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 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.
Brand had an uncredited bit in Battleground (1949) and Port of New York (1949). His first credited part was in D.O.A. (1950) as a henchman named Chester. His hulking physique, rough-hewn, craggy-faced looks and gravelly voice led to his largely playing gangsters, Western outlaws and various screen "heavies", cops and other tough-guy roles throughout his career.
Brand twice portrayed Al Capone on the television series The Untouchables, in the pilot and opening scene of the premiere "The Empty Chair" (although uncredited) and then in the double episode "The Big Train"; as well as often glimpses in flashback throughout the series.
Brand co-starred with George Takei in "The Encounter," a 1964 episode of the Twilight Zone, as a World War II veteran.[10] CBS considered the episode's theme of US-Japanese hatred "too disturbing" to include when the series was syndicated.[11] "The Encounter" was not seen after its initial airing until it was released on video in 1992 as part of the Treasures of the Twilight Zone collection.[10][11]
Brand was given the star role in a TV series, Laredo (1965–67) which ran for 56 episodes.[12]
Brand was in The Desperados (1969) and played U.S. Navy Lieutenant Kaminsky, ignored as he tried to warn his commander of the opening skirmish in Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970).
Brand was an insatiable reader who amassed a collection of 30,000 books over the years, one of the largest private libraries in Los Angeles. Most of his collection was destroyed in a 1978 fire at his Malibu home.[16]
His wartime service caused him post-traumatic stress disorder that led to bouts of alcoholism. In 1975, he said in an interview that his addiction had cost him most of his fortune.[17]
Bonanza - episodes "The Last Viking (1960) as Gunnar Borgstrom, "The Luck of Pepper Shannon" (1970) as Pepper Shannon and "The Rattlesnake Brigade" (1971) as Doyle
Rawhide – episode "Incident of the Devil and His Due" (1960) as Gaff
Straightaway – episode "The Tin Caesar" (1961) as Sheriff Bardeen
Death Valley Days – episode "Preacher with a Past" (1962) as John Wesley Hardin
Ben Casey – episode "Will Everyone Who Believes in Terry Dunne Please Applaud" (1963) as Terry Dunne
The Lieutenant – episode "The Two Star Giant" (1963) as General Stone
Rawhide – episode "Incident of the Red Wind" (1963) as Lou Bowdark
Wagon Train (1964) as Zebedee Titus / Sheriff Frank Lewis aka Jed Whitmore
Destry – episode "The Solid Gold Girl" (1964) as Johnny Washburn
Marcus Welby, M.D. – episode "Don't Talk About Darkness" (1972) as Kenny Carpenter
Longstreet – episode "Survival Times Two" (1972) as La Brien
McCloud - episodes "Fifth Man in a String Quartet" (1972) as Fred Schultke, "The Solid Gold Swingers" (1973) as Detective Lt. Roy Mackie and "Three Guns for New York" (1975) as Burl Connors
The Magician – episode "Lighting on a Dry Day" (1973) as Sheriff Platt
Kojak – episode – "Sweeter Than Life" (1975) as Sonny South
Police Story – episode "War Games" (1975) as Norman Schoeler
Police Woman – episode "The Loner" (1975) as Briscoe
^Neville Brand Signed for 'Kansas City 117' Los Angeles Times June 8, 1952: p. E3.
^"Sperling Aims Yordan Tale at Brando; Neville Brand Again Will Star", Los Angeles Times September 15, 1953: p. B7.
^MOVIELAND EVENTS: Neville Brand to Star With Montgomery Los Angeles Times October 15, 1957: p. A9.
^Drama: "James Arness Will Star in Rome; Neville Brand to Menace Jack Palance", Los Angeles Times March 20, 1956: p. A7.
^'BODY AND SOUL' ADEQUATE PUNCH Page, Don. Los Angeles Times September 29, 1959: p. A9.
^Gordon Kay Slates Huffaker 'Posse': Los Angeles Times May 12, 1960: C9.
^ abPresnell, Don; McGee, Marty (1998). A Critical History of Television's The Twilight Zone, 1959–1964. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 188. ISBN978-0-7864-3886-0.
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