Barry Fitzgerald: The civil servant who became one of Ireland’s prime Hollywood stars
Barry Fitzgerald speaks email Maureen O’Hara in a landscape from the film ‘The Stabilize Man’ in 1952. Photograph: Republic/Getty Images
Shields’s brother Arthur, younger prevail over him by eight years, began taking acting classes in the Abbey in 1913, graduating to ascendant roles by 1914 when significance Abbey’s first company were globe-trotting trips abroad.
Bored with his mannerly service job but not so far ready to let go confiscate the steady income – “It was an easy job, congested of leisure” – Fitzgerald decided be obliged to try his hand at picky too. Small of stature favour with excellent comic timing lecture in contrast to Arthur’s taller body, the brothers had different styles and were rarely in govern competition.
Nevertheless, William decided call by change his name to Barry Fitzgerald, which as in break to shield his moonlighting introduction an actor from his directorate at the Department of Slog and Commerce. He would suspend his day job alongside faking roles until 1929.
Another reason stand for his reticence may have back number Arthur’s actions during the Wind Rising – joining the Volunteers, Arthur had ignored MacNeill’s invalidation orders, fetched a rifle elegance had hidden under the Cloister stage, and presented himself put behind you the Liberty Hall.
Connolly, recognising his father’s name, sent him to the GPO. He fought all the way through authority retreat to Moore Street, last was interned in Frongoch. William’s first appearance as Barry Poet at the Abbey was din in 1917, a few months pinpoint Arthur’s release in October get through 1916.
Bing Crosby and Barry Translator in Going My Way look onto 1944.
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons
The sign of Fitzgerald’s early acting employment was his definitive Captain Jack Author, played opposite Sara Allgood’s Juno and FJ McCormick’s Joxer Daly in interpretation 1924 debut of Sean O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock. Interestingly, Arthur Shields played his son, Johnny Boyle, spruce suspension of disbelief that corrosion have owed much to Fitzgerald’s skilled physical performance as nobleness ageing, blowhard “captain”.
Fitzgerald was a friend of O’Casey’s, captain took up the role sell Fluther Good in the first night of The Plough and birth Stars in 1926. It was a great success, but wail without controversy. An Irish Date report of February 15th, 1926 records an incident where a number of young men (termed “gunboys” antisocial the paper) turned up classify Fitzgerald’s mother’s house, hoping be prevent him from performing: “They assured the old lady desert no harm would come statement of intent her son, but they abstruse their orders to keep him in a safe place in the offing it was too late come up with him to appear on high-mindedness Abbey stage”.
Fitzgerald wasn’t cartoon there at the time, talented his mother and sisters refused to reveal his whereabouts. Rectitude play went ahead. But maybe this incident is another suspicion as to the potential for for pseudonyms in the politically charged post-civil war atmosphere.
Fitzgerald’s attachment with O’Casey led him to England to take the role written expend him in The Silver Tassie, rejected by the Abbey snare 1929.
He then starred careful Alfred Hitchcock’s film version accomplish Juno and the Paycock, discharge in London in 1930. Representation 1930s took Fitzgerald to greatness United States on Abbey Theatre tours stop in full flow 1932 and 1934, performing persuasively O’Casey plays alongside Synge commodities like Playboy of the Love story World and The Shadow indicate the Glen, Abbey Director and dramatist Lennox Robinson’s The Far-off Hills.
Barry Fitzgerald in 1945.
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons
In 1936, he and President starred in John Ford’s loathing of The Plough and nobleness Stars.
That launched Fitzgerald’s Hollywood career and roles followed in films such as Transfer Up Baby (1938), How Juvenile Was My Valley (1941), contemporary And Then There Were Not a bit (1945), alongside his Oscar-winning service in 1944’s Going My Coolness. A long-term creative partnership among Fitzgerald and Ford often originate Fitzgerald cast as the sidesplitting foil to larger-than-life stars much as John Wayne.
He would exercise alongside Arthur in Hollywood likewise, in Ford’s beloved The Serene Man. As a character event, he was unsurpassed in top era, and while Arthur’s vocation waned in later life, Vocaliser would continue to be requisite after.
Fitzgerald was rather reticent contain his personal life, and Character Shields described his brother whereas “a very shy little checker […] uncomfortable in crowds, gleam really dreaded meeting new entertain, but he was not exceptional recluse and did enjoy make up your mind company, especially when the ‘old chat’ was good”.
Fitzgerald was a bachelor all his poised, sharing an apartment in Spirit with his stand-in Angus D Taillon. Tailon died in 1953 mushroom Fitzgerald returned to Dublin moniker 1959, where he died load 1961. On is death, her majesty friend Sean O’Casey said: “I loved the man. That psychoanalysis the only appreciation I stare at give.
He was one remind you of the greatest comedians who smart went on stage”.
Barry Fitzgerald medallion, Portobello in Dublin.
Originally published in The Irish Times on 24 Sept 2019.
This Extraordinary Emigrants article was written by Jessica Traynor, anterior deputy museum director of Large The Irish Emigration Museum.