred from the industry. He then sets up shop as an assayer, scheming to acquire a rich silver mine lease from its operators.
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Union Station
Title: Union Station
Character: Inspector Donnelly
Released: October 4, 1950
Type: Movie
Police catch a break when suspected kidnappers are spotted on a train heading towards Union Station. Police, train station security and a witness try to piece together the crime and get back the blind daughter of a rich business man.
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Title: Lux Video Theatre
Character: Barry Flynn
Released: October 2, 1950
Type: TV
Lux Video Theatre is an American anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays.
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Title: What's My Line?
Character: Self - Mystery Guest
Released: February 2, 1950
Type: TV
Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions.
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The Story of Seabiscuit
Title: The Story of Seabiscuit
Character: Shawn O'Hara
Released: November 12, 1949
Type: Movie
Horse trainer Shawn O'Hara and his lovely niece, Margaret, come to America to escape the memory of an accident involving Margaret's brother, Danny. Working with thoroughbreds in Kentucky, Shawn takes a liking to a yearling named Seabiscuit, and fights to convince the horse's owner that the tiny horse with big knees will become a top-notch racehorse. Meanwhile, Margaret begins a tentative relationship with jockey Ted Knowles, but is haunted by her brother's death in a steeplechase spill. Written by Ray Hamel
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Top o' the Morning
Title: Top o' the Morning
Character: Sergeant Briany McNaughton
Released: August 31, 1949
Type: Movie
A singing insurance investigator comes to Ireland to recover the stolen Blarney Stone...and romance the local policeman's daughter.
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Miss Tatlock's Millions
Title: Miss Tatlock's Millions
Character: Denno Noonan
Released: November 19, 1948
Type: Movie
After the accidental death of an idiot heir, a stunt man is hired to impersonate him while the family gathers to determine the dispersment of the estate of Miss Tatlock's millions.
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Title: The Ed Sullivan Show
Character: Self
Released: June 20, 1948
Type: TV
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
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The Sainted Sisters
Title: The Sainted Sisters
Character: Robbie McCleary
Released: April 30, 1948
Type: Movie
Two female con artists from New York City, fleeing the law with money from their latest scam, hide out in a small town in Maine, near the Canadian border. However, this small town's residents aren't quite as unsophisticated as the girls think they are.
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The Naked City
Title: The Naked City
Character: Lt. Dan Muldoon
Released: March 4, 1948
Type: Movie
The Naked City portrays the police investigation that follows the murder of a young model. A veteran cop is placed in charge of the case and he sets about, with the help of other beat cops and detectives, finding the girl's killer.
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Variety Girl
Title: Variety Girl
Character: Barry Fitzgerald
Released: August 29, 1947
Type: Movie
Dozens of star and character-actor cameos and a message about the Variety Club (a show-business charity) are woven into a framework about two hopeful young ladies who come to Hollywood, exchange identities, and cause comic confusion (with slapstick interludes) throughout the Paramount studio.
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Welcome Stranger
Title: Welcome Stranger
Character: Dr. Joseph McRory
Released: June 13, 1947
Type: Movie
Crusty Dr. McRory of Fallbridge, Maine, hires his vacation replacement sight unseen. Alas, he and young singing Doctor Jim Pearson don't hit it off; but once he meets teacher Trudy Mason, Pearson is delighted to stay. The locals, taking their cue from McRory, cold-shoulder Pearson, especially Trudy's stuffy fiancé. But then, guess who needs an emergency appendectomy?
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Easy Come, Easy Go
Title: Easy Come, Easy Go
Character: Martin L. Donovan
Released: March 7, 1947
Type: Movie
Comedy about an Irish father, who enjoys betting on horses, who keeps interfering with his daughter's romance with a serviceman.
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California
Title: California
Character: Michael Fabian
Released: February 21, 1947
Type: Movie
"Wicked" Lily Bishop joins a wagon train to California, led by Michael Fabian and Johnny Trumbo, but news of the Gold Rush scatters the train. When Johnny and Michael finally arrive, Lily is rich from her saloon and storekeeper (former slaver) Pharaoh Coffin is bleeding the miners dry. But worse troubles are ahead: California is inching toward statehood, and certain people want to make it their private empire.
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Two Years Before the Mast
Title: Two Years Before the Mast
Character: Terence O'Feenaghty
Released: November 22, 1946
Type: Movie
In 1834, Charles Stewart (Alan Ladd), the spoiled, dissolute son of a shipping magnate, is shanghaied aboard the Pilgrim, one of his father's own ships. He embarks upon a long, hellish sea voyage under the tyrannical rule of Captain Francis Thompson (Howard Da Silva), assisted by his first mate, Amazeen (William Bendix). One of his crewmates is Richard Henry Dana Jr. (Brian Donlevy).
