Barry Fitzgerald
Biography
Barry Fitzgerald was an Irish actor of theater, film and television. Born William Joseph Shields in Dublin, he acted with amateur companies before joining the Abbey Theatre in 1915. He appeared in the first productions of Sean O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock and The Plough and the Stars, and in 1929 he left the civil service to act full time. His film debut came in Hitchcock's Juno and the Paycock (1930), and he settled in Hollywood after John Ford's The Plough and the Stars (1936). Among his credits were The Quiet Man (1952), The Sea Wolf (1941), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Going My Way (1944) and How Green Was My Valley (1941). For Going My Way he won the supporting actor Oscar and was also nominated for best actor for the same part, a double that soon changed the voting rules. He later worked in television, including episodes of General Electric Theater and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
72years old at death
- Born Dublin
- Died Dublin
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
- William Joseph Shields (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 17
- Career span
- 26 years1930 to 1956
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Behind the award
Barry Fitzgerald won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Going My Way and was nominated for Best Actor for the same performance, a double nomination that led the Academy to change its voting rules.
About the name
Fitzgerald chose his stage name so his superiors at the civil service would not find out about his acting work.
A change of course
Fitzgerald kept acting part-time until 1929, and during the day he held on to his job in the civil service.
First role
Barry Fitzgerald's first film part came in the 1930 picture Juno and the Paycock, which Alfred Hitchcock directed and which was shot in London.
Big break
In 1919, Fitzgerald gave the performance at the Abbey that made his name, appearing in Lady Gregory's play The Dragon.
Big break
O'Casey created a role just for Fitzgerald in The Silver Tassie, but the Abbey turned the play down. It was then taken up for a London production in 1929, and Fitzgerald quit his civil service job to join it.
Barry Fitzgerald movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
John Ford directed five of these films. Arthur Shields appears in four of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Arthur Shields's page
Ward Bond's page
John Wayne's page
Cary Grant's page
Barbara Stanwyck's page
David Niven's page
All films by John Ford
Also two films together15 more actors
- Donald CrispHow Green Was My Valley (1941) and The Dawn Patrol (1938)
- C. Aubrey SmithAnd Then There Were None (1945) and Four Men and a Prayer (1938)
- Gene LockhartGoing My Way (1944) and The Sea Wolf (1941)
- George CoulourisCalifornia (1947) and None But the Lonely Heart (1944)
- Billy BevanThe Long Voyage Home (1940) and Bringing Up Baby (1938)
- James BurkeCalifornia (1947) and The Dawn Patrol (1938)
- Maureen O'HaraThe Quiet Man (1952) and How Green Was My Valley (1941)
- Harry HaydenUnion Station (1950) and Four Men and a Prayer (1938)
- Sara AllgoodHow Green Was My Valley (1941) and Juno and the Paycock (1930)
- Mildred NatwickThe Quiet Man (1952) and The Long Voyage Home (1940)
- Roman BohnenCalifornia (1947) and None But the Lonely Heart (1944)
- Tom DillonThe Catered Affair (1956) and Going My Way (1944)
- Morton LowryHow Green Was My Valley (1941) and The Dawn Patrol (1938)
- June DuprezAnd Then There Were None (1945) and None But the Lonely Heart (1944)
- Eileen CroweThe Quiet Man (1952) and The Plough and the Stars (1936)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Barry Fitzgerald's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$29.0 million
6 of the 17 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 17 films: 6 worldwide figure; 1 us gross only; 10 figure not found.
- 6Worldwide figure
- 1US gross only
- 10Figure not found
Highest grossing
The six biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$16M56.1% of the total
- 2$4.8M16.5% of the total
- 3$3.8M13.1% of the total
- 4$1.9M6.5% of the total
- 5$1.3M4.3% of the total
- 6$1.0M3.4% of the total
Awards
Two awards and honors, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1945 | Best Supporting Actor | Going My Way | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.