Irish-born actor George Brent was the star of about 300 plays and 100 films including "Dark Victory" and "Jezebel."
Brent's screen personality—the black, slicked hair and gentle mustache-quirking smile—was first seen by American audiences in the Broadway play "Love, Honor and Betray."
That play was a flop, but it helped bring Brent to the notice of motion pictures. It did the same for another youngster in the company, Clark Gable, who had no mustache at the time.
"He stole that damn mustache from me," Brent said in later years. "And he stole a lot of girls, too...."
Not all of them, however. His first film was "The Rich Are Always With Us," with Ruth Chatterton. Brent married his costar while making their second picture together, "The Crash." The marriage failed eight months later, as did others to actresses Constance Worth and Ann Sheridan. Sheridan announced the end of their nine-month marriage just five days before Brent quit pictures to become an Air Force flight instructor in late 1942.
During his career, Brent worked with such actress as Bette Davis (his costar in "Jezebel" and "Dark Victory") and with Claudette Colbert, Greta Garbo, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Blondell and Loretta Young.
His films included "'Til We Meet Again," "Honeymoon for Three," "Racket Buster," "Wings of the Navy," "The Fighting 69th" and "Weekend Marriage."
Brent's final film was the 1978 "Born Again" story of Watergate figure Charles Colson, in which he had a cameo role as a judge.
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