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The Stork Club
Title: The Stork Club
Character: Jerry B. 'J.B.' / 'Pop' Bates
Released: December 28, 1945
Type: Movie
Director Hal Walker's 1945 musical comedy stars Betty Hutton as a hat-check girl at New York City's famous nightclub. The cast also includes Barry Fitzgerald, Don Defore, Andy Russell, Iria Adrian and Robert Benchley.
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And Then There Were None
Title: And Then There Were None
Character: Francis Quinncannon
Released: October 31, 1945
Type: Movie
Ten strangers are summoned to a remote island and while they are waiting for the mysterious host to appear, a recording levels serious accusations at each of the guests. Soon they start being murdered, one by one. As the survivors try to keep their wits, they reach a disturbing conclusion: one of them must be the killer.
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Duffy's Tavern
Title: Duffy's Tavern
Character: Bing Crosby's Father
Released: September 28, 1945
Type: Movie
The staff of a record factory drown their sorrows at Duffy's Tavern, while the company owner faces threats of bankruptcy.
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Incendiary Blonde
Title: Incendiary Blonde
Character: Michael 'Mike' Guinan
Released: July 25, 1945
Type: Movie
Paramount's highly-fictionalized 1945 musical biography of Texas Guinan, the Roaring '20s New York nightclub owner and celebrity with alleged underworld connections who famously greeted her customers with the phrase, "Hello, suckers!"
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None But the Lonely Heart
Title: None But the Lonely Heart
Character: Henry Twite
Released: October 17, 1944
Type: Movie
When an itinerant reluctantly returns home to help his sickly mother run her shop, they're both tempted to turn to crime to help make ends meet.
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I Love a Soldier
Title: I Love a Soldier
Character: Murphy
Released: July 12, 1944
Type: Movie
During World War II in San Francisco, Eve Morgan and her single girlfriends spend their days welding ships and their nights dancing with soldiers and sailors shipping out that night. Eve is determined to avoid any romantic entanglements until the war is over she refuses to spend her days and nights worrying about getting bad news about a man she has fallen for. But she doesn't count on meeting a soldier who is determined to change her mind.
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Going My Way
Title: Going My Way
Character: Father Fitzgibbon
Released: May 15, 1944
Type: Movie
Youthful Father Chuck O'Malley led a colorful life of sports, song, and romance before joining the Roman Catholic clergy. After being appointed to a run-down New York parish, O'Malley's worldly knowledge helps him connect with a gang of boys looking for direction, eventually winning over the aging, conventional Parish priest.
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Corvette K-225
Title: Corvette K-225
Character: Stooky
Released: September 29, 1943
Type: Movie
The story of a Canadian WWII naval vessel, with a dramatic subplot concerning her first captain.
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Two Tickets to London
Title: Two Tickets to London
Character: Capt. McCardle
Released: June 14, 1943
Type: Movie
Accused of helping an enemy submarine, a man escapes and joins a beautiful girl in trying to find the real traitors.
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The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
Title: The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
Character: Timothy Blake
Released: February 19, 1943
Type: Movie
A missionary tries to outwit the U.S. government and smuggle Chinese orphans into the country.
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Tarzan's Secret Treasure
Title: Tarzan's Secret Treasure
Character: Dennis O'Doul
Released: December 1, 1941
Type: Movie
A scientific expedition happens to discover that gold exists on Tarzan's escarpment. The villainous Medford and Vandermeer kidnap Jane and Boy to extort from Tarzan the location of the gold.
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How Green Was My Valley
Title: How Green Was My Valley
Character: Cyfartha
Released: October 28, 1941
Type: Movie
A man in his fifties reminisces about his childhood growing up in a Welsh mining village at the turn of the 20th century.
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The Sea Wolf
Title: The Sea Wolf
Character: Cooky
Released: March 21, 1941
Type: Movie
Shipwrecked fugitives try to escape a brutal sea captain who's losing his mind.
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San Francisco Docks
Title: San Francisco Docks
Character: The Icky
Released: December 25, 1940
Type: Movie
Longshoreman Johnny Barnes is in love with Kitty Tracy, barmaid at her father's waterfront saloon, and he beats up Cassidy, a crooked politician who has been annoying her. Cassidy is murdered that night and Johnny is jailed for the crime. Kitty, her father Andy Tracy, and waterfront-priest Father Cameron believe Johnny is innocent but all evidence points to his guilt.
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The Long Voyage Home
Title: The Long Voyage Home
Character: Cocky
Released: November 16, 1940
Type: Movie
The crew of the merchant ship Glencairn hope to survive a transatlantic crossing during World War II. Adapted from four Eugene O'Neill one-act plays.
