Patrick Joseph Noel Purcell (23 December 1900 – 3 March 1985) was a distinguished Irish actor of stage, screen, and television. He appeared in the 1956 film ''

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod'', for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant whi ...

'' and the 1962 film ''

Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set h ...

''.

Early life and education

Patrick Joseph Noel Purcell was the son of Dublin auctioneer Pierce Purcell and his second wife Catherine (''née'' Hoban), an antique dealer. He was born at 11a, Lower Mercer Street, one of two houses owned by his mother's family. Purcell was educated at Synge Street CBS. He lost the tip of his right index finger while making cigarette vending machines, and was also missing his entire left index finger due to a different accident while he was an apprentice carpenter, a feature which he exploited for dramatic effect in the film ''

'' (1962).

Career

Purcell began his show business career at the age of 12 in Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. Later, he toured Ireland in a

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 ...

act with Jimmy O'Dea. Stage-trained in the classics in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, Purcell moved into films in 1934. He appeared in '' Captain Boycott'' (1947) and as the elderly sailor whose death marooned the lovers-to-be in the first

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decad ...

version of '' The Blue Lagoon'' (1949). He played a member of Captain Ahab's crew in ''

'' (1956), Dan O'Flaherty in episode one, The Majesty of the Law, of '' The Rising of the Moon'' (1957), a gamekeeper in '' The List of Adrian Messenger'' (1963), and a barman in ''

The Mackintosh Man ''The Mackintosh Man'' is a 1973 British Cold War neo noir spy thriller film, directed by John Huston and starring Paul Newman, Dominique Sanda and James Mason. Huston called it "a spy thriller with some amusing moments" that was similar to ...

'' (1973); the last two films were directed by

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

. In 1955, he was an off-and-on regular on the British filmed TV series '' The Buccaneers'' (released to American TV in 1956). He narrated a

Hibernia ''Hibernia'' () is the Classical Latin name for Ireland. The name ''Hibernia'' was taken from Greek geographical accounts. During his exploration of northwest Europe (c. 320 BC), Pytheas of Massalia called the island ''Iérnē'' (written ). ...

n documentary, ''Seven Wonders of Ireland'' (1959). In 1962, he portrayed the lusty William McCoy in

Lewis Milestone Lewis Milestone (born Leib Milstein (Russian: Лейб Мильштейн); September 30, 1895 – September 25, 1980) was a Moldovan-American film director. He is known for directing '' Two Arabian Knights'' (1927) and ''All Quiet on the Weste ...

's ''

''. He played a taciturn Irish in-law to Lebanese American entertainer

Danny Thomas Danny Thomas (born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz; January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) was an American actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in one of the most successful and long-running sitc ...

's character Danny Williams in a 1963 episode of ''

The Danny Thomas Show ''The Danny Thomas Show'' (titled ''Make Room for Daddy'' for its first three seasons) is an American sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. Starring Danny Thomas as a successful night club entertainer, the show ...

''. In 1971, he played the caring

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

in the children's musical drama '' Flight of the Doves''. He was the subject of ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'' in 1958 when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...

at the BBC Television Theatre. Purcell also gained some recognition as a singer. Shortly after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, songwriter Leo Maguire composed "The Dublin Saunter" for him. He performed the song live for many years and later recorded it for the Glenside label. However, the recording was not a hit. As Purcell recalled many years later, "I don't think one person in the world bought it." However, over time it became one of the most favourite songs about Dublin, receiving countless air-play on radio programmes. In his latter years, Purcell was asked by RTÉ journalist Colm Connolly whether he had received many royalties down the years. Purcell replied: "Not a penny. I recorded it as a favour for a pal, Leo Maguire, who'd written it. No contract or anything, so I never got a fee or any payments." In 1981 (on YouTube it's 1974) he recorded a spoken word version of Pete St. John's "

Dublin in the Rare Old Times "The Rare Ould Times" is a song composed by Pete St. John in the 1970s for the Dublin City Ramblers. It is sometimes called "Dublin in the Rare Ould Times", "The Rare Old Times", or "The Rare Auld Times". Description In the song, the narrator, Se ...

". In June 1984, Purcell was given the

Freedom of the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

of Dublin."Well deserved honour for Potter and Purcell", ''The Irish Times'', 5 July 1984. Nine months later, he died in his native city at the age of 84.

Personal life

On 7 July 1941, Purcell married former child actress Eileen Marmion. They had four sons.

Selected filmography

*'' Jimmy Boy'' (1935) *''

Knight Without Armour ''Knight Without Armour'' (styled as ''Knight Without Armor'' in some releases) is a 1937 British historical drama film starring Marlene Dietrich and Robert Donat. It was directed by Jacques Feyder and produced by Alexander Korda from a screenpl ...

