The Edmond O'Brien Centennial

Oscar-winning actor Edmond O'Brien was born in New York City 100 years ago today, September 10, 1915.

O'Brien made his film debut opposite Maureen O'Hara in THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1939).

His superb filmography ranges from Deanna Durbin musicals to Westerns, Shakespeare to crime films; indeed, if only O'Brien's film noir and crime films survived, he'd still deserve a very notable place in film history for those titles alone.

Edmond OBrien won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA (1954). He was nominated again for SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (1964).

After a year-long marriage to Nancy Kelly, O'Brien was married for the better part of three decades to Olga San Juan. They divorced in 1976, but neither remarried before O'Brien's passing on May 9, 1985. Olga San Juan died in 2009. The O'Brien children include actors Maria O'Brien and Brendan O'Brien and producer Bridget O'Brien Adelman.

The sheer volume of Edmond O'Brien films reviewed here gives a great indication of how much I enjoy his work! He's never anything less than compelling. My favorite O'Brien films are as diverse a grouping as his overall filmography, including THE AMAZING MRS. HOLLIDAY (1943) with Deanna Durbin:

THE KILLERS (1946) with Sam Levene:

WHITE HEAT (1949) with James Cagney:

D.O.A. (1950) with Pamela Britton:

711 OCEAN DRIVE (1950) with Joanne Dru:

...and COW COUNTRY (1953) with Helen Westcott:

Edmond O'Brien movies reviewed at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings: A GIRL, A GUY, AND A GOB (1941), THE AMAZING MRS. HOLLIDAY (1943), THE KILLERS (1946), FOR THE LOVE OF MARY (1948), WHITE HEAT (1949), BACKFIRE (1950), BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN (1950), 711 OCEAN DRIVE (1950), D.O.A. (1950), THE ADMIRAL WAS A LADY (1950), SILVER CITY (1951), DENVER AND RIO GRANDE (1951), TWO OF A KIND (1951), WARPATH (1951), THE TURNING POINT (1952) (also here), COW COUNTRY (1953) (also here), MAN IN THE DARK (1953), THE HITCH-HIKER (1953), PETE KELLY'S BLUES (1955), A CRY IN THE NIGHT (1956) (also here), THE BIG LAND (1957), THE WORLD WAS HIS JURY (1958), THE GREAT IMPOSTOR (1960), THE LAST VOYAGE (1960), THE LONGEST DAY (1962), and SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (1964) (also here).

Other notable Edmond O'Brien films include: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1939), A DOUBLE LIFE (1947), ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST (1948), AN ACT OF MURDER (1948), JULIUS CAESAR (1953), THE BIGAMIST (1953), THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA (1954), THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT (1956), 1984 (1956), UP PERISCOPE (1959), THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962), BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1962), FANTASTIC VOYAGE (1966), and THE WILD BUNCH (1969).

Update: Here are reviews of THE BIGAMIST (1953), THE WEB (1947) (also here), A DOUBLE LIFE (1947), and AN ACT OF MURDER (1948).

2016 Update: I've paid tribute to O'Brien at ClassicFlix and recommended several favorite O'Brien films.

Also, here's a visit to O'Brien's gravesite at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

2019 Update: My post A Tribute to Edmond O'Brien was adapted from my ClassicFlix piece and includes many review links.