Arthur Shields

Arthur Shields (15 February 1896 – 27 April 1970) was an Irish actor who worked across stage, film, and television. Born in Portobello, Dublin, into a Church of Ireland family, he was the younger brother of Oscar-winning actor Barry Fitzgerald. Their father, Adolphus Shields, was noted in Dublin as a labour organiser, though the 1901 census recorded his occupation as press reader. Their mother, Fanny Sophia Shields, née Ungerland, was German.

Shields began acting at the Abbey Theatre at the age of 17, and his association with that institution spanned from 1914 to 1939, during which he accumulated more than 300 roles across 350 productions. His work there extended beyond performance to include duties as assistant director, director, and stage manager. Among the Abbey productions he appeared in were three plays by Irish playwright Teresa Deevy: The Reapers, The Temporal Powers, and Katie Roche. He led the Abbey Company on three separate tours to the United States.

Before his theatrical career fully developed, Shields took part in the Easter Rising of 1916 alongside six other Abbey Players. He was subsequently interned for six months at the Frongoch internment camp in Frongoch, Wales. His obituary in The Times of San Mateo, California noted that upon his release he was decorated by the Republic of Eire.

Shields brought his stage work to Broadway, where he appeared in productions between 1918 and 1941. His Broadway credits included The White-Headed Boy, The Voice of McConnell, Tanyard Street, Juno and the Paycock, and Kindred, among other productions.

His transition to film began in 1936 when director John Ford brought him to the United States to appear in a film adaptation of The Plough and the Stars. By 1939, Shields had settled permanently in California, where the mild climate offered relief from tuberculosis. Several of his most prominent film roles came through further collaborations with Ford. He portrayed the Reverend Playfair in The Quiet Man, opposite John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, and his brother Barry Fitzgerald. He played Dr. Laughlin in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon alongside Wayne and Joanne Dru, and appeared with Wayne and Fitzgerald again in Ford's Long Voyage Home. His additional film credits include National Velvet, Drums Along the Mohawk, The Keys of the Kingdom, Little Nellie Kelly, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, Gallant Journey, The Fabulous Dorseys, Apache Drums, Lady Godiva, and The River.

Shields also appeared on television, including a 1958 episode of Perry Mason in which he played Dr. George Barnes in The Case of the Screaming Woman, and a 1960 episode of Maverick starring Roger Moore, titled The Bold Fenian Men.

Shields married Bazie Magee in 1920, and the couple had a son, Adam, born in 1927. They divorced in 1943, after which Shields married Aideen O'Connor. Their daughter Christine was born in 1946, and Aideen died in 1950. Shields married Laurie Bailey in 1955, and that marriage lasted until his death. He died on 27 April 1970, in Santa Barbara, California, from complications related to emphysema, survived by his wife, a daughter, a son, and four grandchildren. His ashes were returned to Dublin and interred with military honours at Deans Grange Cemetery.