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George Brent

George Brent

Actor · Died May 26, 1979, aged 75 · Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland

George Brent (born George Brendan Nolan; 15 March 1904 – 26 May 1979) was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. Brent was born in Ballinasloe, County Galway in 1904 to John J. and Mary (née McGuinness) Nolan. His mother was a native of Clonfad, Moore, County Roscommon. Brent made his first film, Under Suspicion, in 1930. Over the next two years, he appeared in a number of minor films produced by Universal Studios and Fox, before being signed to contract by Warner Bros. in 1932. He remained at Warner Bros. for the next 20 years, carving out a successful career as a top-flight leading man during the late 1930s and 1940s. Highly regarded by Bette Davis, he became her most frequent male co-star, appearing with her in 13 films, including Front Page Woman (1935), Special Agent (1935), The Golden Arrow (1936), Jezebel (1938), The Old Maid (1939), Dark Victory (1939), and The Great Lie (1941). Brent also played opposite Ruby Keeler in 42nd Street (1933), Greta Garbo in The Painted Veil (1934), Ginger Rogers in In Person (1935), Madeleine Carroll in The Case Against Mrs. Ames (1936), Jean Arthur in More Than a Secretary (1936), Myrna Loy in Stamboul Quest (1934) and The Rains Came (1939), Merle Oberon in 'Til We Meet Again (1940), Ann Sheridan in Honeymoon for Three (1941), Joan Fontaine in The Affairs of Susan (1945), Barbara Stanwyck in So Big! (1932), The Purchase Price (1932), Baby Face (1933), The Gay Sisters (1942), and My Reputation (1946), Claudette Colbert in Tomorrow Is Forever (1946), Dorothy McGuire in The Spiral Staircase (1946), Lucille Ball in Lover Come Back (1946), and Yvonne De Carlo in Slave Girl (1947). Brent drifted into "B" pictures from the late 1940s and retired from film in 1953. He continued to appear on television until 1960, having appeared on the religion anthology series Crossroads. He was cast in the lead in the 1956 television series Wire Service. In 1978, he made one last film, the made-for-television production Born Again. In 1960, Brent was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with two stars. He received a motion-pictures star located at 1709 Vine Street, and a second star located at 1612 Vine Street for his work in television. Brent was married five times: Helen Louise Campbell (1925–1927), Ruth Chatterton (1932–1934), Constance Worth (1937), Ann Sheridan (1942–1943), and Janet Michaels (1947–1974). His final marriage to Janet Michaels, a former model and dress designer, lasted 27 years until her death in 1974. They had a son and a daughter. Brent also carried on a lengthy relationship with his frequent Warner Bros. co-star, actress Bette Davis, who described her last meeting with Brent after many years of estrangement. He was suffering from advanced emphysema, and she expressed great sadness at his ill health and deterioration. George Brent died in 1979 in Solana Beach, California.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 15, 1904
Died
May 26, 1979 (aged 75)
From
Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland
Works as
Actor
Titles
40 on MovieCove · 97 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 28% in 30 days

What are George Brent's films like?

Across their 38 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama19 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 37th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
31%
Morality
23%
Self
22%
Society
9%
Power
7%
Survival
6%
Ideas
1%
Romantic love16 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption7 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 38 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 13 · Serious 13 · Dark 12

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 20 · Stylized 15 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 9 · Charged 21 · Intense 8

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 18 · Shifting 19 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 23 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 16 · Even-paced 21 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 24 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 14 · Affecting 16 · Heavy 8

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 31 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

31 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 11 of 31 analyzed roles.

Hero
11 of 31
Mentor
5 of 31
Shadow
5 of 31
Herald
4 of 31
Ally
3 of 31
Shapeshifter
2 of 31
Threshold guardian
1 of 31
Show the 31 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
22
Melancholic
18
Romantic
15
Bittersweet
10
Joyful
6
Other
31

How their films linger

Bittersweet17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy18
  • Bittersweet17
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch George Brent's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 40 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for George Brent's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

97 credits, 40 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Born Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Judge Gerhard Gesell

  • The Chevy Mystery Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · as Fred Girard

  • Rawhide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Jefferson Devereaux

  • Death of a Scoundrel(1956)

    as Man with Balloon at Party

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Wire Service (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 35 episodes · as Dean Evans

  • Crossroads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Father Raymond

  • Climax! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Mexican Manhunt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as David L. 'Dave' Brady

  • Tangier Incident (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Steve Gordon

  • Montana Belle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Tom Bradfield

  • The Last Page (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as John Harman

  • FBI Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Jeff Donley

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Sam Bentley

  • Bride for Sale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Paul Martin

  • The Kid from Cleveland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Mike Jackson

  • Illegal Entry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Chief Agent Dan Collins

  • Red Canyon(1949)

    as Matthew Bostel

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Luxury Liner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Captain Jeremy Bradford

  • Angel on the Amazon(1948)

    as Jim Warburton

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Christmas Eve(1947)

    as Michael Brooks

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Slave Girl(1947)

    as Matt Claibourne

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Corpse Came C.O.D. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Joe Medford

  • Out of the Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Arthur Earthleigh

  • Temptation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Nigel Armine

  • Lover Come Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Bill Williams

  • Tomorrow Is Forever(1946)

    as Lawrence Hamilton

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Spiral Staircase(1946)

    as Professor Warren

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • My Reputation(1946)

    as Major Scott Landis

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Affairs of Susan(1945)

    as Roger Berton

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Experiment Perilous(1944)

    as Dr. Huntington Bailey

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Silver Queen(1942)

    as James Kincaid

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • You Can't Escape Forever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Steve Mitchell

  • The Gay Sisters(1942)

    as Charles Barclay

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • In This Our Life(1942)

    as Craig Fleming

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Twin Beds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Mike Abbott

  • International Lady(1941)

    as Tim Hanley

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • They Dare Not Love(1941)

    as Prince Kurt von Rotenberg

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Great Lie(1941)

    as Peter 'Pete' Van Allen

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Honeymoon for Three (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Kenneth Bixby

  • South of Suez (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as John Gamble

  • The Man Who Talked Too Much (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Stephen Forbes

  • 'Til We Meet Again(1940)

    as Dan Hardesty

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Adventure in Diamonds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Capt. Stephen Dennett

  • The Fighting 69th(1940)

    as Wild Bill Donovan

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Rains Came(1939)

    as Tom Ransome

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Old Maid(1939)

    as Clem Spender

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Land of Liberty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Buck Cantrell (edited from 'Jezebel')

  • Dark Victory(1939)

    as Dr. Frederick Steele

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Wings of the Navy(1939)

    as Cass Harrington

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Breakdowns of 1938 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Buck Cantrell (archive footage) (uncredited)

  • Secrets of an Actress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Richard 'Dick' Orr

  • Racket Busters(1938)

    as Denny Jordan

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Out Where the Stars Begin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Jared Whitney (archive footage)

  • Jezebel(1938)

    as Buck Cantrell

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Gold Is Where You Find It(1938)

    as Jared Whitney

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Submarine D-1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Lt. Commander Dan Matthews

  • The Go Getter(1937)

    as Bill Austin

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Mountain Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Paul Cameron

  • God's Country and the Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Steve Russett

  • More Than a Secretary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Fred Gilbert

  • Give Me Your Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as James 'Jim' Baker

  • The Golden Arrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Johnny Jones

  • The Case Against Mrs. Ames(1936)

    as Matt Logan

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Snowed Under (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Alan Tanner

  • In Person (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Emory Muir

  • The Goose and the Gander (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Bob McNear

  • Special Agent(1935)

    as Bill Bradford

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Front Page Woman(1935)

    as Curt Devlin

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Stranded (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Mack Hale

  • Living on Velvet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Terry Parker

  • The Right to Live(1935)

    as Colin Trent

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Painted Veil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Jack Townsend

  • Desirable (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as McAllister

  • Housewife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as William H. Reynolds

  • Stamboul Quest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Douglas Beall

  • From Headquarters(1933)

    as Lt. Jim Stevens

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Female(1933)

    as Jim Thorne

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Baby Face(1933)

    as Courtland Trenholm

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Lilly Turner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Bob Chandler

  • The Keyhole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Neil Davis

  • 42nd Street(1933)

    as Pat Denning

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Luxury Liner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Dr. Karl Bernhard

  • They Call It Sin(1932)

    as Dr. Tony Travers

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Crash(1932)

    as Geoffrey Gault

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • The Purchase Price(1932)

    as Jim Gilson

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Week-End Marriage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Peter Acton

  • Miss Pinkerton(1932)

    as Police Inspector Patten

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Rich Are Always with Us(1932)

    as Julian Tierney

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • So Big! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Adult Roelf Pool

  • The Lightning Warrior (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Alan Scott

  • Homicide Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Jimmy

  • Ex-Bad Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Donald Swift

  • Charlie Chan Carries On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Capt. Ronald Keane

  • Fair Warning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Les Haines

  • Once a Sinner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as James Brent

  • Under Suspicion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Inspector Turner

  • The Iron Horse(1924)

    as Worker (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 97 titles from 1925 to 1978.

Biggest box office

42nd Street (1933)

$1.8K worldwide

Highest rated

Baby Face (1933)

Midcredits 93rd

Film career

Top draw in 8 MovieCove titles.

  • 1925Screen debut· The Iron Horse
  • 1944First top-billed film· Experiment Perilous
  • 1946Career best· The Spiral Staircase

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting97 of 97: 97 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score61st

By decade

1920s1 · acting1930s52 · acting1940s31 · acting1950s11 · acting1960s1 · acting1970s1 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 11% of 18 roles
2535

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do George Brent's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of all 40; across their 38 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Approval · how many liked their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Reach · how many have seen their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Midcredits score across 40 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th17
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

24 of their 40 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser24
  • Broadly Agreed6
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor

Slave Girl (1947)

69th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Baby Face (1933)

Midcredits 93rd · 83% liked

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 38 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 49. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does George Brent work with?

People who share at least 2 of George Brent's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hal B. Wallis shares the most, 15.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles