Edmond O'Brien
| Edmond O'Brien | |
|---|---|
 in D.O.A. (1950) | |
| Born |
September 10, 1915 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died |
May 9, 1985 (aged 69) Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Alzheimer's disease |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1936–74 |
| Spouse(s) |
Nancy Kelly (1941-42) (divorced) Olga San Juan (1948-76) (divorced) three children |
| Children |
Bridget O'Brien Maria O'Brien Brendan O'Brien |
Edmond O'Brien (September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 films from the 1940s to the 1970s, often playing character parts. He received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the corresponding Golden Globe for his supporting role in The Barefoot Contessa (1954), as well as a second Globe Globe and another Academy Award nomination for Seven Days in May (1964). His other notable films include The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), The Killers (1946), White Heat (1949), D.O.A. (1950), Julius Caesar (1953), 1984 (1956), The Girl Can't Help It (1956), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1961) and The Wild Bunch (1969).
Early years
O'Brien was born in Brooklyn, New York,[1] of English and Irish stock. After attending Columbia University[2] for one year, he went to Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre on a scholarship.[1] O'Brien made his first Broadway appearance at age 21 in Daughters of Atreus.[3] O'Brien made his film debut in 1938, and gradually built a career as a highly regarded supporting actor. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces and appeared in the Air Forces' Broadway play and film Winged Victory.
Film
O'Brien won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a harried publicity agent in The Barefoot Contessa (1954) and was also nominated for his role as an alcoholic U.S. senator in Seven Days in May (1964).[4] Prior to that, O'Brien had an acclaimed role in the 1950's film noir drama D.O.A. as a poisoned man who sets out to find his own murderer before he dies.
His other notable films include The Killers (1946), An Act of Murder (1948), White Heat (1949), Backfire (1950),The Girl Can't Help It (1956), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Longest Day (1962), Fantastic Voyage (1966), and The Wild Bunch (1969).
Radio
From 1950 to 1952, O'Brien starred in the radio drama Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. His other work in radio included Philip Morris Playhouse on Broadway.[5]
Television
He appeared extensively in television, including the 1957 live 90-minute broadcast on Playhouse 90 of The Comedian, a drama written by Rod Serling and directed by John Frankenheimer in which Mickey Rooney portrayed a television comedian while O'Brien played a writer driven to the brink of insanity.
From 1959-60 O'Brien portrayed the title role in the syndicated crime drama Johnny Midnight, the story of a New York City actor-turned-private detective. O'Brien had roles on many television series, including an appearance on Target: The Corruptors!, The Eleventh Hour, Breaking Point and Mission: Impossible.
In the mid-'60s O'Brien co-starred with Roger Mobley and Harvey Korman in the "Gallegher" episodes of NBC's Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. From 1963-65 he co-starred in the NBC legal drama Sam Benedict.
Recording
In 1957 O'Brien recorded a spoken-word album of The Red Badge of Courage (Caedmon TC 1040). Billboard said, "Edmond O'Brien brings intensity in the narrative portions and successfully impersonates the varied characters in dialog."[6]
Personal life
O'Brien was divorced from actresses Nancy Kelly 1941-1942[7] and Olga San Juan. San Juan was the mother of his three children, including television producer Bridget O'Brien and actors Maria O'Brien and Brendan O'Brien.
