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PORTRAIT of
an ACTOR
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. Brion Aherne, cultured Englishman, actor of infinite variety,
ponders on the many roles he has played for Hollywood. His next
two are in "Gribouille" and "Hired Wife."
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-rf J HMS
. Period octor in "The Great
Garrick," with Warners' Olivia
de Havilland.
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. Hard-boiled archaeologist in
MGM's "I Live My Life," which
starred Joan Crawford.
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. Australian bush hero in
Hal Roach's New South Wales
adventure, "Captain Fury."
BRIAN AHERNE SERVED HIS
STAGE APPRENTICESHIP
IN AUSTRALIA
From CHRISTINE WEBB, in Hollywood
IT was Thursday night at
Ciro's, our fashionable
night club, and Brian Aherne
was guest of honor at his own
birthday party.
I watched his peculiarly
happy table from across the
floor-noting that his young
wife, Joan Fontaine, looked
radiant: that Jimmy Stewart,
Olivia de Havilland, the Rath-
bones, the Herbert Marshalls
were among the guests. Then
the man by my side spoke . . .
"Aherne's one fellow who'll
never wear out his welcome on
the screen."
Growing popularity
rpHAT comment tied up with the
opinion of Hollywood-a Holly-
wood which, like his ever-growing
public, turns confidently to Aherne
for any type of role.
This tall, lean, smiling and cul-
tured Englishman has found the
secret of enduring respect-he never
forgets he is an actor: he never re-
members he is a star.
He actually made his stage debut
at the age of three, in amateur
theatricals. He was trained at
Italia Conti's famous London
school for child actors-having as
classmates Gertrude Lawrence and
Noel Coward.
Family insistence made Aherne
study architecture. He had his de-
gree when he went to London,
headed for the nearest theatrical
agent's office, and landed a small
part in "Paddy, the Next Best
Thing."
Australia saw him on tour with
the Boucicaults just before London
recognised his talent capacities.
And then, while Aherne was star-
ring on the London stage, he be-
came interested in the screen.
He acted in, and helped to direct,
too, many small and silent English
films. He was becoming full of
film organisation plans when New
York sent for him-to appear in the
Broadway production of "The
Barrets of Wimpole Street." In
"Romeo and Juliet" and in "St.
Joan" he was magnificent-and the
next step was Hollywood.
In the seven years since then,
other actors have been tagged as
the most versatile players on the
screen. But just look at Aherne's
record.
He has gone from the Scottish
pawkiness of "What Every Woman
Knows" to the crazy comedy of
"Merrily We Live." He has played
the Irish revolutionary hero of
"Beloved Enemy." the bushranging
hero of "Captain Fury," the
doomed Maximilian in "Juarez."
There is an old tradition round
this town, however, that no screen
player can reach the top until he
has played the whole life of a
character. Aherne has just done this
very thing in "My Son, My Son,"
which takes a man from the
twenties to late middle age.
Prefers stage
\TOW Aherne has enough screen
A work planned to keep him busy
for another year. He is to play
"Gribouille," a French story, for
Columbia.
There was some talk of his appear-
ing with Joan Fontaine this winter
on Broadway in "The Beaux
Stratagem." His new screen com-
mitments put this plan out of
bounds. But the theatre is his first
love still, which explains why he
does such fine acting on the
screen.
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. Doomed monarch Maximilian
of Mexico in Warner Bros.'
historical drama, "Juarez."
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. Tragic father in United
Artists' adaptation of Howard
Spring's "My Son, My Son."
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