Frank O'Connor (director)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Frank O'Connor (died November 22, 1959) was an American
character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...
and director involved in approximately 300 productions. He was a director of several
films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
; he also penned multiple screenplays.


Career

In 1920, Frank O'Connor arrived in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
, where he joined the Lasky Players.
Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...
mentored him. Later, O'Connor was a freelance writer and
character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...
. After a career as a
film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
, he attempted to produce his own and, in the words of the ''
San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...
'', "went broke"; he subsequently worked as an
extra Extra or Xtra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper * ''Extra!'', an American me ...
.


Personal life

O'Connor was married to a woman named Susan, and they had three children; he died in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
on November 22, 1959, at 78 years old.


Partial filmography

Throughout his career, O'Connor was involved in approximately 300
films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
with various roles, including actor, director, and writer: *''
The Unwritten Code ''The Unwritten Code'' is a 1944 American drama film directed by Herman Rotsten and written by Leslie T. White and Charles Kenyon. The film stars Ann Savage, Tom Neal, Roland Varno, Howard Freeman, Mary Currier and Bobby Larson. The film was r ...
'' (1919), as Thompson *'' Everything for Sale'' (1921), director *''
A Virginia Courtship ''A Virginia Courtship'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Frank O'Connor and written by Edfrid A. Bingham based upon the play of the same name by Eugene Wiley Presbrey. The film stars May McAvoy, Alec B. Francis, Jane Keckley, ...
'' (1921), director *''
A Homespun Vamp ''A Homespun Vamp'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Frank O'Connor and written by Harvey F. Thew and Hector Turnbull. The film stars May McAvoy, Darrell Foss, Lincoln Stedman, Josephine Crowell, Charles Stanton Ogle, Guy Ol ...
'' (1922), director *''
The Lawful Cheater ''The Lawful Cheater'', sometimes referred to as ''Lawful Cheaters'', is a 1925 American silent crime drama film written by Frank O'Connor and Adele Buffington. The film was directed by O'Connor for B.P. Schulberg Productions, and starred Clar ...
'' (1925), director *''
One of the Bravest ''One of the Bravest'' is a 1925 American silent action drama film directed by Frank O'Connor and starring Ralph Lewis, Edward Hearn, and Pat Somerset. Plot A father of Irish heritage rejects his firefighter son when he marries and Jewish gi ...
'' (1925), director *'' Go Straight'' (1925), director *''
Free to Love ''Free to Love'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Frank O'Connor. The film stars Clara Bow and Donald Keith. Plot As described in a film magazine review, after threatening him with a gun but relenting, Marie Anthony, who was r ...
'' (1925), director *''
The Block Signal ''The Block Signal'' is 1926 American silent drama film directed by Frank O'Connor and starring Ralph Lewis, Jean Arthur, and Hugh Allan. It was produced by the independent company Gotham Pictures. Synopsis A veteran railroad engineer discove ...
'' (1926), writer and director *''
Exclusive Rights In Anglo-Saxon law, an exclusive right, or exclusivity, is a de facto, non-tangible prerogative existing in law (that is, the power or, in a wider sense, right) to perform an action or acquire a benefit and to permit or deny others the right to p ...
'' (1926), director *''
Hearts and Spangles ''Hearts and Spangles'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Frank O'Connor and starring Wanda Hawley, Robert Gordon and Frankie Darro.Munden p.334 A medical student is expelled from college and disowned by his father, and goes to jo ...
'' (1926), director *''
Devil's Island The penal colony of Cayenne ( French: ''Bagne de Cayenne''), commonly known as Devil's Island (''Île du Diable''), was a French penal colony that operated for 100 years, from 1852 to 1952, and officially closed in 1953 in the Salvation Islands ...
'' (1926), director *'' The Silent Power'' (1926), director *'' Spangles'' (1926), director *''
Heroes of the Night ''Heroes of the Night'' is a 1927 silent film comedy directed by Frank O'Connor (actor), Frank O'Connor and starring Cullen Landis. It was produced by Gotham Pictures and released by Lumas Film Corporation. The film is preserved in the Library ...
'' (1927), director *''
Your Wife and Mine ''Your Wife and Mine'' is a 1927 American silent film, silent comedy film directed by Frank O'Connor (actor), Frank O'Connor and starring Phyllis Haver, Stuart Holmes and Wallace MacDonald.Katchmer p.533 Cast * Phyllis Haver as Phyllis Warren * ...
'' (1927), director *''
Colleen Colleen is an Irish language name and is of Irish origin and a generic term for women or girls, from the Irish '' cailín'' 'girl/woman', the diminutive of '' caile'' 'woman, countrywoman'. Although it originates in the Irish language, Colleen ...
'' (1927), director *''
Why Sailors Go Wrong ''Why Sailors Go Wrong'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by Henry Lehrman and written by Randall Faye and Delos Sutherland. The film stars Sammy Cohen, Ted McNamara, Sally Phipps, Nick Stuart, E. H. Calvert, and Carl Miller. The ...
'' (1928), writer *''
The Masked Angel ''The Masked Angel'' is a lost 1928 silent film romantic drama directed by Frank O'Connor and starring Betty Compson. It was produced and distributed by independent studio Chadwick Pictures. Cast *Betty Compson - Betty *Erick Arnold - Jimmy Prue ...
'' (1928), director *''
Call of the Circus ''Call of the Circus'' is a 1930 pre-Code film written by Maxine Alton and directed by Frank O'Connor. The film stars Francis X. Bushman and Ethel Clayton. The film is noted as silent screen idol Bushman's first talkie. Plot A retired clown ...
'' (1930), director *''
King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...
'' (1933), as Reporter *''
