John Cowley (8 September 1923 – 13 February 1998) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

actor, best known for his role as

paterfamilias The ''pater familias'', also written as ''paterfamilias'' (plural ''patres familias''), was the head of a Roman family. The ''pater familias'' was the oldest living male in a household, and could legally exercise autocratic authority over his ext ...

, Tom Riordan, in the long-running

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

Television drama series, ''

The Riordans ''The Riordans'' was the second Irish television drama serial made by Raidio Telefís Éireann (then called ''Telefís Éireann''). It ran from 1965 to 1979 and was set in the fictional townland of Leestown in County Kilkenny. Its location fil ...

''. From a farming background, Cowley was born in

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland by population, tenth largest settlement in ...

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...

. He left school at the age of 13 to work on the family farm.''The Irish Times'', "John Cowley, 'Riordans' actor and bloodsports opponent, dies", 14 February 1998. Cowley entered the acting profession as a member of one of the touring companies that brought theatre to rural communities in Ireland up until the 1960s. In a bid to escape the impecunious life of a roving actor, he wrote to

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

seeking a position at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

; however, Olivier politely declined. In 1964, Cowley was chosen to play the part of Tom Riordan in RTÉ's new series, ''The Riordans''. His performance won him a

Jacob's Award The Jacob's Awards were instituted in December 1962 as the first Irish television awards. Later, they were expanded to include radio. The awards were named after their sponsor, W. & R. Jacob & Co. Ltd., a biscuit manufacturer, and recipients ...

in 1967 and he continued in the cast until the series ended in 1979. Tom Hickey, who played Tom Riordan's son, Benjy, described Cowley as the "central rock of ''The Riordans''" and "the father of the whole enterprise".''The Irish Times'', "Colleagues, friends pay tribute to actor John Cowley of 'The Riordans' at funeral", 16 February 1998 Following ''The Riordans'', Cowley returned to the stage and continued acting up to the end of his life. At the time of his death, he was rehearsing with

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

Druid Theatre Company The Druid Theatre Company, referred to as Druid, is an Irish theatre company, based in Galway, Ireland. As well as touring extensively across Ireland, the company's productions have played internationally to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the ...

for their production of

Brian Friel Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription req ...

's play, '' Philadelphia Here I Come''. He appeared in a number of feature films, including

Jim Sheridan Jim Sheridan (born 6 February 1949) is an Irish playwright and filmmaker. Between 1989 and 1993, Sheridan directed two critically acclaimed films set in Ireland, ''My Left Foot'' and ''In the Name of the Father'', and later directed the film ...

's '' The Field'', an adaptation of John B. Keane's

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

, and the same director's 1997 film ''

The Boxer "The Boxer" is a song written by Paul Simon and recorded by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fifth studio album, '' Bridge over Troubled Water'' (1970). Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, it was released as a standalone sing ...

''. Cowley was a passionate opponent of cruelty to animals and campaigned vigorously against

hare coursing Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares with greyhounds and other sighthounds, which chase the hare by sight, not by scent. In some countries, it is a legal, competitive activity in which dogs are tested on their ability to run, overtake and tur ...

and

fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of ho ...

. He was a founder-member of th
Irish Council Against Blood Sports

Death

Cowley was married to the actress, Annie D'Alton, who predeceased him in March 1983. Cowley died at his home in

Ardbraccan Ardbraccan ( ga, Ard Breacáin) is an ancient place of Christian worship in County Meath, Ireland. It is the location of the former residence of the Roman Catholic, then, after the Reformation, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath. It is approx ...

, aged 74. Their son, Ultan, is a writer and historian.''The Irish Times'', "Emigrants return to school", 9 June 2001.

References

External links

John Cowley at Irish Playography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowley, John 1923 births 1998 deaths Animal welfare workers Irish male stage actors Irish male film actors Irish male soap opera actors Irish male television actors Jacob's Award winners People from Navan RTÉ Television people 20th-century Irish male actors Actors from County Meath