'' (1937) as First Train Driver Trying to Clear Track (uncredited) *'' Odd Man Out'' (1947) as Tram Conductor (uncredited) *'' Captain Boycott'' (1947) as Daniel McGinty *'' The Blue Lagoon'' (1949) as Paddy Button *'' Saints and Sinners'' (1949) as Flaherty *''

Talk of a Million ''Talk of a Million'' (also known as ''You Can't Beat the Irish'') is a 1951 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs, starring Jack Warner, with an early appearance from Sid James. Premise Shakespeare-loving Bartley Murnahan, (Jac ...

'' (1951) as Matty McGrath *'' No Resting Place'' (1951) as Garda Mannigan *'' Appointment with Venus'' (1951) as Trawler Langley *''

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pre ...

'' (1951) as Tom, Captain (Segment "Winter Cruise") *'' Father's Doing Fine'' (1952) as Shaughneesy *'' The Crimson Pirate'' (1952) as Pablo Murphy *''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with '' Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to ...

'' (1952) as Roker *''

Decameron Nights ''Decameron Nights'' is a 1953 anthology Technicolor film based on three tales from ''The Decameron'' by Giovanni Boccaccio, specifically the ninth and tenth tales of the second day and the ninth tale of the third. It stars Joan Fontaine and, a ...

'' (1953) as Father Francisco *'' Grand National Night'' (1953) as Philip Balfour *'' Doctor in the House'' (1954) as The Padre (uncredited) *''

The Seekers The Seekers were an Australian folk music, folk-influenced pop music, pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the Un ...

'' (1954) as Paddy Clarke *''

Mad About Men ''Mad About Men'' is a 1954 British Technicolor comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Glynis Johns, Donald Sinden, Anne Crawford and Margaret Rutherford. It was written by Peter Blackmore, who also wrote the 1948 film '' Miranda'' w ...

'' (1954) as Percy *''

Svengali Svengali () is a character in the novel ''Trilby'' which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier. Svengali is a man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer. Definition ...

'' (1954) as Patrick O'Ferrall *''

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents ''Douglas Fairbanks Presents'' is a 1953-1956 syndicated half-hour dramatic anthology series. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was the host, and he sometimes starred in episodes. It was also known as ''Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Presents''. A total of 117 episod ...

'' (1955) as Willie Hosmer *'' Doctor at Sea'' (1955) as Corbie *''

Jacqueline Jacqueline may refer to: People * Jacqueline (given name), including a list of people with the name * Jacqueline Moore (born 1964), ring name "Jacqueline", American professional wrestler Arts and entertainment * ''Jacqueline'' (1923 film), ...

'' (1956) as Mr. Owen *''

'' (1956) as Ship's Carpenter *'' Lust for Life'' (1956) as Anton Mauve *'' The Buccaneers'' (1 episode, 1956) as Pat *'' The Adventures of Sir Lancelot'' (1 episode, 1956) as Liam *'' Doctor at Large'' (1957) as The Padre – Bartender *'' The Rising of the Moon'' (1957) as Dan O'Flaherty (1st Episode) *'' Merry Andrew'' (1958) as Matthew Larabee *'' Rooney'' (1958) as Tim Hennesy *'' The Key'' (1958) as Hotel Porter *'' Rockets Galore!'' (1958) as Father James *'' Shake Hands with the Devil'' (1959) as Liam O'Sullivan *'' Ferry to Hong Kong'' (1959) as Joe Skinner, Chief Engineer *''

Tommy the Toreador ''Tommy the Toreador'' is a 1959 British musical comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Tommy Steele, Janet Munro, Sid James, Bernard Cribbins, Noel Purcell and Kenneth Williams. Premise A British ship docks in Spain and To ...

'' (1959) as Captain *''

Make Mine Mink ''Make Mine Mink'' is a 1960 British comedy farce film directed by Robert Asher and featuring Terry-Thomas, Athene Seyler, Hattie Jacques and Billie Whitelaw. The screenplay concerns a group of eccentric misfits who go on a spree, stealing mink ...

'' (1960) as Burglar *''

Watch Your Stern ''Watch Your Stern'' is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Gerald Thomas and starring Kenneth Connor, Eric Barker and Leslie Phillips. The film was based on the play ''Something About a Sailor'' by Earle Couttie. The Royal Navy provided coop ...

'' (1960) as Adm. Sir Humphrey Pettigrew *'' The Millionairess'' (1960) as Prof. Merton *''

Man in the Moon In many cultures, several pareidolic images of a human face, head or body are recognized in the disc of the full moon; they are generally known as the Man in the Moon. The images are based on the appearance of the dark areas (known as lunar ma ...

