Biography for
Neville Brand More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

13 August 1920, Griswold, Iowa, USA

Date of Death

16 April 1992, Sacramento, California, USA (emphysema)

Height

5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Biography

Neville Brand joined the US Army in 1939, bent on a career in the military. It was while he was in the army that he made his acting debut, in Army training films, and this experience apparently changed the direction of his life. Once a civilian again, he used his GI Bill education assistance to study drama with the American Theater Wing and then appeared in several Broadway plays. His film debut was in Port of New York (1949). Among his earliest films was the Oscar-winning Stalag 17 (1953). His heavy features and gravelly voice made Brand a natural tough guy (and he wasn't just a "movie" tough guy--he was among the most highly decorated American soldiers in World War Ii, fighting in the Pacific against the Japanese). "With this kisser, I knew early in the game I wasn't going to make the world forget Clark Gable," he once told a reporter. He played Al Capone in The George Raft Story (1961), The Scarface Mob (1959) (TV), and TV's "The Untouchables" (1959). Among his other memorable roles are the sympathetic guard in Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) and the representative of rioting convicts in Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954). Perhaps his best-known role was that of the soft-hearted, loud-mouthed, none-too-bright but very effective Texas Ranger Reese Bennett of Backtrack! (1969), Three Guns for Texas (1968), and TV's "Laredo" (1965).

IMDb Mini Biography By: Kat Parsons <fke2d@Virginia.EDU> (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)

Spouse

Mae Brand

(? - 16 April 1992) (his death) 2 children

Trivia

Neville Brand was regularly cited as the 4th most decorated soldier in WWII, but that information is incorrect and was denied by Brand before his death. He was, however, according to official military records, the recipient of the Silver Star for gallantry in combat. His other awards and decorations are the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Ribbon, the European/African/Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with three Battle Stars, one Overseas Service Bar, one Service Stripe, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.

Personal Quotes

[on playing villains] I don't go in thinking he's a villain. The audience might, but the villain doesn't think he's a villain. Even a killer condones what he's done. I just create this human being under the circumstances that are given. I don't think he's a villain. Everybody just condones his own actions.