Biographie

Last saw his favorite co-star Bette Davis in 1978 when he went to visit her back stage at one of her one-woman shows in San Diego that featured film clips from her vast career. She didn't recognize him at first, as he had grown quite old, white-haired and unhealthily overweight. He died in May of 1979.

Had a tumultuous two-year long affair with Bette Davis, his frequent and most prolific co-star of eleven feature films: Mon grand (1932), The Rich Are Always with Us (1932), Housewife (1934), Sixième édition (1935), Agent spécial (1935), La flèche d'or (1936), L'insoumise (1938), Victoire sur la nuit (1939), La vieille fille (1939), Le grand mensonge (1941) and L'amour n'est pas un jeu (1942).

He played Jane Powell's father in the film Amour en croisière (1948). Powell claims that the two had a crush on each other and that Brent didn't express it until near the end of his life when he proposed marriage to her when he was in his 70s.

Was to have starred in the film, Les amours d'une canaille (1956), but took ill after a large party scene with many, many extras had been filmed. Rather than an expensive re-shoot, the producers left the scene (with him visible) in the final cut. He was replaced in the lead by George Sanders.

His hair was completely gray by the time he started working for Warner Brothers, and he had to dye his hair black.