Walter Brennan

Walter Brennan, (25 July 1894 - 21 September 1974) was a veteran character actor, notably in westerns. He holds the distinction of having won more Academy Awards for acting than any other male actor.

Brennan was born in Swampscott, Massachusetts, and studied engineering in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While in school, he became interested in acting, and began to perform in vaudeville. After serving in World War I, he moved to Guatemala and raised pineapples, before settling in Los Angeles, California.

After working as an extra and a stunt man, he began receiving more substantial roles in the 1930s, culminating with the receiving of the very first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1937 for Come and Get It.

Other films included Red River, Rio Bravo, My Darling Clementine, Meet John Doe, The Pride of the Yankees, To Have and Have Not, Bad Day at Black Rock and How the West Was Won. In the 1950s, he starred in the television series The Real McCoys, and appeared in several other movies and television programs, usually as an eccentric "old-timer". He also made a few recordings, the most popular being "Old Rivers" in 1962.

He was inducted into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1970.

On his death in 1974, Walter Brennan was interred in San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Academy Awards and Nominations

  • 1942 - Nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Sergeant York
  • 1941 - Won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for The Westerner
  • 1939 - Won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Kentucky
  • 1937 - Won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Come and Get It



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. Leo Carrillo died of cancer in 1961 and was interred in the Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica. On his death in 1974, Walter Brennan was interred in San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. The Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park in Carlsbad, California is a registered California Historical Site. He was inducted into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1970. As a result of his service to the State, the Leo Carrillo State Park, west of Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway, was named in his honor, And the city of Westminster, California named an elementary school for him. He also made a few recordings, the most popular being "Old Rivers" in 1962. He was eventually made a goodwill ambassador by the State Governor.

In the 1950s, he starred in the television series The Real McCoys, and appeared in several other movies and television programs, usually as an eccentric "old-timer". A preservationist and conservationist, Carrillo served on the California Beach and Parks commission for eighteen years, and played a key role in the state's acquisition of Hearst Castle at San Simeon, the Los Angeles Arboretum, and the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Other films included Red River, Rio Bravo, My Darling Clementine, Meet John Doe, The Pride of the Yankees, To Have and Have Not, Bad Day at Black Rock and How the West Was Won. In Hollywood, he appeared in more than 90 films in which he played supporting or character roles. However, he is best remembered from the television show, the "Cisco Kid", on which he played Pancho, a role he had previously carried out in several films. After working as an extra and a stunt man, he began receiving more substantial roles in the 1930s, culminating with the receiving of the very first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1937 for Come and Get It. A college graduate, Leo Carrillo worked as a newspaper cartoonist before turning to acting on Broadway. After serving in World War I, he moved to Guatemala and raised pineapples, before settling in Los Angeles, California. Proud of his heritage, he wrote a book titled The California I Love that was published just before his death in 1961.

While in school, he became interested in acting, and began to perform in vaudeville. The family moved from San Diego to Los Angeles then to Santa Monica, where Leo Carrillo's father served as the city's first mayor. Brennan was born in Swampscott, Massachusetts, and studied engineering in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His great-grandfather was the first provisional governor of California, and his grandfather Pedro Carrillo had been sent east to be educated in Boston. He holds the distinction of having won more Academy Awards for acting than any other male actor. Although he played stereotypical Latinos, Leo Carrillo was part of an old and respected Los Angeles family who could trace his roots back to the conquistadores. Walter Brennan, (25 July 1894 - 21 September 1974) was a veteran character actor, notably in westerns. Leo Carrillo, born August 6, 1880 in Los Angeles, California - died September 10, 1961 in Santa Monica, California, was an actor and conservationist.

1937 - Won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Come and Get It. 1939 - Won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Kentucky. 1941 - Won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for The Westerner. 1942 - Nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Sergeant York.