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| Also Known As: | John Benjamin Ireland | Died: | March 21, 1992 |
| Born: | January 30, 1914 | Cause of Death: | leukemia |
| Birth Place: | Vancouver, British Columbia, CA | Profession: | actor, director, professional swimmer, barker |
Biography CLOSE THE FULL BIOGRAPHY
Tall, lean former professional swimmer who appeared on Broadway and toured in Shakespeare in the late 1930s and early 40s before entering film in the mid-40s. A supporting actor in several notable Westerns including "My Darling Clementine" (1946) and "Red River" (1948) and a lead in small noirs likes "Railroaded" (1947), Ireland was nominated for an Oscar for his forceful performance as the newspaper reporter who evolves from devotee to cynical denouncer of demagogue Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) in "All the King's Men" (1949). A prolific performer in films and early TV, Ireland had made the transition to supporting roles by the mid-50s, playing cynical villains in films like "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1956), "Spartacus" (1960) and "55 Days at Peking" (1962). By the late 60s he was turning up as the star of B-films and second-rate Italian productions like "The House of the Seven Corpses" (1974), "Salon Kitty" (1976) and "Satan's Cheerleaders" (1977), as well as appearing in big-budget fare such as "The Adventurers" (1970). Ireland regularly returned to the stage throughout his career and co-directed two features in the 1950s: "Outlaw Territory/Hannah Lee" (1953) and "The Fast and the...
Tall, lean former professional swimmer who appeared on Broadway and toured in Shakespeare in the late 1930s and early 40s before entering film in the mid-40s. A supporting actor in several notable Westerns including "My Darling Clementine" (1946) and "Red River" (1948) and a lead in small noirs likes "Railroaded" (1947), Ireland was nominated for an Oscar for his forceful performance as the newspaper reporter who evolves from devotee to cynical denouncer of demagogue Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) in "All the King's Men" (1949).
A prolific performer in films and early TV, Ireland had made the transition to supporting roles by the mid-50s, playing cynical villains in films like "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1956), "Spartacus" (1960) and "55 Days at Peking" (1962). By the late 60s he was turning up as the star of B-films and second-rate Italian productions like "The House of the Seven Corpses" (1974), "Salon Kitty" (1976) and "Satan's Cheerleaders" (1977), as well as appearing in big-budget fare such as "The Adventurers" (1970). Ireland regularly returned to the stage throughout his career and co-directed two features in the 1950s: "Outlaw Territory/Hannah Lee" (1953) and "The Fast and the Furious" (1954). He was married to actresses Elaine Sheldon (1940-49), Joanne Dru (1949-56) and Daphne Myrick Cameron (from 1962).
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CAST: (feature film)
Milestones close milestones
Notes
"Ugliest of heroes, most attractively-voiced of villains, Ireland had a photogenic physical ambivalence which gave tension to his performances at any point on the moral spectrum."--Tom Rutherford (FILM DOPE, Number 27, July 1983)
Wrote the lyrics to the song "No Head on My Pillow"
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