| NEVILLE BRAND came
to acting as a war hero. He enlisted at 16 and emerged the 4th most
decorated GI in WWII. He acted in training films in the Army
& used the GI Bill to study drama. With his gravelly voice and
coarse facial features, he was a natural heavy, playing Al Capone in two
movies and the series “The Untouchables”. He won top reviews for
“Riot in Cell Block 11” [1954] (nominated for a British Academy Award)
and “Birdman of Alcatraz”. What he didn’t have was the discipline
for a costarring role in a weekly series, something he admitted in a 1966
T.V. Guide interview. His drinking, a result of the horrors of war,
made him hard to deal with although he was reportedly likeable, if crude,
when sober. He was not the favorite of the directors nor with the
other actors, all of whom were consummate professionals. Carey &
Smith always knew their parts; Brown frequently memorized the whole script
& could irritate Brand by feeding him his oft-missed lines.
There was some talk of replacing him on Laredo with Claude Akins who had
a recurring role as Ranger Cotton Buckmeister in five episodes, but Brand’s
character was very popular, especially with the oldest and youngest viewers.
Peter Brown, who because of his own perfectionism would be expected
to have been the most irritated when Brand held up shooting and required
endless retakes, said that when Brand was sober, doing a scene with him
was as natural as having a conversation because Brand was so good.
Brand died in 1991 in Sacramento
of emphysema. |
Neville Brand
LAREDO's Reese Bennett
|
