German-born Henry Brandon was a character actor in American films, most
often seen in villainous roles. His parents emigrated to the US shortly
after his birth. His early interest in acting led him to study at the
acclaimed Pasadena Community Playhouse. He landed the lead villain role
in the Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy film Böse Buben im Wunderland (1934), and rapidly became a familiar
and reliable heavy in pictures both large and small. In 1936 he adopted
the stage name Henry Brandon after several years of being billed as
either Henry or Harry Kleinbach. He captivated thriller audiences as
the sinister Dr. Fu Manchu in Dr. Fu Man Chu (1943), yet balanced things by playing a
sizable number of sympathetic roles as well, such as the skilled
foreman Joe Dombrowski in Geheimbund 'Schwarze Legion' (1937). He continued to work on stage
throughout his film career, playing the villain for many years in the
record-length run of the melodrama "The Drunkard". His sharp features
led him rather incongruously to be cast as Indian chiefs in two John Ford
features, Der schwarze Falke (1956) and Zwei Ritten Zusammen (1961). He kept busy in films and occasional
television roles, as well as reprising his role in "The Drunkard"
onstage in the 1980s, until the end of his life. Brandon was a
confirmed bachelor.
