Biography for
John Ireland (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

30 January 1914, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Date of Death

21 March 1992, Santa Barbara, California, USA (leukemia)

Birth Name

John Benjamin Ireland

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

Born in Canada, John Ireland was raised in New York. Performing as a swimmer in a water carnival, he moved into the legitimate theater, often appearing in minor roles in Broadway plays. His first big break in pictures came in 1945 when he appeared as Windy the introspective letter-writing G.I. in the classic war epic A Walk in the Sun (1945). Ireland was then often featured (mostly as a heavy) in several films. In 1949, he was nominated for best supporting actor for his role as the reporter in All the King's Men (1949). During the early 1950s, Ireland often starred as the emoting, brooding hero, almost exclusively in "B" pictures. In 1953, with his son Peter Ireland and wife, Joanne Dru, Ireland co-produced and co-directed the western mini-classic Hannah Lee: An American Primitive (1953) (aka Outlaw Territory). From the mid-'50s on. he appeared mainly in Italian "quickie" features and showed up occasionally in supporting roles in major pictures (Spartacus (1960)). Occasionally, his name was mentioned in tabloids of the times, in connection with young starlets, namely Natalie Wood and Sue Lyon. He was to play the role of the patriarch on the Ponderosa in Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988) (TV) but the series was not picked up. In addition to Hannah Lee: An American Primitive (1953), his best work was in Little Big Horn (1951) and The Bushwhackers (1952). In his later years, he owned and operated a tony restaurant, Ireland's, in Santa Barbara, California.

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Spouse

Daphne Myrick Cameron	(22 July 1962 - 21 March 1992) (his death) 1 child
Joanne Dru	(7 August 1949 - 16 May 1957) (divorced)
Elaine Sheldon Rosen	(1940 - 1948) (divorced) 2 children

Trivia

Half-brother of actor-entertainer Tommy Noonan, who appeared with him in I Shot Jesse James (1949). (See also Peter Marshall.)

John was the very first Vancouver-born actor to nominated for an Academy Award.

He had two sons by his marriage with 'Elaine Sheldon Rosen: John Ireland and Peter Ireland. He also has a daughter, Daphne Ireland Whelahan, with Daphne Cameron.

Ex-brother-in-law of actor Peter Marshall.

He was better known in Hollywood for his wild exploits as a lothario than his work in films. Howard Hawks even included a scene with Ireland and Montgomery Clift in Red River (1948) where they compare the size of their guns, allegedly a wink to Ireland's infamous physical endowments.

He was known as one of the genuine "nice guys" of Hollywood, always eager to meet with his fans, sign autographs and pose for photographs.

Personal Quotes

[At age 45, on his affair with 16 year old Tuesday Weld] "If there wasn't such a difference in our ages I'd ask her to marry me. That and her mother are the only things that stop me".

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