Patrick O’Connell (29 January 1934 – 10 August 2017) was an Irish actor. O'Connell began his acting career appearing in various films, such as the Brian Keith war "The McKenzie Break" (1970), "Cromwell" (1970), and the Simon Rouse drama "The Ragman's Daughter" (1972). He also appeared in "The Human Factor" (1980) with Nicol Williamson, the drama "Runners" (1983) with Kate Hardie, and the horror feature "Dream Demon" (1988) with Kathleen Wilhoite. His film career continued throughout the eighties and the nineties in productions like the drama "Nanou" (1988) with Imogen Stubbs and "Don't Get Me Started" (1993). He also appeared in the TV special "Fool's Fire" (PBS, 1991–92). He also worked in television during these years, including a part on "Life Goes On" (ABC, 1989-1993). O'Connell most recently acted on "Baskets" (FX, 2015-). He was also an artist known for his paintings, drawings, linocuts, and etchings.

Early life

Patrick O'Connell was Irish but was brought up in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England, and after attending Birmingham Theatre School, he won a scholarship to train at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Se ...

Theatre

His theatre work included: Stan Man in

Arnold Wesker Sir Arnold Wesker (24 May 1932 – 12 April 2016) was an English dramatist. He was the author of 50 plays, four volumes of short stories, two volumes of essays, much journalism and a book on the subject, a children's book, some poetry, and oth ...

's ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

'' at the

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, Coventry, the

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

and the Duke of York's (1959), Camille Desmoulins in ''Poor Bitos'' at the Duke of York's with

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

(1963), created the role of Gunner O'Rouke in John McGrath's ''Events While Guarding the Bofors Gun'' at

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

(1966), '' US'' (an experimental play about the Vietnam War) with the

RSC RSC may refer to: Arts * Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company * Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe * Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England * Rock Ste ...

, directed by

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

at the

Aldwych Aldwych (pronounced ) is a street and the name of the List of areas of London, area immediately surrounding it in central London, England, within the City of Westminster. The street starts Points of the compass, east-northeast of Charing Cros ...

(1966), Macduff to

Paul Scofield David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was a British actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the US Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, Emmy, and Tony for his work. He won the three awards in a seve ...

's Macbeth directed by Peter Hall with the RSC, at Stratford and the Aldwych (1967), Kent in ''King Lear'' at the Young Vic (1981), McLeavy in

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his death in 1967, was short but highly influential. During this brie ...

's '' Loot'' with

Leonard Rossiter Leonard Rossiter (21 October 1926 – 5 October 1984) was an English actor. He had a long career in the theatre but achieved his highest profile for his television comedy roles starring as Rupert Rigsby in the ITV series ''Rising Damp'' from ...

at the Ambassador's and the Lyric, directed by

Jonathan Lynn Jonathan Lynn (born 3 April 1943) is an English stage and film director, producer, writer, and actor. He is known for directing the comedy films such as '' Clue'', '' Nuns on the Run'', ''My Cousin Vinny'', and '' The Whole Nine Yards''. He als ...

(March 1984 - Jan '85), and Henry IV in The Henrys with the ESC at

The Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

, directed by

Michael Bogdanov Michael Bogdanov (15 December 1938 – 16 April 2017) was a British theatre director known for his work with new plays, modern reinterpretations of Shakespeare, musicals and work for young people. Early years Bogdanov was born Michael Bogd ...

(1986).

Television

His television work included Derek in the factory-set "Lena, O my Lena" by

Alun Owen Alun Davies Owen (24 November 1925 – 6 December 1994) was a Welsh playwright, screenwriter and actor, predominantly in television. However, he is best remembered by a wider audience for writing the screenplay of The Beatles' debut feature fi ...

for

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Canad ...

directed by

Ted Kotcheff William Theodore Kotcheff (born April 7, 1931) is a Bulgarian-Canadian film and television director, writer and producer, known primarily for his work on British and American television productions such as ''Armchair Theatre'' and '' Law & Order ...

