Barry Fitzgerald

Barry Fitzgerald (10 March 1888 – 14 January 1961) was an Irish stage, film and television actor. In a career spanning almost forty years, he appeared in such notable films as Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Long Voyage Home (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), None but the Lonely Heart (1944) and The Quiet Man (1952). For Going My Way (1944), he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and was simultaneously nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. 2Life He was born William Joseph Shields in Walworth Road, Portobello, Dublin, Ireland, the son of Fanny (Ungerland) and Adolphus Shields. His father was Irish and his mother was German. He was the older brother of Irish actor Arthur Shields. He went to Skerry's College, Dublin, before going on to work in the civil service, while also working at the Abbey Theatre. His career with the Abbey Theatre was from 1914–1936 where he was involved in numerous productions. By 1929, he turned to acting full-time. He was briefly a roommate of famed playwright Seán O'Casey and starred in such plays as O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock and the premiere of The Silver Tassi