Arthur Shields (15 February 1896 – 27 April 1970) was an Irish actor on television, stage and film.
Early years
Born into an Irish Protestant family in Portobello, Dublin, Shields started acting in the Abbey Theatre when he was 17 years old.[1] He was the younger brother of Oscar-winning actor Barry Fitzgerald. They were the sons of Adolphus Shields, who "was well-known in Dublin as a labour organiser" although the 1901 census listed his occupation as "press reader", and Fanny Sophia Shields (née Ungerland), who was German.[2][3]
Irish nationalist activity
Along with six others of the Abbey Players, Shields fought in the Easter Rising of 1916. He was interned for six months[1] in the Frongoch internment camp in Frongoch, Wales.[4] His obituary in The Times of San Mateo, California, reported, "... upon his release he was decorated by the Republic of Eire."[1]
Stage
Shields returned to the Abbey Theatre and had a varied career there from 1914 to 1939 as actor, assistant director, director and stage manager. He appeared in many productions[5] ("more than 300 roles in 350 plays)[1] while he was there, three of the productions he appeared in were by Irish playwright Teresa Deevy 'The Reapers'[6] 'Temporal Powers'[7] and 'Katie Roche'.[8] Three times he brought the Abbey Company to the United States.[1]
Birthplace of Arthur Shields on Walworth Road, Portobello
Personal life
Shields married Bazie Magee in 1920, and their son Adam was born in 1927. In 1943, the couple were divorced and Shields married Aideen O'Connor. Their daughter Christine was born in 1946. Aideen died in 1950. Shields' third marriage to Laurie Bailey in 1955 lasted until his death.[10]
Shields died of complications related to emphysema on 27 April 1970, in Santa Barbara, California. He was survived by his wife, a daughter, a son and four grandchildren. His body was cremated, with the ashes taken to his native city of Dublin[1] and buried with military honours in Deans Grange Cemetery.[11]
Filmography
Knocknagow (1918) – Phil Lahy
The Sign of the Cross (1932) – Chaplain Costello (1944 Re-Release Prologue) (uncredited)
^Cowell, John (11 October 1980). Where they lived in Dublin. O'Brien Press Limited. ISBN9780905140438 – via Internet Archive. the son of an Irish father, Adolphus Shields, and a German mother, Fanny Ungerland..
^Boylan, Henry (1999). A Dictionary of Irish Biography. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan. ISBN0-7171-2945-4.
