Michael O'Shea (born Edward Francis Michael Patrick Joseph O'Shea; March 17, 1906 – December 4, 1973) was known as an American actor who appeared in

feature films A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

and later in television and whose career spanned the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.

Early life

O'Shea was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, of Irish descent. He wanted to follow his five brothers into the police force but was not tall enough. He dropped out of school at 12 and began his acting career in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

by touring with boxing idol Jack Johnson's show. He did a variety of jobs including soda jerk, bricklayer, private detective and bodyguard.MR. O'SHEA, THE HARTFORD GYPSY By THEODORE STRAUSS. New York Times (18 Apr 1943: X3.

Career

O'Shea played drums and the banjo. Much like his character from ''

Lady of Burlesque ''Lady of Burlesque'' (also known as ''The G-String Murders'' and in the UK, ''Striptease Lady'') is a 1943 American musical comedy-mystery film, produced by RKO Pictures and directed by William A. Wellman and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Mich ...

'' (1943), Biff Brannigan, O'Shea was a comedian and emcee at speakeasies. He put together his own dance band, "Michael O'Shea and His Stationary Gypsies", and later broke into radio and the "legitimate" stage, where he was billed for a time as "Eddie O'Shea". He worked on radio shows such as ''Superman'', ''Mr District Attorney'', ''The March of Time'' and ''Gangbuster''. O'Shea received acclaim for his performance in the 1942 play ''

The Eve of St. Mark ''The Eve of St Mark'' is a 1942 play by Maxwell Anderson set during World War II. It later became a 1944 film by 20th Century Fox that featured some of the same actors who repeated their roles in the film. The title is derived from the legend of ...

'' on Broadway. The play was a hit and film producers began approaching O'Shea to do screen tests.

Early films

O'Shea's work in ''Eve'' led to him being offered to play

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...

's leading man in the film ''

'' (1943) for producer

Hunt Stromberg Hunt Stromberg (July 12, 1894 – August 23, 1968) was a film producer during Hollywood's Golden Age. In a prolific 30-year career beginning in 1921, Stromberg produced, wrote, and directed some of Hollywood's most profitable and enduring films, ...

, released through

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

. It was a sizeable hit.Scott Eyman, ''Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer'', Robson, 2005 p 339

Samuel Bronston Samuel Bronston (March 26, 1908 – January 12, 1994) was a Bessarabian-born American film producer, film director, and a nephew of socialist revolutionary figure, Leon Trotsky. He was also the petitioner in a U.S. Supreme Court case that set a ...

offered him the title role in the biopic ''

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

'' (1943), also released through United Artists. The cast included

Virginia Mayo Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Brothers' biggest box-office money-maker in the late 1940s. ...

who would become O'Shea's second wife. O'Shea was asked to reprise his stage role in the film version of ''

'' (1944), produced by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. That studio contracted him to make two more films. Fox announced they would make ''Where Do We Go From Here?'' with him and Stanley Prager, also in ''Eve'', but it appears to have not been made. Michael O'Shea in Something for the Boys

Michael O'Shea in Something for the Boys

He had the lead role in ''

Man from Frisco ''Man from Frisco'' (1944) is a United States feature-length spy and war film by Republic Pictures directed by Robert Florey and starring Michael O'Shea (1906–1973) and Anne Shirley. Plot Matt Braddock is a civil engineer during the Secon ...

'' (1944), a fictional account of the career of Henry Kaiser for

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...

, directed by

Robert Florey Robert Florey (14 September 1900 – 16 May 1979) was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor. Born as Robert Fuchs in Paris, he became an orphan at an early age and was then raised in Switzerland. In 1920 he worked a ...

. At Fox he made a musical, ''

Something for the Boys ''Something for the Boys'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields. Produced by Mike Todd, the show opened on Broadway in 1943 and starred Ethel Merman in her fifth Cole Porter musical. P ...

'' (1944), with

Carmen Miranda Carmen Miranda, (; born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, 9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, dancer, Broadway actress and film star who was active from the late 1920s onwards. Nicknamed "The B ...

. O'Shea then went into '' It's a Pleasure!'' (1945), playing a hockey star who marries figure skater

Sonja Henie Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norway, Norwegian figure skating, figure skater and film star. She was a three-time List of Olympic medalists in figure skating, Olympic champion (Figure skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics, ...

, done for

International Pictures International Pictures was an American film production company that existed in the 1940s. It merged with Universal Pictures to become Universal-International on October 1, 1946. History The company was formed in 1944. It was headed up by Leo Sp ...

. Back at Fox he had the lead in a B, ''

Circumstantial Evidence Circumstantial evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact—such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime. By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly—i.e., without need ...

'' (1945).

