Donald Brian (February 17, 1877 – December 22, 1948) was an actor, dancer and singer born in St. John's,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

(now

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

, Canada). In 1907, he starred in the hit operetta ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...

''.

Life and career

Brian, a

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

, was employed in a

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

machine shop and, at the age of 16, began performing with a vocal quartet. When he joined a theatrical troupe in New York City, he was soon in demand as a leading man. He had leading roles in more than 20

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

musicals. In 1915 Brian signed with film producer

Jesse L. Lasky Jesse Louis Lasky (September 13, 1880 – January 13, 1958) was an American pioneer motion picture producer who was a key founder of what was to become Paramount Pictures, and father of screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky Jr. Early life Born in to ...

to do two films, '' The Voice in the Fog'' (1915) and ''

The Smugglers ''The Smugglers'' is the completely missing first serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 10 September to 1 October 1966. In this serial, ...

'' (1916). After the latter he made no more film appearances until the sound era. His first sound film was an excerpt of his role in ''Peggy O'Hooligan'' (1925), made in the DeForest

Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. In 1919 and 1920, de Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film process, DeForest Phonofi ...

sound-on-film process. Brian was president of the Catholic Actors Guild of America. He was married twice—to Florence Meagher Gleason Pope in 1910, and second to stage actres
Virginia O'Brien
1896-?) (not to be confused with the film actress born 1919). He and O'Brien had one daughter, Denise.''Great Stars of the American Stage'' (Profile #72) by Daniel C. Blum c. 1952 (reprint 1954) Brian died on December 22, 1948, in

Great Neck, New York Great Neck is a region contained within Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, on Long Island, which covers a peninsula on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore and includes nine incorporated villages, among th ...

, aged 73.

Selected Broadway musicals and operettas

* 1899 – ''On the Wabash'' * 1902 – ''

Florodora ''Florodora'' is an Edwardian musical comedy. After its long run in London, it became one of the first successful Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals of the 20th century. The book was written by Jimmy Davis under the pseudonym Owen Hall, the mus ...

'' * 1904 – ''

Little Johnny Jones ''Little Johnny Jones'' is a musical by George M. Cohan. The show introduced Cohan's tunes " Give My Regards to Broadway" and " The Yankee Doodle Boy." The "Yankee Doodle" character was inspired by real-life Hall of Fame jockey Tod Sloan. Ba ...

'' * 1906 – '' Forty-five Minutes from Broadway'' * 1907 – ''

'' * 1909 – '' The Dollar Princess'' * 1911 – '' The Siren'' * 1913 - '' The Marriage Market'' * 1914 – '' The Girl From Utah'' * 1916 – '' Sybil'' * 1918 – '' The Girl Behind the Gun'' * 1919 – '' Buddies'' * 1921 – '' The Chocolate Soldier'' * 1922 – ''Up She Goes'' * 1925 – ''Peggy O'Hooligan'' * 1926 – ''

No, No, Nanette ''No, No, Nanette'' is a musical with a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play ''My Lady Friends''; lyrics by Irving Caesar and Harbach; and music by Vincent Youmans. The farcical story centers on three coup ...

'' * 1939 – ''

Very Warm for May ''Very Warm for May'' is a musical composed by Jerome Kern, with a libretto by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was the team's final score for Broadway, following their hits ''Show Boat'', '' Sweet Adeline'', and '' Music in the Air''. It marked a retur ...

References

External links

* * *
Who's Who in MusicalsDonald Brian
University of Washington, Sayre collection
Donald Brian
NY Public Library, Billy Rose collection
Mrs. Donald Brian (Florence Gleason Brian) with Eugene Walter and Charlotte Walker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brian, Donald 1877 births 1948 deaths Entertainers from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Pre-Confederation Newfoundland and Labrador people 20th-century Canadian male actors Canadian tenors Canadian male stage actors Immigrants to the United States Newfoundland Colony people

Life and career

Selected Broadway musicals and operettas

See also

References

Further reading

External links