--- name: "Arthur Shields" canonical: "https://film.one/person/arthur-shields" roles: ["Actor"] born: "15 February 1896" died: "27 April 1970" reviewed_on_fi1m: 4 average_fi1m_score: 80 average_as: "actor" average_over: 3 updated: "2026-09-20T02:23:14.847606+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Arthur Shields Actor. Born 15 February 1896 in Dublin, Ireland. Died 27 April 1970. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 15 February 1896, Dublin, Ireland - **Died:** 27 April 1970 - **Active:** 1940–1952 - **Titles on Fi1m:** 4: 3 acting, 1 other - **Frequently works with:** [Barry Fitzgerald](https://film.one/person/barry-fitzgerald.md), [John Ford](https://film.one/person/john-ford.md), [John Wayne](https://film.one/person/john-wayne.md) - **Average Fi1m score:** 80, as actor, over 3 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1940s 78 (3), 1950s 78 (1) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 80 to 78 across 3 titles - **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 3, Comedy 1, Romance 1, War 1 - **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $9m across 2 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Shields, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2865338, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0793168/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/22603 ## Streaming the US now - **HBO Max:** [*The Long Voyage Home*](https://film.one/film/the-long-voyage-home.md) (80) - **Apple TV:** [*The Quiet Man*](https://film.one/film/the-quiet-man.md) (78) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Biography Arthur Shields (1896–1970) was an Irish actor who worked in theatre, film and television. The younger brother of actor Barry Fitzgerald, he began his career at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin at the age of seventeen and appeared in more than three hundred roles there. An Irish nationalist, he fought in the Easter Rising of 1916 and was interned in Frongoch, Wales. In 1936 John Ford brought him to the United States to appear in the film version of *The Plough and the Stars*. He later settled in California. Shields is known for several John Ford films, including *The Long Voyage Home* (1940), in which he played Donkeyman, *How Green Was My Valley* (1941) as Mr. Parry, *She Wore a Yellow Ribbon* (1949) and *The Quiet Man* (1952) as the Reverend Playfair. He also appeared in *Drums Along the Mohawk* (1939), *National Velvet* (1945) and *The River* (1951), and made numerous television appearances. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, dib.ie.* ## On Fi1m (4) ### Performed in (3) — the average rests on these - *The Quiet Man* (1952), Fi1m 78, as Rev. Cyril 'Snuffy' Playfair — [page](https://film.one/film/the-quiet-man.md) - *How Green Was My Valley* (1941), Fi1m 82, as Mr. Parry — [page](https://film.one/film/how-green-was-my-valley.md) - *The Long Voyage Home* (1940), Fi1m 80, as Donkeyman — [page](https://film.one/film/the-long-voyage-home.md) ### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited - *Madame Curie* (1943), Fi1m 72, as Businessman (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/madame-curie.md) ## Complete filmography (86) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *The Pigeon That Took Rome* (1962), as Monsignor O'Toole - *For the Love of Mike* (1960), as Father Walsh - *Play of the Week* (1959), series, as Monsignor - *Bonanza* (1959), series, as Dennis - *One Step Beyond* (1959), series, as Simon Lockhart - *Rawhide* (1959), series, as Sam Cartwright - *Enchanted Island* (1958), as Jimmy Dooley - *Bat Masterson* (1958), series, as Dana Ruggles - *Maverick* (1957), series, as Terence Fogarty - *Perry Mason* (1957), series, as Dr. George Barnes - *Wagon Train* (1957), series, as Judge Tremayne - *Daughter of Dr. Jekyll* (1957), as Dr. Lomas - *The King and Four Queens* (1956), as Padre - *Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre* (1956), series, as Jaspar - *The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure* (1956), as Boles - Ex-Gardener - *The Hardy Boys* (1956), series, as Boles - *Lady Godiva of Coventry* (1955), as Innkeeper - *Crossroads* (1955), series, as Reverend Zaccara - *The Millionaire* (1955), series, as J. Peveril 'Pev' Johnson - *River of No Return* (1954), as Minister at Tent City (uncredited) - *Pride of the Blue