Born in Masssachussets in 1894 to Irish immigrants, Brennan performed in vaudeville before serving in WW1 in Europe, eventually settling in Los Angeles where he made and lost a fortune in property in the '20s, eventually getting work in the burgeoning movie industry as an extra, and bit part player. His talent got more recognition, and he got bigger roles, winning his first Academy Award for best Supporting ACtor in 1936 for "Come and get it". He became known for playing characters older than himself, especially in Westerns and films with related themes. He had a long and successful career into the '50s when he turned also to TV, starring in "The Real McCoys", and working consistently on otehr series through to the early '70s. During his career, he also made some audio recordings, the best-known being his 1962 hit "Old rivers". In 1970, he made two spoken word albums for Everest, which Acrobat has compiled on CD - for details click here. He died from emphysema in 1974 at the age of 80.