- In real life, he was a friend of Robert Mitchum. They lived in the same neighborhood in Santa Barbara in their last years.
- He was known as one of the genuine "nice guys" of Hollywood, always eager to meet with his fans, sign autographs, and pose for photographs.
- His marriage to Joanne Dru broke down as a result of his affair with Queen Bee (1955) co-star Joan Crawford.
- He was the very first Vancouver-born actor to be nominated for an Academy Award.
- Older half-brother of Tommy Noonan, who appeared with him in I Shot Jesse James (1949). Noonan also worked with Ireland's former brother-in-law, Peter Marshall.
- He appeared in the two classic Westerns about the famous shootout in Tombstone, Arizona: Gunfight at the OK Corral and My Darling Clementine. He was a member of the Clanton gang in both films.
- Ex-brother-in-law of actor Peter Marshall.
- He has appeared in five films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: A Walk in the Sun (1945), My Darling Clementine (1946), Red River (1948), All the King's Men (1949), and Spartacus (1960).
- Replaced Wendell Corey in Red Mountain (1951), who dropped out due to illness.
- Variety magazine (October 22, 1969) listed Blood River (1974), in which Ireland starred, in a section on Italian films in progress,.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
