Scott O'Brien, Classic Film Biographer

Scott lives in Sonoma County, California. A native of Ogden, Utah, he graduated from Stagg High School in Stockton, California. Scott received his BA from San Francisco State and his MA (Library Science) from San Jose State University. He has authored film biographies for BearManor Media that focus on Classic Hollywood. His subjects include: Kay Francis, Virginia Bruce, Ann Harding, Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, Sylvia Sidney, Herbert Marshall, Elissa Landi and Gene Nelson. 

Scott has also penned the following articles:

"Kay Francis - Portrait on Silk," Films of the Golden Age, Winter 1995/96

"A Toast to Ten of My Favorite Films of the Golden Age", Films of the Golden Age - Spring 1997

"Kay Francis - From a Dark World to a Life of Service," The Seeing Eye Guide, Spring 2005

"I Can't Wait to be Forgotten"- The Legacy of Kay Francis, Classic Images, September 2005

"Kay Francis," The Kay Francis Fan Page (Jim King's website) (www.kayfrancis.net) 2006

"Kay Francis at Monogram," Filmfax, April/June 2006

"Virginia Bruce - Under My Skin," Classic Images, February 2010

"Cinema's Gallant Lady - Ann Harding," Rare Film Newsletter, No. 15 (August 2010) English publication

"Ann Harding - The Inevitable Road to Stardom," Films of the Golden Age, Spring 2010

"Ruth Chatterton - Self-Reliant Star" - Classic Images - July 2013

"George Brent - Hollywood's Mysterious Lone Wolf" - Films of the Golden Age - Spring 2015

"Sylvia Sidney - Just Tell Me When to Cry" - Classic Images - July 2016

"Herbert Marshall - I Am Not a Gentleman" - Classic Images - May 2018

"Evelyn O'Brien - Faces She Helped Make Famous" - Classic Images - April 2019 (Evelyn, Scott's great-aunt, was a chief assistant with Hollywood's House of Westmore)

"Elissa Landi - Cinema's Empress of Emotion" - Classic Images - Book Talk - June 2021

"Elissa Landi - Hollywood I Wasted Seven Good Years of My Life There" - Classic Images - July 2021

"Gene Nelson - Dancer, Director, Daredevil" - Films of the Golden Age - Spring 2024 

Guest Appearances include :

Daytona Beach: Florida Nurses Association Convention - (guest lecturer at showing of The White Angel (1936) with Kay Francis) September 12, 2003

San Francisco: Danger & Despair's Film Noir - (Showing of Allotment Wives (1945) and Wife Wanted (1946) starring Kay Francis) March 3, 2005

San Francisco: SF Silent Film Festival - Book Signing - July 11, 2006

 Sonoma County Book Festival - Book Signing - September 16, 2006

Library of Congress, Packard Campus National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Culpepper, Virginia (Scott introduced Trouble in Paradise (1932) starring Kay Francis) September 26, 2008

Hollywood: CINECON 45- Book Signing - September 4, 2009

Santa Rosa, California (Rialto Cinema) - Sonoma County premier of Queer Icon - The Cult of Bette Davis (2009) - After the showing, Scott was guest panelist along with film-makers Mike Black and Carole Black Summers, film critic Michael Guillen, and author Matthew Kennedy. February 18, 2010

San Francisco: SF Silent Film Festival - Book Signing - July 16, 2010

Library of Congress (Culpeper, Virginia) Scott introduced the Ann Harding/William Powell feature Double Harness (1934) April 1, 2011

Santa Rosa - Empire Breakfast Club - "Faded Memories" - Scott O'Brien guest speaker - August 26, 2011

San Francisco: SF Silent Film Festival - Book Signing with Scott O'Brien and William Wellman Jr. - July 21, 2013

Palm Springs: Herbert Marshall-a Biography, book-signing with Marshall's daughter Ann Marshall. Peepa's Botique January 12, 2019


On-line Guest Appearances include :

"Silver Screen Oasis": Guest author for June 2008 (Moira Finnie moderator)

Turner Classic Movies "Movie Morlock's": "Kayriffic: Biographer Scott O'Brien on Kay Francis (Moira Finnie moderator) September 4, 2008

"Silver Screen Oasis"" Guest author for December 2010 (Moira Finnie moderator)

Turner Classic Movies "Movie Morlock's": Ann Harding: A Q&A with Biographer Scott O'Brien (Moira Finnie moderator) December 8, 2010

Close-ups and Long Shots - "Author Scott O'Brien: The Interview" (By Michael G. Ankerich) May 4, 2013

Australia - Let's Misbehave: A Tribute to Precode Hollywood - hosted by Emma Alsop - "Chatteron, Precode and Forgotten Actress: Interview with Scott O'Brien - May 25, 2013

Silver Screen Oasis: Guest author (Ruth Chatterton) for June 2013 (host Moira Finnie)

Silver Screen Oasis: Guest author (George Brent) for October 2014 (host Moira Finnie)

Silver Screen Oasis: Guest author (Sylvia Sidney) for December 2016 (host Moira Finnie)


News/Magazine Interviews :

Culpepper Star-Exponent (September 26, 2008) "The Many Facets of Kay Francis" - interview with Allison Brophy Champion

Classic Images (April 2010) "Book Points" by Laura Wagner - Scott's book talk covers his research on Kay Francis, Virginia Bruce, and Ann Harding

 
Radio Appearances include :

New York - "Silver Screen Audio" with radio/sports personality Joel Blumberg. Interview - April 3, 2006

Sonoma County - "A Novel Idea" KRCB - Interview with host Rosemary Manchester- June 11, 2008

Sonoma County - "Outbeat Collage" KRCB - Interview with host Gary Carnivele, November 21, 2010

Sonoma County - "Outbeat Collage" Interview with Gary Carnivele and Mark Prell regarding Scott's appearance in the documentary, Queer Icon: The Cult of Bette Davis - February 21, 2010

Sonoma County - "Outbeat Collage" Interview with host Gary Carnivele - November 17, 2013

Yesterday USA Radio Network (interview with Walden Hughes) Subject: Herbert Marshall - A Biography, and George Brent - Ireland's Gift to Hollywood - April 8, 2018


Television Appearances include :

San Francisco - KRON Morning News - interview with Bay Area's Jan Wahl, August 9, 2008


Film Appearances include :

Queer Icon-The Cult of Bette Davis (2009) - Scott was among those interviewed for this documentary on Warner's star Bette Davis

Hollywood Rebels (2013) (aka Reabhloidithe Hollywood) Irish Documentary by Brian Reddin.  Scott is one of the featured interviewees covering the careers of George Brent and Arthur Shields, who both participated in the Irish Revolution