Return to Broadway

O'Shea returned to Broadway with a role in the revival of ''

The Red Mill ''The Red Mill'' is an operetta written by Victor Herbert, with a libretto by Henry Blossom. The farcical story concerns two American vaudevillians who wreak havoc at an inn in Holland, interfering with two marriages; but all ends well. The musica ...

'' (1945–47), produced by Hunt Stromberg Jr. which ran for 531 performances. When the show finished he returned to films. He had a support part with ''

Mr. District Attorney ''Mr. District Attorney'' is a radio crime drama produced by Samuel Bischoff that aired on NBC and ABC from April 3, 1939 to June 13, 1952 (and in transcribed syndication through 1953). The series focused on a crusading district attorney initia ...

'' (1947) at Columbia. He was

Nancy Coleman Nancy Coleman (December 30, 1912 – January 18, 2000) was an American film, stage, television and radio actress. After working on radio and appearing on the Broadway stage, Nancy Coleman moved to Hollywood to work for Warner Bros. studios. Ea ...

's leading man in ''

Violence Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...

'' (1947) at

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

and played Natty Bumpo in

Sam Katzman Sam Katzman (July 7, 1901 – August 4, 1973) was an American film producer and director. Katzman produced low-budget genre films, including serials, which had disproportionately high returns for the studios and his financial backers. Ea ...

's version of ''

Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfind ...

'', ''

Last of the Redmen ''Last of the Redskins'' (aka ''Last of the Redmen'') is a 1947 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Joh Hall and Michael O'Shea. The film was shot in Vitacolor but released in Cinecolor. Unlike other adaptations th ...

'' (1947), with Jon Hall at Columbia. He had a support role in '' Smart Woman'' (1948), at Allied Artists, and the lead in '' Parole, Inc.'' (1949), for

Eagle-Lion Films Eagle-Lion Films was a British-American film production company owned by J. Arthur Rank intended to distribute British productions in the United States. In 1947, it acquired Robert R. Young's PRC Pictures, a small American production company, ...

. He supported

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

in '' The Big Wheel'' (1949) at United Artists but had the lead in '' The Threat'' (1949) a "B" for RKO.

Supporting actor

O'Shea supported John Payne in ''

Captain China ''Captain China'' is a 1950 American adventure film directed by Lewis R. Foster and written by Lewis R. Foster and Gwen Bagni. The film stars John Payne, Gail Russell, Jeffrey Lynn, Lon Chaney Jr., Edgar Bergen, Michael O'Shea and Ellen Corb ...

'' (1950) and

Dan Duryea Dan Duryea ( , January 23, 1907 – June 7, 1968) was an American actor in film, stage, and television. Known for portraying a vast range of character roles as a villain, he nonetheless had a long career in a wide variety of leading and seconda ...

in ''

The Underworld Story ''The Underworld Story'' is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Cy Endfield and starring Dan Duryea, Herbert Marshall, Gale Storm, Howard Da Silva and Michael O'Shea. Da Silva plays the loud-mouthed gangster Carl Durham, one of hi ...

'' (1950). He had a support role in ''

Disc Jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

'' (1951), then did three films at Fox: ''

Fixed Bayonets ''Fixed Bayonets!'' is a 1951 American war film written and directed by Samuel Fuller and produced by Twentieth Century-Fox during the Korean War. It is Fuller's second film about the Korean War. In his motion-picture debut, James Dean appears br ...

'' (1951) for

Sam Fuller Samuel Michael Fuller (August 12, 1912 – October 30, 1997) was an American film director, screenwriter, novelist, journalist, and World War II veteran known for directing low-budget genre movies with controversial themes, often made ou ...

, ''

The Model and the Marriage Broker ''The Model and the Marriage Broker'' is a 1951 romantic comedy film about a marriage broker. Though Jeanne Crain (as the model) is top billed, the movie revolves around Thelma Ritter's character (the broker), in a rare leading role for Ritter. ...

'' (1951) for

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head of ...

, and '' Bloodhounds of Broadway'' (1952).

Television

After his career in film waned - he was largely out of films by 1952 — he took many roles in television. He acted in TV programs such as ''

The Revlon Mirror Theater ''The Revlon Mirror Theater'' (also known as ''Mirror Theater'') is an American anthology drama television series. The series was broadcast on NBC from June 23 to September 1, 1953, before moving to CBS for the rest of its run from September 19 t ...

'', ''

Ethel Barrymore Theatre The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a Broadway theater at 241 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1928, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the Elizabethan, Mediterranean, and Adam styles ...

'', ''

Damon Runyon Theater ''Damon Runyon Theater'' is an American television program that presented dramatized versions of Damon Runyon's short stories. Hosted by Donald Woods, the program, sponsored by Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser beer, aired for a total of 39 episodes on ...

'', and ''

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to ''Schlitz Playhouse ...