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Full Confession
Title: Full Confession
Character: Michael O'Keefe
Released: September 8, 1939
Type: Movie
A Catholic priest must convince a man to step forward to save the wrong person from being sent to the electric chair.
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The Saint Strikes Back
Title: The Saint Strikes Back
Character: Zipper Dyson
Released: March 8, 1939
Type: Movie
Suave private detective Simon "The Saint" Templar arrives in San Francisco and meets Val, a woman whose police inspector father killed himself after being accused of corruption and dismissed from the force. Convinced of the man's innocence, Templar takes it upon himself to vindicate the memory of Val's father. To do so he must take on the city's most dangerous criminal gang, while also battling hostile members of the police department.
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Pacific Liner
Title: Pacific Liner
Character: Britches
Released: January 6, 1939
Type: Movie
An outbreak of cholera threatens a luxury liner in this surprisingly low-budget melodrama from RKO. En route from Shanghai to San Francisco, chief engineer Crusher McKay (Victor McLaglen) and shipboard doctor Tony Craig (Chester Morris) become rivals for the attention of nurse Ann Grayson (Wendy Barrie). A Chinese stowaway, meanwhile, infects the stokehold with cholera and it is left to Crusher to keep the engines at full throttle until reaching harbor. But morale sinks to an all-time low when Crusher himself is stricken and the overworked men threaten with mutiny. Tony attempts to keep the stokers in check but the situation is growing more dangerous by the minute when a heroic Crusher rises from his sickbed. Leaving their previous petty squabbles behind, Tony and Crusher manage to guide the ship safely to harbor, where the doc and Ann rekindle their romance.
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The Dawn Patrol
Title: The Dawn Patrol
Character: Bott
Released: December 24, 1938
Type: Movie
In 1915 France, Major Brand commands the 39th Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. The young airmen go up in bullet-riddled "crates" and the casualty rate is appalling, but Brand can't make the "brass hats" at headquarters see reason. Insubordinate air ace Captain Courtney is another thorn in Brand's side...but finds the smile wiped from his face when he rises to command the squadron himself. Everyone keeps a stiff upper lip.
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Marie Antoinette
Title: Marie Antoinette
Character: Peddler (uncredited)
Released: August 26, 1938
Type: Movie
The young Austrian princess Marie Antoinette is arranged to marry Louis XVI, future king of France, in a politically advantageous marriage for the rival countries. The opulent Marie indulges in various whims and flirtations. When Louis XV passes and Louis XVI ascends the French throne, his queen's extravagant lifestyle earns the hatred of the French people, who despise her Austrian heritage.
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Four Men and a Prayer
Title: Four Men and a Prayer
Character: Mulcahay
Released: April 29, 1938
Type: Movie
The sons of a disgraced British officer try to clear his name.
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Bringing Up Baby
Title: Bringing Up Baby
Character: Aloysius Gogarty
Released: February 18, 1938
Type: Movie
David Huxley is waiting to get a bone he needs for his museum collection. Through a series of strange circumstances, he meets Susan Vance, and the duo have a series of misadventures which include a leopard called Baby.
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Ebb Tide
Title: Ebb Tide
Character: Huish
Released: November 17, 1937
Type: Movie
In 1890, two British expatriates, Robert Herrick and Huish, and German Captain Jakob Thorbecke, are commissioned to sail a Yankee schooner called The Golden State , whose captain and crew have died of smallpox. From Tehua in the South Seas to Australia, they are to deliver a cargo of champagne. Thorbecke decides to head for Peru, however, so he can sell the merchandise and pocket the money. While sailing, Faith Wishart, daughter of the deceased captain, comes out of her hiding place on board and, by briefly holding Thorbecke at gunpoint, demands he make the delivery.
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The Plough and the Stars
Title: The Plough and the Stars
Character: Fluther Good
Released: December 26, 1936
Type: Movie
A husband clashes with his wife over his membership to the Irish citizen army during the Easter rebellion.
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Guests of The Nation
Title: Guests of The Nation
Character: Captured British soldier
Released: January 1, 1935
Type: Movie
During the Irish War of Independence in 1921, a pair of IRA soldiers are ordered to guard two British prisoners, but face a dilemma when they bond with their captives.
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Juno and the Paycock
Title: Juno and the Paycock
Character: The Orator
Released: December 30, 1929
Type: Movie
During the Irish revolution, a family earns a big inheritance. They start leading a rich life, forgetting what the most important values of life really are. At the end, they discover they will not receive that inheritance; the family is destroyed and penniless. They must sell their home and start living like vagabonds.