The son of editor/publisher Martin C. Brennan (
Australian Variety, Everyone's and
Film Weekly), Kevin Brennan served in the Accounts office of the Australian Army between 1941 and 1945. This allowed him to pursue his acting career, and in 1943 he was spotted by the ABC's Lawrence Cecil who offered him a role in Richard Lane's radio play
Stockade. Described by the pplaywright as 'a large man with a rich deep voice' and 'wicked wit,' Brennan went on to carve out a five-decades long career as a stage, radio, film and television actor, equally adept at both dramatic and comedic roles. 'He was particularly good in smooth roles that called for a touch of evil,' writes Lane, and 'because of his voice quality and his intelligence he played with ease men much older than himself; never romantic heroes, but a wide range of character parts, which made him a most valuable actor.' It was in a comedy,
Home is the Hero, that he won a prestigious Macquarie Award in 1953, a matter of some surprise to Lane given that he'd previously 'done so much fine work in drama.'
Brennan's film career in Australia comprised the part of Black, one of the rebel leaders in Harry Watt's Eureka
Stockade (1949) and as Dr. Foster in Stanley Kramer's
On the Beach (1959). He also drew much praise for his roles as Henry VII in the 1958 ABC television drama
Rose Without a Thorn, and as Big Daddy in Tennessee Williams'
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). He reprised the role on stage at the Independent Theatre that same year. Another role was as Lord Ellington in an episode of
The Adventures of Long John Silver (1954-55), an Australian television series made more than a year before the medium was first broadcast in the country.
In 1959 he went to London, and eventually decided to remain there. His first UK television role was in the thriller
A Mask for Alex (1959). Among his UK successes were a two and a half year run on stage in
The Canterbury Tales. Brennan's extensive television career also included appearances in classic series such as
Crossroads (1964),
The Saint (1965),
The Avengers (1966),
Softly Softly (1966),
Z Cars (1971, 1973),
Colditz (1974),
Poldark (1977) and
The Professionals (1978). His film credits include Gary Cooper's last production
The Naked Edge (1961),
Live Now - Pay Later (1962),
The Punch and Judy Man (1961),
Get Carter (1971),
Mutiny on the Buses (1972) and
The Great Riviera Bank Robbery (1979).
