Saturday, April 30, 2011

Remembering Phil Brown

Phil Brown was born on April 30, 1916 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His father was a doctor and the family moved around the country quite a bit during Phil’s youth. Brown attended Stanford University, majoring in Dramatics. After graduation Phil joined the New York Theatre Group and appeared in several plays beginning as a dancer in "Everywhere I Roam". When the group disbanded he, along with several other members headed for Hollywood. Here Brown worked in films and was a founding member of the Actors’ Laboratory. His association with Lab lead to him being blacklisted in 1952 during the McCarthy hearings. Brown was forced to relocate in London where he co-starred with Helen Hayes in a production of the "Glass Menagerie". During his time in England he worked on stage, TV and films where he also became a director. Brown is probably best remembered for his small role as Luke Skywalker’s Uncle Owen in the "Star Wars". During his stay in Great Britain he appeared in two Euro-westerns, "Land Raiders" (1969) and "Valdez is Coming" (1971). Phil returned to the United States in the 1990s and became a regular at Science Fiction Conventions. Brown passed away from pneumonia at the Actors Home in Woodland Hills, California on February 9, 2006. Today we remember Phil Brown on what would have been his 95th birthday.


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