Arthur Joseph O'Connell (March 29, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an American stage, film and television actor, who achieved prominence in character roles in the 1950s. He was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in ...

for both ''

Picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

'' (1955) and ''

Anatomy of a Murder ''Anatomy of a Murder'' is a 1959 American legal drama film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Wendell Mayes was based on the 1958 novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker under ...

'' (1959).

Early life

Arthur O'Connell was born to Julia (née Byrne) & Michael O'Connell on March 29, 1908, in Manhattan, New York. His father died when O'Connell was two, and his mother when he was 12. He was the youngest of four siblings: William, Kathleen, and Juliette. William, the eldest, became a justice of the New York State Supreme Court and died in 1972. After his father's death, Arthur was sent to live in Flushing, New York, with his mother's sister, Mrs. Charles Koetzner, while his sisters moved in with other relatives and William remained with his mother. Arthur attended St John's College for two years. His early jobs included working in the engineering department of New York Edison, as a salesman at

Macy's Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...

, and as a door-to-door salesman of magazines.

Career

Early roles

O'Connell went into acting in 1929, landing a role in summer stock at the Frankin Stock Company in

Dorchester, Massachusetts Dorchester () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood comprising more than in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester, Dorset, E ...

, playing a role in ''The Patsy''. In 1934 his career was interrupted by a bout of

encephalitis Encephalitis is inflammation of the Human brain, brain. The severity can be variable with symptoms including reduction or alteration in consciousness, aphasia, headache, fever, confusion, a stiff neck, and vomiting. Complications may include se ...

, which required a seven-month stay at the Flower Hospital in New York City. He recovered in a sanitarium for the

indigent Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse

, and for a time was on home relief living in a cheap room, subsisting on "milk, raw eggs and bananas." He made his legitimate stage debut in the middle 1930s, appearing in various roles in theater and vaudeville in the U.S, and in London. O'Connell had small film roles early in his career. His film debut was as a student in Freshman Year (1938) and he appeared in a small role as a reporter in ''

Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by, produced by and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was Welles's List of directorial debuts, first feature film. ...

'' (1941). He costarred in two

Leon Errol Leon Errol (born Leonce Errol Sims, July 3, 1881 – October 12, 1951) was an Australian-American comedian and actor in the United States, popular in the first half of the 20th century for his appearances in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in film ...

short subjects as Errol's conniving brother-in-law. He entered the U.S. Army in 1945 and served in the

Signal Corps A signal corps is a military branch, responsible for military communications (''signals''). Many countries maintain a signal corps, which is typically subordinate to a country's army. Military communication usually consists of radio, telephone, ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After his discharge, he was spotted in little theatre by

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (; 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British and American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play wi ...

and joined a travelling Shakespearean company. His film roles remained insubstantial, playing a detective in '' The Naked City'' (1948) and a reporter in the 1948 film ''State of the Union''.

''Picnic'' and success

His career breakthrough came on Broadway, where he originated the role of Howard Bevans, the middle-aged swain of a spinsterish schoolteacher in ''

.'' He recreated the Bevans role in the 1955 film version, opposite

Rosalind Russell Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, model, comedian, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary '' Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in ...

as the schoolteacher, earning an Oscar nomination. As a result of his critically praised performance in the stage and film roles, he was heavily in demand, resulting in "six good roles in rapid succession." O'Connell made more money in one year after ''Picnic'' than in the preceding 25 years. After ''Picnic'', he appeared in another

Joshua Logan Joshua Lockwood Logan III (October 5, 1908 – July 12, 1988) was an American theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, and actor. He shared a Pulitzer Prize for co-writing the musical '' South Pacific'' and was involved in writing ...

film, ''Bus Stop'', in 1956, as the down-to-earth friend of the lead, played by Don Murray. In that same year he appeared in '' Solid Gold Cadillac,'' playing a kindly office manager in love with

Judy Holliday Judy Holliday (born Judith Tuvim, June 21, 1921 – June 7, 1965) was an American actress, comedian, and singer.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', June 9, 1965, p. 71. She began her career as part of a nightclub act before working in Bro ...

. His performance as

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...