Grass* (1954), as Wilson - *World for Ransom* (1954), as Sean O'Connor - *Main Street to Broadway* (1953), as Actor in Fantasy Sequence - *South Sea Woman* (1953), as 'Jimmy-legs' Donovan - *Scandal at Scourie* (1953), as Father Reilly - *The Life Of Riley* (1953), series, as Mr. Winkley - *The Quiet Man* (1952), as Rev. Cyril 'Snuffy' Playfair — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/the-quiet-man.md) - *Jack and the Beanstalk* (1952), as Patrick the Harp (voice, uncredited) - *The Barefoot Mailman* (1951), as Ben Titus - *The River* (1951), as Mr. John - *The People Against O'Hara* (1951), as Mr. O'Hara - *Sealed Cargo* (1951), as Kevin Dolan - *Apache Drums* (1951), as Reverend Griffin - *Blue Blood* (1951), as Tim Donovan - *Lux Video Theatre* (1950), series, as Michael, Uncle Dan - *A Wonderful Life* (1950), as Pastor - *Tarzan and the Slave Girl* (1950), as Dr. E.E. Campbell - *Challenge to Lassie* (1949), as Dr. Lee - *She Wore a Yellow Ribbon* (1949), as Dr. O'Laughlin - *Red Light* (1949), as Father Redmond - *The Adventure of the Speckled Band* (1949), as The Bookshop Man - *The Fighting O'Flynn* (1949), as Dooley - *Your Show Time* (1949), series, Actor - *Tap Roots* (1948), as Reverend Kirkland - *My Own True Love* (1948), as Iverson - *Fighting Father Dunne* (1948), as Michael O'Donnell - *Seven Keys to Baldpate* (1947), as Prof. Bolton - *Kraft Television Theatre* (1947), series, Actor - *Easy Come, Easy Go* (1947), as Timothy Mike Donovan - *The Fabulous Dorseys* (1947), as Thomas Dorsey Sr. - *The Shocking Miss Pilgrim* (1947), as Michael Michael - *Never Say Goodbye* (1946), as McCarthy (uncredited) - *The Verdict* (1946), as Rev. Holbrook - *Gallant Journey* (1946), as Father Kenton - *Three Strangers* (1946), as Prosecutor - *Too Young to Know* (1945), as Mr. Enright - *Phantoms, Inc.* (1945), as Dr. Rupert Trykel - *The Valley of Decision* (1945), as Callahan - *The Corn Is Green* (1945), as Glyn Thomas - *Roughly Speaking* (1945), as Minister (uncredited) - *National Velvet* (1945), as Mr. Hallam - *The Keys of the Kingdom* (1944), as Fr. Fitzgerald, Dean at Holywell - *Youth Runs Wild* (1944), as Mr. Dunlop - *The White Cliffs of Dover* (1944), as Benson (uncredited) - *Madame Curie* (1943), as Businessman (uncredited) — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/madame-curie.md) - *Lassie Come Home* (1943), as Andrew - *The Man from Down Under* (1943), as Father Polycarp - *Above Suspicion* (1943), as Walmer Hotel Porter (Uncredited) - *The Black Swan* (1942), as The Bishop (uncredited) - *Gentleman Jim* (1942), as Father Burke - *Nightmare* (1942), as Sergeant - *Dr. Renault's Secret* (1942), as Inspector Duval (uncredited) - *The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe* (1942), as Griswald (uncredited) - *Pacific Rendezvous* (1942), as Prof. Harvey Lessmore - *This Above All* (1942), as Hospital Chaplain - *Broadway* (1942), as Pete Dailey - *Confirm or Deny* (1941), as Jeff, Blind Typist - *How Green Was My Valley* (1941), as Mr. Parry — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/how-green-was-my-valley.md) - *The Gay Falcon* (1941), as Inspector Mike Waldeck - *Lady Scarface* (1941), as Matt Willis - *Little Nellie Kelly* (1940), as Timothy Fogarty - *The Long Voyage Home* (1940), as Donkeyman — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/the-long-voyage-home.md) - *Drums Along the Mohawk* (1939), as Reverend Rosenkrantz - *The Plough and the Stars* (1936), as Padraic Pearse - *The Sign of the Cross* (1932), as Chaplain Costello (1944 Re-Release Prologue) (uncredited) - *Knocknagow* (1918), as Phil Lahy ## Gallery - ![Arthur Shields (Irish actor on television, stage and film). 1940s.](https://film.one/media/person/1231962/gallery-aab15a4542ef.jpg) Arthur Shields (Irish actor on television, stage and film). 1940s. — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Arthur_Shields.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Arthur Shields](https://film.one/media/person/1231962/gallery-6946f0a385ef.jpg) Arthur Shields — film screenshot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Arthur_Shields_in_The_Fabulous_Dorseys.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Arthur Shields](https://film.one/media/person/1231962/gallery-48dc5bd70970.jpg) Arthur Shields — Image via TMDB --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/arthur-shields