Death
O'Brien died May 9, 1985, at St. Erne's Sanitorium[1] in Inglewood, California, of Alzheimer's disease.[8] He was survived by his wife and three children.[1]
Walk of Fame
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Edmond O'Brien has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1725 Vine Street, and a second star at 6523 Hollywood Blvd. for his contribution to the television industry. Both were dedicated on February 8, 1960.[9]
Filmography
| Year | Project | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Gringoire | |
| 1941 | A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob | Stephen Herrick | |
| Parachute Battalion | William 'Bill' Mayberry Burke | ||
| 1942 | Obliging Young Lady | 'Red' Reddy, aka Professor Stanley | |
| Powder Town | J. Quincy 'Penji' Pennant | ||
| 1943 | The Amazing Mrs. Holliday | Tom Holliday | |
| 1944 | Winged Victory | Irving Miller | credited as Sgt. Edmond O'Brien |
| 1946 | The Killers | Jim Riordan | |
| 1947 | The Web | Bob Regan | |
| A Double Life | Bill Friend | ||
| 1948 | Another Part of the Forest | Benjamin 'Ben' Hubbard | |
| For the Love of Mary | Lt. Tom Farrington | ||
| An Act of Murder | David Douglas | ||
| Fighter Squadron | Major Ed Hardin | ||
| 1949 | Task Force | Radio Announcing Pearl Harbor Attack | (voice, uncredited) |
| White Heat | Hank Fallon Vic Pardo |
||
| 1950 | Backfire | Steve Connelly | |
| D.O.A. | Frank Bigelow | ||
| 711 Ocean Drive | Mal Granger | ||
| The Admiral Was a Lady | Jimmy Stevens | ||
| Between Midnight and Dawn | Officer Dan Purvis | ||
| 1951 | The Redhead and the Cowboy | Maj. Dunn Jeffers | |
| Pulitzer Prize Playhouse | Ben Jordan | episode: Icebound | |
| Two of a Kind | Michael 'Lefty' Farrell | ||
| Warpath | John Vickers | ||
| Silver City | Larkin Moffatt | ||
| 1952 | The Greatest Show on Earth | Midway Barker at End | (uncredited) |
| Denver and Rio Grande | Jim Vesser | ||
| The Turning Point | John Conroy | ||
| 1953 | The Hitch-Hiker | Roy Collins | |
| Man in the Dark | Steve Rawley | ||
| Cow Country | Ben Anthony | ||
| Julius Caesar | Casca | ||
| China Venture | Capt. Matt Reardon | ||
| The Bigamist | Harry Graham Harrison Graham |
||
| 1954 | The Shanghai Story | Dr. Dan Maynard | |
| Shield for Murder | Detective Lt. Barney Nolan | ||
| The Barefoot Contessa | Oscar Muldoon | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (3rd place, tied with Humphrey Bogart for The Caine Mutiny) | |
| The Ford Television Theatre | Captain Joyce | episode: Charlie C Company | |
| 1955 | Stage 7 | Clinton Sturgess | episode: Debt in Honor |
| The Red Skelton Show | Grizzled Old Prospector | episode: Episode #4.23 | |
| Damon Runyon Theater | Duke Martin | episode: Old Em's Kentucky Home | |
| Pete Kelly's Blues | Fran McCarg | ||
| Playwrights '56 | Sidney | episode: The Heart's a Forgotten Hotel | |
| The Star and the Story | Ray Ericson | episode: Dark Stranger | |
| 1956 | 1984 | Winston Smith of the Outer Party | |
| Screen Directors Playhouse | Thaddeus Kubaczik | episode: A Ticket for Thaddeus | |
| D-Day the Sixth of June | Lt. Col. Alexander Timmer | ||
| A Cry in the Night | Capt. Dan Taggart | ||
| The Rack | Lt. Col. Frank Wasnick | ||
| The Girl Can't Help It | Marty 'Fats' Murdock | ||
| 1954-1956 | Climax! | Leo Waldek Joel Flint |
episode: Figures in Clay episode: An Error in Chemistry |
| 1957 | The Big Land | Joe Jagger | |
| Stopover Tokyo | George Underwood | ||
| 1958 | The World Was His Jury | David Carson | |
| Sing, Boy, Sing | Joseph Sharkey | ||
| Suspicion (TV series) | Sgt. Miles Odeen | episode: Death Watch | |
| Lux Playhouse | Big Jim Webber | episode: Coney Island Winter | |
| 1953-1958 | Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars | Jim Reardon Rick Saunders Captain Simpson |
episode: The Town That Slept with the Lights On episode: The Net Draws Tight episode: The Long Shot |
| 1957-1959 | Playhouse 90 | Roy Brenner Joe Ferguson Al Preston |
episode: The Blue Men episode: The Male Animal episode: The Comedian |
| Zane Grey Theatre | Marshal Ben Clark Russ Andrews |
episode: Lonesome Road episode: A Gun Is for Killing | |
| 1959 | Up Periscope | Commander Paul Stevenson | |
| The Restless and the Damned | Mike Buchanan | (L'Ambitieuse) | |
| Laramie (TV series) | Captain Sam Prado | episode: The Iron Captain | |
| 1960 | Johnny Midnight (TV series) | Johnny Midnight | (39 episodes) |