(1960), Ashton in

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

(The End of Tomorrow) directed by Richard Martin (1964), Nobby in The Coming Out Party (the Wednesday play) (1965), Guido in The Big Spender (1965–66), Dr. Lassiter / Willy / Nobby Clark in

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...

(1966 / 68 / 72), Rogers in

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

(1967), Colour Sgt. O'Brien in the Thames TV series '' Frontier'' (1968), D.I Gamble in ATV's Fraud Squad (1968–70), Mick in Sling Your Hook (the Wednesday play) (1969), Martin Stewart in The Patriot Game by

Dominic Behan Dominic Behan ( ; ga, Doiminic Ó Beacháin; 22 October 1928 – 3 August 1989) was an Irish songwriter, singer, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in Irish and English. He was also a socialist and an Irish republican. Born i ...

, Thames TV directed by

Piers Haggard Piers Inigo Haggard, OBE (born 18 March 1939), is a British theatre, film and television director, although he has worked mostly in the latter. Haggard was born in London but grew up on a small farm in Clackmannanshire. He is the great-great- ...

(1969), Mallory in

Callan Callan is a given name and surname of Irish and Scottish origin. It can derive from Ó Cathaláin, meaning ''descendant of Cathalán''. Callan can also be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Allin or Mac Callin. Notable people with the name includ ...

(1970), O'Neill in

Elizabeth R ''Elizabeth R'' is a BBC television drama serial of six 85-minute plays starring Glenda Jackson as Queen Elizabeth I of England. It was first broadcast on BBC2 from February to March 1971, through the ABC in Australia and broadcast in America ...

(1971), Ryder in The Persuaders (1971), Reagan in

the Protectors ''The Protectors'' is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It was Anderson's second TV series to exclusively use live actors as opposed to marionettes (following ''UFO''), and his second to be firmly set in ...

(1972), Edward Hammond in BBC TV series, The Brothers (1972–77), Manton in The Professionals (1980), Dan Glover in Enemy at the Door (1980), Jack Blair in LWT's 13 episode series of

We'll Meet Again "We'll Meet Again" is a 1939 song by English singer Vera Lynn with music and lyrics composed and written by English songwriters Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. The song is one of the most famous of the Second World War era, and resonated with ...

(1982), Brian Wilkinson in

Yes, Minister ''Yes Minister'' is a British political satire sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. Comprising three seven-episode series, it was first transmitted on BBC2 from 1980 to 1984. A sequel, ''Yes, Prime Minister'', ran for 16 episodes fr ...

(1982), Jack Vaizey in

Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...

(1993), Harry Hopwood in

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

(1989 / 91), Gerard in

Peak Practice ''Peak Practice'' is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale—a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District—and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their most ...

(1993), James White in

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

(1994), and John Callard in Dangerfield (1995).

Filmography

*''

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

'' (1970) - John Lilburne *''

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) - Sgt. Maj. Cox *''

The Ragman's Daughter ''The Ragman's Daughter'' is a 1972 British romantic crime–drama film directed by Harold Becker and adapted by Alan Sillitoe from his short story of the same name. It was Becker's first film during the 1970s and stars Simon Rouse and, in her ...

'' (1972) - Tony, 35 yrs (written by Alan Silitoe) *'' The Human Factor'' (1979) - Reader *'' Spaghetti House'' (1982) - Mallory *'' Runners'' (1983) - The Hostel - Warden *''

The Shooting Party ''The Shooting Party'' is a 1984 British drama film directed by Alan Bridges and based on the book of the same name by Isabel Colegate. The film is set in 1913, less than a year before the beginning of the First World War, and shows the soon-t ...

'' (1985) - Charlie Lyne *'' Nanou'' (1986) - Nanou's father

References

External links

*
Patrick O'Connell at TCM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Patrick Irish male film actors Irish male stage actors Irish male television actors Male actors from Dublin (city) 1934 births 2017 deaths