Neville Brand

Gravel-voiced, Neville Brand started his big screen career in D.O.A. as a henchman. The worst career role of his life was to kill the Elvis Presley character in Love Me Tender[?]. He played the villain in so many movies, his personal persona became affected, culminating in a television interview with the actor moving about in agitation repeating, "I'm a loser. I'm a loser." However, he played a very romantic lead in the movie Return From the Sea with Jan Sterling[?] and a heartwarming character who was brain damaged[?] and misunderstood in an episode of the TV show Daniel Boone[?].

Of the hundreds of roles he has played, he is probly most well known as Al Capone in the TV show The Untouchables[?]. The characterization caused an outcry from the Italian-American community over stereotypes. Many will remember him as Bull, the prison guard of The Birdman of Alkatraz[?], and as the antagonistic prisoner in Stalag 17. Known also for his cowboy roles, he stared in his own TV series, Laredo[?], with William Smith[?], Peter Brown, and Claude Akins[?]. One of the most heart wrenching scenes on TV showed Brand's character, Reese Bennet, waiting in torment when he realizes he has been stood up by the love of his life. One of the funnier moments was the twin episode in which gruff and dusty Reese has an immaculate and proper lookalike that confounds the other Texas Rangers.

Brand is vastly underated by some accounts, and his acting was on par with James Cagney, except for musicals. His range of emotion was exceptioal and his ability to make an audience believe he was the character was deep, even to his own detriment.

Movie/TV List

• D.O.A.[?]
• Return From The Sea[?]
• The Birdman Of Alcatraz[?]
• Backtrack[?] (a compilation of a few Laredo episodes)
• Love Me Tender[?]
• Charge At Feather River[?] (the first 3-D movie[?])
• Tora! Tora! Tora!
• Captains Couragous[?]