Neville Brand, born August 13, 1920, is known for roles in many films and television shows, especially “Laredo.” Not widely known is that Brand joined the US Army before WW2 and in combat was awarded a Silver Star for gallantry and a Purple Heart. He was also quite a reader with a 30,000-volume library.
Brand’s authentic background as one of the most heavily decorated combat infantrymen of World War II gave his legendary Hollywood “tough-guy” and villain roles a level of raw, cold physical realism that couldn’t be faked, such as his definitive role as Al Capone in the hit TV series The Untouchables. Having survived a near-fatal chest wound during the Allied breakthrough into Germany, Brand returned to the United States scarred by the horrors of frontline combat, utilizing acting as a powerful, emotional outlet to channel his experiences. His private life, however, stood in fascinating contrast to his gravel-voiced screen persona; he was a deeply intellectual polymath who spent his personal wealth collecting an immense, scholarly library, proving that behind the calloused exterior of a classic cinematic heavy lay a brilliant, relentlessly curious mind.
Image of Brand as Al Capone in The Untouchables via Wikimedia Commons, no known copyright, public domain in the US