''. He had a support part in ''

It Should Happen to You ''It Should Happen to You'' is a 1954 American romantic comedy film starring Judy Holliday, Peter Lawford and Jack Lemmon; it was Lemmon's first major film appearance. The film was directed by George Cukor, and partly filmed on location in New ...

'' (1954).

''It's a Great Life''

He also starred in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

'' It's a Great Life'' from 1954-1956 as Denny Davis, a former GI trying to find a civilian job.

Frances Bavier Frances Elizabeth Bavier (December 14, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American stage and television actress. Originally from New York theatre, she worked in film and television from the 1950s until the 1970s. She is best known for her role o ...

played his landlady. He won an Emmy in 1954 but quit the show in 1957. He worked as a panelist on TV shows and filmed a pilot for a TV sitcom with his wife

, ''McGarry and His Mouse'' (1960) but it was not picked up for a series. He guest starred on episodes of '' Adventures in Paradise'', ''

Daktari ''Daktari'' ( Swahili for "doctor") is an American family drama series that aired on CBS between 1966 and 1969. The series is an Ivan Tors Films Production in association with MGM Television starring Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy, a veter ...

'' and ''

Adam-12 ''Adam-12'' is an American television police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed as they patrol the stre ...

''. In 1964 he returned briefly to New York stage in a production ''I Was Dancing''.Michael O'Shea, 67, Stage Actor Also in TV Series, Films, Dies: Started as Band Leader New York Times 5 Dec 1973: 43.

Personal life

He was married twice. His first wife was Grace Watts, by whom he had two children. That marriage ended in divorce in 1947. Ginny Mayo with Mike O'Shea, 1955

His second wife was actress

, whom he married in 1947, and to whom he stayed married until his death from a heart attack in 1973. He met Mayo during the filming of ''Jack London'' in 1943. They subsequently appeared on the stock stage together in such productions as ''

George Washington Slept Here ''George Washington Slept Here'' is a 1942 comedy film starring Jack Benny, Ann Sheridan, Charles Coburn, Percy Kilbride, and Hattie McDaniel. It was based on the 1940 play of the same name by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, adapted by Everett F ...

,'' ''Tunnel of Love'' and ''

Fiorello! ''Fiorello!'' is a musical about New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia, a reform Republican, which debuted on Broadway in 1959, and tells the story of how La Guardia took on the Tammany Hall political machine. The book is by Jerome Weidman and ...

''. When he died of a heart attack he was in Dallas, about to go on tour with his wife in a production of ''

Forty Carats ''Forty Carats'' is a play by Jay Presson Allen. Adapted from the French original by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy, the comedy revolves around a 40-year-old American divorcee who is assisted by a 22-year-old when her car breaks down du ...

''.Michael O'Shea, Tough-Talking Actor The Washington Post and Times-Herald 6 Dec 1973: B22. During their marriage, they had one child, Mary Catherine O'Shea, who was born in 1953. That year O'Shea's first wife sued him for unpaid alimony. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he supported

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

's campaign in the 1952 presidential election. In 1957 he pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm. In August of 1959, he was arrested after brandishing a pistol in defense of his wife in a Philadelphia restaurant. An argument between her and another customer over air conditioning was the cause. O'Shea was of the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

faith.

Other employment

O'Shea kept up his

bricklayer A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsman and tradesman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The terms also refer to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. ...

's card and was a reserve

deputy sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

in the

Ventura County Sheriff's Office The Ventura County Sheriff's Office (VCSO), also sometimes known as the Ventura County Sheriff's Department (VCSD), provides law enforcement for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California as well as several cities within the county. ...

p.7 ''Michael O'Shea is Claimed By Death'' ''Beaver County Times'' 5 Dec 1973

Partial filmography

*''

'' (1943) *''

'' (1944) *''

'' (1944) – Matt Braddock *'' The Eve of St Mark'' (1944) *''

'' (1945) *'' It's a Pleasure'' (1945) *''

'' (1947) *''

'' (1947) * ''

'' (1947) *'' Parole, Inc.'' (1948) *'' Smart Woman'' (1948) *'' The Threat'' (1949) *'' The Big Wheel'' (1949) *''

'' (1950) *''

'' (1951) *''

Fixed Bayonets! ''Fixed Bayonets!'' is a 1951 American war film written and directed by Samuel Fuller and produced by Twentieth Century-Fox during the Korean War. It is Fuller's second film about the Korean War. In his motion-picture debut, James Dean appears br ...

'' (1951) *''Disc Jockey'' (1951) *'' Bloodhounds of Broadway'' (1952) *''

'' (1954)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oshea, Michael 1906 births 1973 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Male actors from Connecticut Vaudeville performers 20th-century American male actors Connecticut Republicans California Republicans American Roman Catholics American people of Irish descent