Gabriel Walsh, born in Dublin, is a writer, publishing books and producing scripts for TV shows and movies.

Early years

At the age of 15, while working as a waiter in the

Shelbourne Hotel The Shelbourne Hotel is a historic hotel in Dublin, Ireland, situated in a landmark building on the north side of St Stephen's Green. Currently owned by Kennedy Wilson and operated by Marriott International, the hotel has 265 rooms in total and ...

in Dublin he met Irish Opera singer Margaret Burke-Sheridan (1889–1958). Margaret Burke-Sheridan convinces his family to allow him to move to the US for education. Walsh attended the Lee Strasberg School of Acting in New York and L.A.

Career

Since the 1970s, Walsh has either been writing screen plays, acting, co-producing or writing for the

Evening Echo ''The Echo'', formerly known as the ''Evening Echo'', is an Irish morning newspaper based in Cork. It is distributed throughout the province of Munster, although it is primarily read in its base city of Cork. The newspaper was founded as a broa ...

newspaper in Cork. In 1970, Walsh wrote the screen-play

Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx ''Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx'' is a 1970 Irish-American comedy film directed by Waris Hussein and written by Gabriel Walsh. It stars Gene Wilder as the title character, a poor Irish manure collector who falls in love with an Ameri ...

which stars Gene Wilder as Quackser Fortune and Margot Kidder as Zazel Pierce. Quackser Fortune grabbed the attention of Jean Renoir. Gene Wilder, in his book ''Kiss Me Like A Stranger'' published by St Martin's Press, quotes the legendary French Director as saying "not since Chaplin have I come across such as character as this Quackser". The movie received mixed reviews when it was first released in 1970. But in 1971, Walsh's screen play was nominated for best comedy written for the screen at the ''

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Guil ...

''. In 2012, ''Quackser Fortune has a Cousin in the Bronx'' was listed in the Sunday Times as one of the top 100 Irish movies ever produced.

Film and TV work

Walsh appeared in a number of movies including ''Night Flowers'' in 1979, which he wrote and co-produced. The film received the ecumenical award at the

Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Internat ...

in 1979. ''Heaven's Gate'' 1981; ''The returning'' 1983 and featured in TV series ''Wild Wild West'' in 1970.

Plays

The author wrote several plays including "The Brandy Dancers" in 1978 and "Hearts" which was produced by Eric Morris Theatre in LA.

Books

In 2012, Gabriel Walsh's memoirs ''"Maggie's Breakfast"'', published by Poolbeg Publishing, about his "life-changing" encounter with Margaret Burke Sheridan, joined the best seller list. The book recounts his up-bringing in Dublin in 1940s and 1950s as one of ten children to the moment he departs to New York, barely literate, to live and be educated by his new guardians, Wall Street economists and investors, Emerson and Ruth Houghton Axe. The book's sequel ''"I Dream Alone"'', which covers the young boy's life at the Axe Castle in Tarrytown, Westchester County, New York, was published in 2013.

References

;Notes ;Sources
Irish Independent
''How breakfast at the Shelbourne changed this poor Dublin boy's life'' (2 Feb 2012)

'Beginner's Pluck'' (25 Feb 2012)
IMDb.com
''The Night of the Fugitives'' (8 Nov 1968)
New York Times
''Night-Flowers (1979)'' ''Movie section New York Times''
Montreal World Film Festival
''Night Flowers'' Prize of the Ecumenical Jury 1979
New York Times
''Quackser Fortune has a Cousin in the Bronx''

Works

* Maggie's Breakfast (Poolbeg Publishing) 25 January 2012 () * I Dream Alone (Poolbeg Publishing) 2013 () {{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Gabriel Living people Writers from Dublin (city) Irish screenwriters Irish male screenwriters Irish male television actors Year of birth missing (living people) Actors from Dublin (city)