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Barry Fitzgerald

Barry Fitzgerald

Actor · Died January 14, 1961, aged 72 · 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.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 9, 1888
Died
January 14, 1961 (aged 72)
From
Dublin, Ireland
Works as
Actor
Titles
29 on MovieCove · 49 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 48% in 30 days

What are Barry Fitzgerald's films like?

Across their 25 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 52nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile
: browse their Action 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
28%
Power
15%
Survival
10%
Society
9%
Self
7%
Family bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 25 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 12 · Serious 5 · Dark 8

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

Grounded 17 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 5 · Charged 12 · Intense 8

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

Steady 10 · Shifting 14 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 4

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

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 15 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 16 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 21 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

19 analyzed roles

Usually the Trickster: 7 of 19 analyzed roles.

Trickster
7 of 19
Ally
5 of 19
Mentor
3 of 19
Threshold guardian
2 of 19
Hero
1 of 19
Shadow
1 of 19
Show the 19 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Warm
11
Joyful
8
Melancholic
6
Hopeful
6
Other
20

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous3

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 Barry Fitzgerald's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 29 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Barry Fitzgerald'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

49 credits, 29 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Play of the Week (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Broth of a Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Patrick Farrell

  • Rooney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Grandfather

  • The Catered Affair(1956)

    as Jack Conlon

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Harold 'Stretch' Sears

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Santa Claus and the Tenth Avenue Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Harold "Stretch" Sears

  • Happy Ever After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Thady O'Heggarty

  • General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Quiet Man(1952)

    as Michaleen Oge Flynn

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Ha da venì... don Calogero! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Don Calogero

  • Silver City(1951)

    as R.R. Jarboe

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Union Station(1950)

    as Inspector Donnelly

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Lux Video Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 1 episode · as Barry Flynn

  • The Story of Seabiscuit(1949)

    as Shawn O'Hara

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Top o' the Morning(1949)

    as Sergeant Briany McNaughton

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Miss Tatlock's Millions(1948)

    as Denno Noonan

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Sainted Sisters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Robbie McCleary

  • The Naked City(1948)

    as Lt. Dan Muldoon

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Variety Girl(1947)

    as Barry Fitzgerald

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Welcome Stranger(1947)

    as Dr. Joseph McRory

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Easy Come, Easy Go(1947)

    as Martin L. Donovan

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • California(1947)

    as Michael Fabian

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Two Years Before the Mast(1946)

    as Terence O'Feenaghty

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Stork Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Jerry B. 'J.B.' / 'Pop' Bates

  • And Then There Were None(1945)

    as Francis Quinncannon

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Duffy's Tavern (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Bing Crosby's Father

  • Incendiary Blonde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Michael 'Mike' Guinan

  • None But the Lonely Heart(1944)

    as Henry Twite

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • I Love a Soldier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Murphy

  • Going My Way(1944)

    as Father Fitzgibbon

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Corvette K-225(1943)

    as Stooky

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Two Tickets to London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Capt. McCardle

  • The Amazing Mrs. Holliday(1943)

    as Timothy Blake

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Tarzan's Secret Treasure(1941)

    as Dennis O'Doul

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • How Green Was My Valley(1941)

    as Cyfartha

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Sea Wolf(1941)

    as Cooky

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • San Francisco Docks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as The Icky

  • The Long Voyage Home(1940)

    as Cocky

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Full Confession (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Michael O'Keefe

  • The Saint Strikes Back(1939)

    as Zipper Dyson

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Pacific Liner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Britches

  • The Dawn Patrol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Bott

  • Marie Antoinette(1938)

    as Peddler (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Four Men and a Prayer(1938)

    as Mulcahay

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Bringing Up Baby(1938)

    as Mr. Gogarty

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Ebb Tide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Huish

  • The Plough and the Stars(1936)

    as Fluther Good

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Guests of The Nation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Captured British soldier

  • Juno and the Paycock(1930)

    as The Orator

    Midcredits score: 4th 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 49 titles from 1930 to 1959.

Biggest box office

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

$14K worldwide

Highest rated

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Midcredits 96th

Film career

Top draw in 6 MovieCove titles.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting49 of 49: 49 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score70th

By decade

1930s11 · acting1940s25 · acting1950s13 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 21% of 14 roles
3045

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 Barry Fitzgerald's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 28; across their 25 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Approval · how many liked their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Reach · how many have seen their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Midcredits score across 29 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 29 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

Easy Come, Easy Go (1947)

52nd percentile spread · 19% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Midcredits 96th · 83% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 24 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 45. 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.

Is Barry Fitzgerald's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles7–37 · median 21 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles1–7 · median 6 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles1–9 · median 3 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles20–39 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 21 · mildMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Barry Fitzgerald work with?

People who share at least 2 of Barry Fitzgerald's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Ford shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles