Neville Brand
| Neville Brand | ||
 Neville Brand | ||
| Background information | ||
| Born as: | Lawrence Neville Brand | |
| Born | Aug 13, 1920 Griswold, Iowa | |
| Died | Apr 16, 1992 - at age 72 Sacramento, California Emphysema | |
| Spouse(s): |
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| Occupation: | Soldier, actor | |
| Yrs active: | 1949–1985 | |
| Web site: | http://www.esmeforever.com | |
| Military Service | ||
| Allegiance : | United States | |
| Branch: | Illinois Army National Guard United States Army | |
| Rank/Rate: | Sergeant | |
| Unit: | 129th Infantry Regiment 83rd Infantry Division (US) | |
| Battles: | World War II
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| Awards/Medals: | Silver Star Purple Heart | |
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Lawrence Neville Brand (August 13, 1920 – April 16, 1992) was an American soldier and actor. He was known for playing villainous or antagonistic character roles in Westerns, crime dramas, and films noir, and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his performance in Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954).
During World War II, Brand served in the 331st Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division in the U.S. Army, in the European theatre. He received multiple meritorious citations for his service, including the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.
Early years Brand was born in Griswold, Iowa, and raised in Kewanee, Illinois. After he graduated from high school, he joined the Army.[3]
War service
Brand entered the Illinois Army National Guard on October 23, 1939, as a private in Company F, 129th Infantry Regiment. He was enlisted in the United States Army as Corporal Neville L. Brand, infantryman on March 5, 1941. He trained at Fort Carson and served in World War II, seeing action with B Company, 331st Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division (Thunderbolt Division) in the Ardennes, Rhineland and Central European campaigns. Brand, a sergeant and platoon leader, was wounded in action along the Weser River on April 7, 1945. He was shot in the upper right arm and nearly bled to death.
Brand was awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest decoration for valor in the U.S. military, for gallantry in combat.[2] His other awards and decorations were the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three Battle Stars, one Overseas Service Bar, one Service Stripe and the Combat Infantryman Badge. In a 1966 interview Brand explained the Silver Star, stating that withering fire from German machine guns in a hunting lodge kept him and his unit pinned down. "I must have flipped my lid," he said. "I decided to go into that lodge." He was discharged in October 1945.
Brand was sometimes cited in media reports as the 4th most-decorated American serviceman of the war, but this was incorrect and repeatedly denied by Brand himself.
More information
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Neville_Brand ]
External links
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