'' (1960) as Prospector *''

The Three Worlds of Gulliver ''The 3 Worlds of Gulliver'' is a 1960 Eastmancolor Columbia Pictures fantasy film loosely based upon the 1726 novel ''Gulliver's Travels'' by Jonathan Swift. The film stars Kerwin Mathews as the title character, June Thorburn as his fiancée Eli ...

'' (1960) as Capt. Pritchard (uncredited) *'' No Kidding'' (1961) as Tandy *'' Double Bunk'' (1961) as O'Malley *''

Johnny Nobody ''Johnny Nobody'' is a 1961 British drama film made by Viceroy Films Limited, with John R. Sloan as producer, and Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli as executive producers. It was directed by the British film and stage actor Nigel Patrick, w ...

'' (1961) as Brother Timothy *'' Three Spare Wives'' (1962) as Sir Hubert *''

The Iron Maiden ''The Iron Maiden'' is a 1963 British comedy film. The film was directed by Gerald Thomas, and stars Michael Craig, Anne Helm, Jeff Donnell and Alan Hale, Jr. There are minor roles for '' Carry On'' stalwarts Jim Dale and Joan Sims, and th ...

'' (1962) as Admiral Sir Digby Trevelyan *''

'' (1962) as Seaman William McCoy *'' Make Room for Daddy'' (1962) as Francis Daly *''

Nurse on Wheels ''Nurse on Wheels'' is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Gerald Thomas, and starring Juliet Mills, Ronald Lewis, and Joan Sims. ''Nurse on Wheels'' shares its cast and production team with the ''Carry On'' films, but the film is not an of ...

'' (1963) as Abel Worthy *'' The Running Man'' (1963) as Miles Bleeker *'' The List of Adrian Messenger'' (1963) as Countryman (uncredited) *'' The DuPont Show of the Week'' (1 episode, 1963) as Meager *'' The Ceremony'' (1963) as Finigan *''

Lord Jim ''Lord Jim'' is a novel by Joseph Conrad originally published as a serial in ''Blackwood's Magazine'' from October 1899 to November 1900. An early and primary event in the story is the abandonment of a passenger ship in distress by its crew, i ...

'' (1965) a Captain Chester *'' The Avengers'' (1 episode, 1965) as Jonah Barnard *''

Doctor in Clover ''Doctor in Clover'' is a British comedy film released in 1966, starring Leslie Phillips. The film is based on the novel of the same title by Richard Gordon. It is the sixth of the seven films in the ''Doctor'' series. The film was released i ...

'' (1966) as O'Malley *'' The Saint'' (2 episodes, 1964–1966) as Brendan Cullin / Mike Kelly *''

Drop Dead Darling ''Drop Dead Darling'' (US title: ''Arrivederci, Baby!'') is a 1966 British-American black comedy film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Tony Curtis, Rosanna Schiaffino, Lionel Jeffries and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Plot A man goes around marrying we ...

'' (1966) as Capt. Daniel O'Flannery *''

Dr. Finlay's Casebook ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook'' is a television drama series that was produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1962 until 1971. Based on A. J. Cronin's 1935 novella ''Country Doctor'', the storylines centred on a general medical practice in the fictiona ...

'' (1 episode, 1967) as Alexander Craig *'' The Violent Enemy'' (1967) as John Michael Leary *''

I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...

'' (1 episode, 1967) as Fletcher *''

Sinful Davey ''Sinful Davey'' is a 1969 picaresque adventure/ crime/ comedy film directed by John Huston and starring John Hurt, Pamela Franklin, and in early appearances Fionnula Flanagan and Anjelica Huston. John Huston later said the film was "very good" ...

'' (1969) as Jock *'' Where's Jack?'' (1969) as Leatherchest *'' Dixon of Dock Green'' (1 episode, 1969) as Thomas *''

The McKenzie Break ''The McKenzie Break'' is a 1970 British war drama film starring Brian Keith as Jack Connor, an intelligence officer investigating recent disturbances at a prisoner of war (POW) camp in Scotland. The Nazi German POWs are led by the charismatic ...

'' (1970) as Ferry Captain (uncredited) *'' Flight of the Doves'' (1971) as Rabbi *'' The Onedin Line'' (1 episode, 1972) as Hennessy *''

'' (1973) as O'Donovan *''

The Irish R.M. ''The Irish R.M.'' is a trilogy of books by the Anglo-Irish novelists Somerville and Ross and a 1983 television comedy-drama series based on them. They are set in the turn-of-the-twentieth-century west of Ireland. Books The television serie ...

'' (1 episode, 1984) as O'Reilly (final appearance)

References

External links