| The Last Voyage | Second Engineer Walsh | ||
| The 3rd Voice | The Voice | (uncredited) | |
| 1961 | The Great Impostor | Capt. Glover - HMCS Cayuga | |
| Man-Trap | Voice of Photographer | (uncredited) | |
| The Dick Powell Show | Sid Williams | episode: Killer in the House | |
| Target: The Corruptors! | Ollie Crown | episode: The Invisible Government | |
| 1962 | Moon Pilot | McClosky ('Mac') | |
| The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance | Dutton Peabody | Western Heritage Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture | |
| Birdman of Alcatraz | Tom Gaddis | ||
| The Longest Day | Gen. Raymond D. Barton | ||
| 1962-1963 | Sam Benedict | Sam Benedict | (28 episodes) |
| 1964 | Seven Days in May | Sen. Raymond Clark | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| The Greatest Show on Earth (TV series) | Mike O'Kelley | episode: Clancy | |
| Breaking Point | Roger Conning | episode: The Tides of Darkness | |
| The Eleventh Hour (TV series) | Buck Denholt | episode: The Color of Sunset | |
| Rio Conchos | Col. Theron Pardee | ||
| The Hanged Man | Arnie Seeger | ||
| 1965 | Sylvia | Oscar Stewart | |
| Synanon | Chuck Dederich | ||
| Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color | Jefferson Crowley | (6 episodes) | |
| The Long, Hot Summer (TV series) | Will 'Boss' Varner | (13 episodes) | |
| 1966 | Fantastic Voyage | General Carter | |
| The Doomsday Flight | The Man | (TV movie) | |
| 1967 | The Viscount | Ricco Barone | |
| To Commit a Murder | Sphax (publisher) | ||
| The Virginian | Thomas Manstead | episode: Ah Sing vs. Wyoming | |
| The Outsider | Marvin Bishop | (TV movie) | |
| 1968 | Flesh and Blood | Harry | (TV movie) |
| Mission: Impossible | Raymond Halder | episode: The Counterfeiter | |
| 1969 | It Takes a Thief | Rocky McCauley | episode: Rock-Bye, Bye, Baby |
| The Wild Bunch | Freddie Sykes | ||
| The Love God? | Osborn Tremaine | ||
| The Bold Ones: The Protectors | Warden Millbank | episode: If I Should Wake Before I Die | |
| 1970 | Insight | Houseworthy - Tycoon | episode: The 7 Minute Life of James Houseworthy |
| The Intruders | Col. William Bodeen | (TV movie) | |
| The Young Lawyers | MacGillicuddy | episode: MacGillicuddy Always Was a Pain in the Neck | |
| Dream No Evil | Timothy MacDonald | ||
| 1971 | The Name of the Game | Bergman | episode: LA 2017 |
| The High Chaparral | Morgan MacQuarie | episode: The Hostage | |
| River of Mystery | R.J. Twitchell | ||
| What's a Nice Girl Like You...? | Morton Stillman | ||
| 1972 | Cade's County | Clint Pritchard | episode: The Brothers |
| Jigsaw | Det. Ed Burtelson | (TV movie) | |
| The Streets of San Francisco | Officer Gustav 'Gus' Charnovski, SFPD | episode: The Thirty-Year Pin | |
| McMillan & Wife | Mr. Fontaine | episode: Cop of the Year | |
| They Only Kill Their Masters | George | ||
| The Other Side of the Wind | Pat | ||
| 1973 | The New Temperatures Rising Show | Dr. Banning | episode: Super Doc |
| Isn't It Shocking? | Justin Oates | (TV movie) | |
| Lucky Luciano | Commissioner Harry J. Anslinger | (credited as Edmund O'Brien) | |
| 1974 | Police Story | Chief Frank Modeer | episode: Chain of Command |
| 99 and 44/100% Dead | Uncle Frank Kelly | ||
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Edmond O'Brien, Actor, Dies at 69". The New York Times. May 10, 1985. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ↑ "Oscar-winning actor Edmond O'Brien dies". Santa Cruz Sentinel. May 10, 1985. p. 10. Retrieved July 4, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Edmond O'Brien Profile, New York Times. By staff. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Edmond O'Brien". oscars.org. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ↑ "Philip Morris Playhouse on Broadway". The Digital Deli Too. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ↑ "Review and Ratings of New Popular Albums" (PDF). Billboard. July 29, 1957. p. 34. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ↑ Vosburgh, Dick (January 20, 1995). "Obituary: Nancy Kelly". The Independent. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ↑ Famed character actor dies
- ↑ "Edmond O'Brien". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Edmond O'Brien. |
- Official website
- Edmond O'Brien at the Internet Movie Database
- Edmond O'Brien at the TCM Movie Database
- Edmond O'Brien at the Internet Broadway Database
|