Biography
Barry Fitzgerald, born William Joseph Shields, was an Irish actor. He began his career with Dublin's Abbey Theatre in the 1910s and 1920s, taking the stage name Barry Fitzgerald. His film debut came in Alfred Hitchcock's Juno and the Paycock (1930).
He moved to Hollywood in 1936 for John Ford's The Plough and the Stars and appeared in numerous films thereafter. Notable roles include Mr. Gogarty in Bringing Up Baby (1938), Cyfartha in How Green Was My Valley (1941), Father Fitzgibbon in Going My Way (1944), and Michaleen Oge Flynn in The Quiet Man (1952). He was the brother of actor Arthur Shields.
For Going My Way (1944), Fitzgerald received Academy Award nominations for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for the same role; he won the latter. He died in Dublin in 1961.
