Brian Donlevy's life began with a burst of color, much like the characters he portrayed on stage and screen. At the age of 14, he lied about his age to join the army in 1916, serving with the expedition to invade Mexico under General John J. Pershing's command. He later became a pilot with the Lafayette Flying Corps during World War I, flying with the Lafayette Escadrille, a unit of the French Air Force comprised of American and Canadian pilots.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Donlevy spent two years at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, but ultimately gave up on a military career to pursue the stage. After landing several smaller roles, he established himself with a part in "What Price Glory" and went on to appear in "Three for One", "The Milky Way", and "Life Begins at 8:30".
Donlevy's Hollywood career began with the silent film "A Man of Quality" in 1926, followed by his first talkie, "Gentlemen of the Press", in 1929. There was a five- to six-year gap before he reappeared on the film scene in 1935 with three pictures, including "Mary Burns, Fugitive", "Another Face", and "Barbary Coast", which cemented his reputation as a tough guy in black.
Receiving rave reviews, Donlevy's acting jobs began to roll in, starring in seven films in 1936, including "Strike Me Pink", opposite Eddie Cantor. He went on to star in at least 89 films, reprising one of his Broadway roles as a prizefighter in "The Milky Way" and having his own television series, "Dangerous Assignment", which he also produced.
In 1939, Donlevy received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the sadistic Sgt. Markoff in "Beau Geste", and he later reprised the role in "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek". Donlevy's ability to bring a soft side to his roughest characters was his calling card, a skill he perfected and few have mastered since.
Donlevy's personal life was marked by two marriages, first to singer Marjorie Lane, with whom he had a daughter, Judy, before divorcing in 1947. He remarried in 1966 to Lillian, the ex-wife of Bela Lugosi, and they remained together until his death in 1972.
In his later years, Donlevy derived great pleasure from his interests in gold mining and writing poetry, and he retired to Palm Springs, California, where he began writing short stories and supplementing his income from a prosperous California tungsten mine he owned. After undergoing throat surgery in 1971, Donlevy re-entered the hospital and passed away from cancer on April 6, 1972, at the age of 70.