's alcoholic mentor in ''

'' (1959) resulted in a second Oscar nomination. He also frequently appeared as a father in movies starring teen idols such as

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, Pat Boone and Fabian. He frequently played alcoholics, and consulted members of Alcoholics Anonymous in preparation for one of his roles. In 1959, O'Connell played the part of Chief Petty Officer Sam Tostin, engine room chief of the fictional World War II submarine USS ''Sea Tiger'', opposite

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

and

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor with a career that spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles co ...

in '' Operation Petticoat''. In 1961, O'Connell played the role of Grandpa Clarence Beebe in the children's film ''

Misty In cryptography, MISTY1 (or MISTY-1) is a block cipher designed in 1995 by Mitsuru Matsui and others for Mitsubishi Electric. MISTY1 is one of the selected algorithms in the European NESSIE project, and has been among the cryptographic tech ...

'', the screen adaptation of Marguerite Henry's story ''

Misty of Chincoteague Misty of Chincoteague may refer to: * Misty of Chincoteague (novel), a 1947 children's novel by Marguerite Henry * Misty of Chincoteague (horse), a Chincoteague Pony mare, made famous by the novel See also * Misty (film), a 1961 film based o ...

''. In 1962, he portrayed the father of

's character in the motion picture '' Follow That Dream'', and in 1964 in the Presley-picture ''

Kissin' Cousins ''Kissin' Cousins'' is a 1964 American musical Panavision Metrocolor comedy film directed by Gene Nelson and starring Elvis Presley. Written by Gerald Drayson Adams and Gene Nelson, the film featured Presley playing two roles: an Air Force o ...

.'' In the same year, O'Connell portrayed the idealist-turned-antagonist Clint Stark in '' The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao'', which has become a cult classic, and in which O'Connell's is the only character other than star Tony Randall to appear as one of the "7 faces." O'Connell continued appearing in choice character parts on both television and films during the 1960s, but avoided a regular television series, holding out until he could be assured top billing. On Christmas Day, 1962, O'Connell was cast as Clayton Dodd in the episode "Green, Green Hills" of the western series ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

'', starring Richard Egan as the rancher Jim Redigo. This episode features Dayton Lummis as Jason Simms and Joanna Moore as Althea Dodd. In 1966, he guest-starred as a scientist who regretfully realized that he has created an all-powerful android in an episode of the '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'', titled "The Mechanical Man." In the February 1967 episode "Never Look Back" of the TV series '' Lassie'', he played Luther Jennings, an elderly ranger who monitors the survey tower at Strawberry Peak and who takes it hard when he finds he'll lose his job when the tower is slated for destruction. In 1967, O'Connell co-starred with

Monte Markham Monte Markham (born June 21, 1935) is an American actor. He has appeared in films, television series, and on Broadway. Early life Markham was born in Manatee County, Florida, one of four sons of Millie Content (née Willbur) and Jesse Edwar ...

in ''The Second Hundred Years'', playing the aging son of a gold miner who was frozen for a hundred years in Alaska. The series lasted for one season. He worked in commercials, playing a friendly pharmacist as a spokesperson for Crest. He made his final film appearance in '' The Hiding Place'' (1975), portraying a Dutch watch-maker who hides Jews during World War II.

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

forced his retirement in the mid-1970s.

Personal life

In the late 1950s, O'Connell jointly owned a race horse, April Love, with the singer

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, television personality, radio host and philanthropist. He sold nearly 50 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and has acted in many films. Boone ...

. In 1962, O'Connell married Ann Hall Dunlop (née Ann Byrd Hall; 1917–2000) of Washington, D.C., widow of William Laird Dunlop III (1909–1960). They met at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy, and divorced in December 1972 in Los Angeles. On May 18, 1981, O'Connell died of Alzheimer's disease at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in the Woodland Hills section of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He was interred at

Calvary Cemetery, Queens Calvary Cemetery is a Catholic Church, Catholic cemetery in Maspeth, Queens, Maspeth and Woodside, Queens, in New York City, New York, United States. With about three million burials, it has the largest number of interments of any cemetery in the ...

, New York.

Filmography

References

External links

Arthur O'Connell Papers, Loyola Marymount University
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Arthur 1908 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens) Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California Deaths from dementia in California Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Manhattan Military personnel from New York City Military personnel from New York (state) United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army Signal Corps personnel