Barry Fitzgerald

1.1. Birth and family

William Joseph Shields was born on 10 March 1888, in Walworth Road, Portobello, Dublin, Ireland. His father, Adolphus Shields, was Irish, and his mother, Fanny Sophia (née Ungerland), was German. He was the older brother of Arthur Shields, who also became a notable Irish actor.

1.2. Education and early career

Fitzgerald attended Skerry's College in Dublin. Following his education, he began a career in the civil service, starting as a junior clerk at the Dublin Board of Trade in 1911. He later transitioned to working for the unemployment office, a role he described as "an easy job, full of leisure." This period of stable employment allowed him to pursue his burgeoning interest in acting on a part-time basis before committing fully to his theatrical ambitions.

2.1. Abbey Theatre period

Fitzgerald's interest in acting led him to amateur dramatic societies, including the Kincora Players. In 1915, he joined his brother, Arthur Shields, at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. He adopted the stage name Barry Fitzgerald to avoid potential issues with his superiors in the civil service, where he still worked. His early appearances at the Abbey included minor roles, such as bit parts in plays like The Casting Out of Martin Whelan and a four-word role in The Critic.

His breakthrough at the Abbey came in 1919 with his performance in The Dragon by Lady Gregory. Despite this success, he continued to act part-time, maintaining his civil service job during the day until 1929. During this period, he also appeared in plays such as The Bribe, An Imaginary Conversation, and John Bull's Other Island. In 1924, Fitzgerald's weekly salary at the Abbey was 2.1 GBP. That same year, he gained significant acclaim for his role as Captain Jack Boyle in the world premiere of Seán O'Casey's renowned play Juno and the Paycock.

In 1925, he received further praise for his performance in Paul Twyning. The following year, he played Fluther Good in the premiere of O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars, a play that sparked considerable controversy, leading to riots and protests. During one incident in February 1926, three gunmen attempted to kidnap Fitzgerald from his mother's house to prevent the play's performance, but they failed to locate him. Other notable Abbey appearances included The Far Off Hills, Shadow of a Gunman, and The Playboy. O'Casey specifically wrote a part for Fitzgerald in The Silver Tassie, but the play was rejected by the Abbey. When it was picked up for production in London in 1929, Fitzgerald, at the age of 41, made the pivotal decision to leave his civil service job and become a full-time actor.

2.2. Transition to Hollywood

Fitzgerald made his film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's 1930 version of Juno and the Paycock, which was filmed in London. In early 1931, he toured England with a production of Paul Twyning before returning to Ireland to perform the play at the Abbey in June of that year. Between 1931 and 1936, he appeared in three plays by Irish playwright Teresa Deevy: A Disciple, In Search of Valour, and Katie Roche, all of which were Abbey Theatre productions.

In 1932, Fitzgerald traveled to the United States with the Abbey Players, appearing in Things That Are Caesar's and The Far-off Hills. He and the Players returned to the US in 1934 for a repertory tour across the country, performing plays such as The Plough and the Stars, Drama at Inish, The Far-off Hills, Look at the Heffernans, The Playboy of the Western World, The Shadow of the Glen, Church Street, The Well of the Saints, and Juno and the Paycock. He also appeared in a short Irish silent film, Guests of the Nation (1935), which was initially released only in Ireland and not distributed internationally until 2011.

In March 1936, Fitzgerald, along with three other Abbey members, arrived in Hollywood to star in the film adaptation of The Plough and the Stars, directed by John Ford. Fitzgerald decided to remain in Hollywood, where he quickly found consistent employment as a character actor. He took on supporting roles in films such as Ebb Tide (1937) at Paramount Pictures, Bringing Up Baby (1938) at RKO Pictures, Four Men and a Prayer (1938) directed by John Ford for 20th Century-Fox, and The Dawn Patrol (1938) at Warner Bros. Pictures.

Fitzgerald continued his film work at RKO with Pacific Liner (1939) alongside Victor McLaglen, and two films directed by John Farrow, The Saint Strikes Back (1939) and Full Confession (1939). Between these films, he returned to Broadway in 1939 for The White Steed. After Full Confession, he went back to Broadway for Kindred (1939-40) and a successful revival of Juno and the Paycock (1940), which ran for 105 performances.

Back in Hollywood, Fitzgerald reunited with John Ford for The Long Voyage Home (1940). He appeared in San Francisco Docks (1940) at Universal Pictures and The Sea Wolf (1941) at Warner Bros., before collaborating with Ford again on How Green Was My Valley (1941) for Fox. He also worked for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941). Fitzgerald and his brother Arthur Shields starred together on Broadway in Tanyard Street (1941), directed by Shields. Although the play had a short run, Fitzgerald's personal performances received excellent reviews, with The New York Times calling him "the incarnation of the comic spirit. People start laughing the moment he pokes his squint face on set." Returning to Hollywood, Fitzgerald appeared in a series of Universal films: The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943), Two Tickets to London (1943), and Corvette K-225 (1943).

2.3. "Going My Way" and stardom

Fitzgerald unexpectedly rose to leading man status when Leo McCarey cast him opposite Bing Crosby in Going My Way, released by Paramount in 1944. The film was a tremendous success, and Fitzgerald's portrayal of Father Fitzgibbon earned him nominations for both the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (which he won) and the Academy Award for Best Actor. This dual nomination for the same role was unprecedented, leading the Academy to change its voting rules shortly thereafter to prevent similar occurrences.

An avid golfer, Fitzgerald later accidentally decapitated his Oscar statuette while practicing his golf swing. Due to wartime metal shortages during World War II, Oscar statuettes were made of plaster instead of gold-plated bronze. The Academy provided Fitzgerald with a replacement statuette.

Following the success of Going My Way, Paramount signed Fitzgerald to a long-term contract. The studio cast him in a supporting role in I Love a Soldier (1944), and he was loaned to RKO for None But the Lonely Heart (1944). In March 1944, Fitzgerald was involved in a car accident that resulted in the death of a woman and injury to her daughter. He was charged with manslaughter but was acquitted in January 1945 due to a lack of evidence. By January 1945, his fee was reportedly 75.00 K USD per film.

2.4. Later career

Back at Paramount, Fitzgerald supported Alan Ladd in Two Years Before the Mast, a film made in 1944 by John Farrow but not released until 1946. He also supported Betty Hutton in Incendiary Blonde (1945) and The Stork Club (1945). In between these projects, he made a cameo appearance as himself in Duffy's Tavern (1945) and was loaned to United Artists to play the lead in And Then There Were None (1945), based on the novel and play by Agatha Christie.

Fitzgerald made two more films with John Farrow: California (1947) with Ray Milland, and Easy Come, Easy Go (1947), in which he received top billing. Paramount reunited Fitzgerald with Bing Crosby in Welcome Stranger (1947), and he appeared in another cameo as himself in Variety Girl (1947).

Mark Hellinger borrowed Fitzgerald to play the lead in the successful cop film The Naked City (1948) for Universal. Returning to Paramount, he was featured in The Sainted Sisters (1948) and Miss Tatlock's Millions (1948), followed by a third film with Crosby, Top o' the Morning (1949).

Fitzgerald then moved to Warner Bros. for The Story of Seabiscuit (1949) with Shirley Temple, and subsequently to Paramount for Union Station (1950) with William Holden and Silver City (1951) with Yvonne de Carlo. He made his television debut in 1950 with an episode of The Ford Theatre Hour titled "The White-Headed Boy".

In 1952, Fitzgerald traveled to Italy to star in the comedy Ha da venì... don Calogero. John Ford then gave him third billing in the classic film The Quiet Man (1952), which was notably shot in Ireland. He later appeared with De Carlo and David Niven in Happy Ever After (1954). Fitzgerald also made television appearances on episodes of Lux Video Theatre, General Electric Theater, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He took on a supporting role in MGM's The Catered Affair (1956) and was top-billed in the British comedy Rooney (1958). His final film role was top-billed in the Irish film Broth of a Boy (1959).

4.1. Major awards and honors

For his role as Father Fitzgibbon in Going My Way (1944), Barry Fitzgerald received several prestigious awards:

• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor**: 1944, for Going My Way.
• Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture**: 1944, for Going My Way.
• New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor**: 1944, for Going My Way.

He was also simultaneously nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the same performance in Going My Way, a unique occurrence that led to a change in Academy voting rules.

In 2020, The Irish Times listed him at number 11 on their list of Ireland's greatest film actors. Fitzgerald is honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for motion pictures at 6252 Hollywood Boulevard and another for television at 7001 Hollywood Boulevard.

5.1. Filmography

5.2. Radio appearances