Sailor Be Good ''Sailor Be Good'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by James Cruze and written by Ethel Doherty, Viola Brothers Shore and Ralph Spence. Starring Jack Oakie, Vivienne Osborne, George E. Stone, Max Hoffman Jr. and Lincoln Stedman ...
'' (1933), writer *'' Men of the Night'' (1934), as Boss painter *''
Air Hawks ''Air Hawks'' is a 1935 American aviation-themed science fiction film based on Ben Pivar's "Air Fury", an unpublished story. Director Albert Rogell who had moved from shorts to B-films, was interested in aviation and had already helmed ''The Fly ...
'' (1935) (uncredited) *''
The Whole Town's Talking ''The Whole Town's Talking'' (released in the UK as ''Passport to Fame'') is a 1935 American comedy film starring Edward G. Robinson as a law-abiding man who bears a striking resemblance to a killer, with Jean Arthur as his love interest. It w ...
'' (1935), as Detective *''
His Fighting Blood ''His Fighting Blood'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by John English and starring Kermit Maynard, Polly Ann Young and Paul Fix.Goble p.102 It was produced on Poverty Row as a second feature. The film's sets were designed by the art ...
'' (1935) (uncredited) *'' The Little Colonel, as Aide *'' To Mary - with Love'' (1936), as Conductor *''
Wives Never Know ''Wives Never Know'' is a 1936 American black-and-white comedy film directed by Elliott Nugent. Written by Frederick Hazlitt Brennan, Edwin Justus Mayer and Keene Thompson, the film stars Charlie Ruggles, Mary Boland, and Adolphe Menjou, and wa ...
'' (1936), as Police sergeant *''
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' is a 1939 American Political drama, political Comedy drama, comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra, starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart, and featuring Claude Rains and Edward Arnold (actor), Edward Arnold. ...
(1939), as Senator Alfred *''
Adventure in Diamonds ''Adventure in Diamonds'' is a 1940 American crime film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring George Brent, Isa Miranda, John Loder and Nigel Bruce. It was also released under the alternative title of ''Diamonds are Dangerous''. Critics no ...
'' (1940), writer *''
The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize ...
'' (1940), as Deputy *''
Man Made Monster ''Man-Made Monster'' is a 1941 American science-fiction horror film directed by George Waggner and produced by Jack Bernhard for Universal Pictures. Filmed in black-and-white, it stars Lon Chaney, Jr. (in his horror film debut) and Lionel Atwill ...
'' (1941), as Detective *''
Sunset Murder Case ''Sunset Murder Case'' is a 1938 American film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Sally Rand and Esther Muir. The film is also known as ''High Explosive'' in the United Kingdom. Plot summary After her policeman father is killed and n ...
'' (1941), as Tom O'Connor *''
Roar of the Press ''Roar of the Press'' is a 1941 American comedy-drama crime film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Jean Parker and Wallace Ford. Plot Married only a few hours, small-town girl Alice makes her first visit to New York with new husband Wally Wil ...
'' (1941) (uncredited) *''
The Gay Falcon ''The Gay Falcon'' is a 1941 B film, the first in a series of 16 films about a suave detective nicknamed The Falcon. Intended to replace the earlier The Saint detective series, the first film took its title from the lead character, Gay Laurence. ...
'' (1941), as Police officer in hallway *''
Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film produced by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. The picture was Welles' first feature film. ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently cited ...
'' (1941), as Man at Madison Square Garden *'' X Marks the Spot'' (1942), as Policeman *''
Cover Girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a magaz ...
'' (1944), as Cook *''
Lone Texas Ranger ''Lone Texas Ranger'' is a 1945 American Western film directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet starring Wild Bill Elliott in the role of Red Ryder and costarring as Little Beaver, actor ''(Bobby)'' Robert Blake. It was the eighth of twenty-three Red R ...
'' (1945), as Horace Carter *'' Mama Loves Papa'' (1945), as Official *''
Days of Buffalo Bill ''Days of Buffalo Bill'' is a 1946 American Western film directed by Thomas Carr and written by William Lively and Doris Schroeder. The film stars Sunset Carson, Peggy Stewart, Tom London, James Craven, Rex Lease and Edmund Cobb. The film wa ...
'' (1946), as Sam, cashier *''
It's a Wonderful Life ''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas by medium#Films, Christmas Fantasy film, fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern se ...
'' (1946) (uncredited) *''
Congo Bill Congorilla, originally a human character known as Congo Bill, is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and Vertigo Comics. Originally co-created by writer Whitney Ellsworth and artist George Papp, he was later transformed int ...
'' (1948) *''
Sands of Iwo Jima ''Sands of Iwo Jima'' is a 1949 war film starring John Wayne that follows a group of United States Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. The film, which also features John Agar, Adele Mara and Forrest Tucker, was w ...
'' (1950), as Waiter *'' Angel Face'' (1953), as Bailiff *''
Red River Shore ''Red River Shore'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by Harry Keller and starring Rex Allen, Lyn Thomas and Slim Pickens.England p.140 The film's sets were designed by the art director Frank Hotaling. Plot Cast * Rex Allen as Marshal ...
'' (1953) (uncredited) *''
My Sister Eileen ''My Sister Eileen'' is a series of autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney, originally published in ''The New Yorker'', which eventually inspired many other works: her 1938 book ''My Sister Eileen'', a play, a musical, a radio play (a ...
'' (1955) (uncredited) *'' Jet Pilot'' (1957) (uncredited)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Frank 1881 births 1959 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male screenwriters Film directors from New York (state) Male actors from New York City American male silent film actors Silent film directors Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters