German-born Henry Brandon was a character actor in American films, most
often seen in villainous roles. His parents emigrated to the US shortly
after his birth. His early interest in acting led him to study at the
acclaimed Pasadena Community Playhouse. He landed the lead villain role
in the
Stan Laurel and
Oliver Hardy film
March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934), and rapidly became a familiar
and reliable heavy in pictures both large and small. In 1936 he adopted
the stage name Henry Brandon after several years of being billed as
either Henry or Harry Kleinbach. He captivated thriller audiences as
the sinister Dr. Fu Manchu in
Drums of Fu Manchu (1943), yet balanced things by playing a
sizable number of sympathetic roles as well, such as the skilled
foreman Joe Dombrowski in
Black Legion (1937). He continued to work on stage
throughout his film career, playing the villain for many years in the
record-length run of the melodrama "The Drunkard". His sharp features
led him rather incongruously to be cast as Indian chiefs in two
John Ford
features,
The Searchers (1956) and
Two Rode Together (1961). He kept busy in films and occasional
television roles, as well as reprising his role in "The Drunkard"
onstage in the 1980s, until the end of his life. Brandon was a
confirmed bachelor.
Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II(1989)as Zarz
Murder, She Wrote(1984)as Abel Gorcey
E/R(1984)as Mr. Pavlic
To Be or Not to Be(1983)as Nazi Officer
Little House: Look Back to Yesterday(1983)as Otis Wagner
Peter Pan(1953)
The Marshal of Mesa City(1939)
Omnibus(1967)as Self
Titans of Destruction: The Evolution of Giant Monster Movies(2021)as Self
These Amazing Shadows(2011)as Scar (clip from The Searchers (1956))
Living Famously(2002)as Barnaby
Century of Cinema(1995)as Scar, 'The Searchers'
