Mary Kathleen O'Malley (March 31, 1924 – February 25, 2019) was an American film and television actress, who was the daughter of vaudevillian and actor Pat O'Malley. Her screen debut came during the

silent film era A silent film is a film without synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

as a thirteen month old baby in 1926, when she appeared alongside her father and her sister Sheila in the western '' My Old Dutch''. O'Malley went on to appear in several films and television shows during a seven decade career, including ''

Cover Girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph is used for the front cover of magazines. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a person making a single, casual appearance on the cover of a magaz ...

'', ''

Lady on a Train ''Lady on a Train'' is a 1945 American crime comedy film noir directed by Charles David and starring Deanna Durbin, Ralph Bellamy, and David Bruce. Based on a story by Leslie Charteris, the film is about a woman who witnesses a murder in a n ...

'', ''

Two Tickets to Broadway ''Two Tickets to Broadway'' is a 1951 American musical film directed by James V. Kern and starring Tony Martin, Janet Leigh, Gloria DeHaven and Ann Miller. It was filmed on the RKO Forty Acres backlot. It was nominated for an Academy Award for ...

'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'', ''

Maverick Maverick or Maveric may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Bureau T-32 M ...

'', ''

Rawhide Rawhide may refer to: *Rawhide (material), a hide or animal skin that has not been tanned * Whip made from rawhide Entertainment * ''Rawhide'' (1926 film), a Western directed by Richard Thorpe * ''Rawhide'' (1938 film), a Western starring baseball ...

'', ''

Leave it to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...

'' and ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

''. O'Malley also appeared in the second season of Barnaby Jones; episode titled, "Blind Terror" (09/16/1973). Her last acting credit came in 1998 when she appeared in the short-lived American crime drama ''

Buddy Faro ''Buddy Faro'' is an American crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other g ...

''.

Early life

O'Malley was born in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

, to vaudevillian, stage and film actor Pat O'Malley. She made her screen debut at age 13 months in the film '' My Old Dutch'', starring her father and including her older sister Sheila. It was released the following year in 1926. All three sisters (Eileen, Sheila & Kathleen) worked in show business as children.

Career

1940s

In 1943, she played the part of a college girl in the

Vincent Sherman Vincent Sherman (born Abraham Orovitz, July 16, 1906 – June 18, 2006) was an American director and actor who worked in Hollywood. His movies include '' Mr. Skeffington'' (1944), '' Nora Prentiss'' (1947), and '' The Young Philadelphians'' (1959 ...

directed film ''

Old Acquaintance ''Old Acquaintance'' is a 1943 American drama film released by Warner Bros. It was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by Henry Blanke with Jack L. Warner as executive producer. The screenplay by John Van Druten, Lenore Coffee and Edmu ...

'' which starred

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

Miriam Hopkins Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an American actress known for her versatility. She signed with Paramount Pictures in 1930. She portrayed a pickpocket in Ernst Lubitsch's romantic comedy '' Trouble in Paradise'', ...

and

Gig Young Gig Young (born Byron Elsworth Barr; November 4, 1913 – October 19, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come Fill the Cup'' ...

. The following year she was in the

Charles Vidor Charles Vidor (born Károly Vidor; July 27, 1899June 4, 1959) was a Hungary, Hungarian film director. Among his film successes are ''The Bridge'' (1929), ''Double_Door_(film), Double Door ''(1934), ''The Tuttles of Tahiti'' (1942), ''The Desper ...

directed ''

'', a film about a night club owner who was in love with a dancing girl who has other ambitions. In it she played the cigarette girl. The main stars of the film were

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and Pin-up model, pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of ...

and

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

. In November 1944, she appeared in the November 23 issue of the ''

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'', pictured with a small caption "The Most Delightful Target for Our Bomb Sights." She was chosen by bombardiers of the

US Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

s. In 1947 she played the part of Dolly in the

Alexander Hall Alexander Hall (January 11, 1894 – July 30, 1968) was an American film director, film editor and theatre actor. Biography Hall acted in the theatre from the age of 4 through 1914, when he began to work in silent movies. Following his military ...

-directed musical fantasy '' Down to Earth'', which again starred Hayworth and

Roland Culver Roland Joseph Culver, (31 August 1900 – 1 March 1984) was an English stage, film, and television actor. Early life After Highgate School, Culver joined the Royal Air Force and served as a pilot from 1918 to 1919. Career After considering ...

. In 1949 she played the part of Nita in ''

Ladies of the Chorus ''Ladies of the Chorus'' is a 1948 American musical romance film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Adele Jergens, Marilyn Monroe and Rand Brooks. The screenplay, written by Harry Sauber and Joseph Carole, was based on a story by Sauber. ...

'' which starred

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

Adele Jergens Adele Jergens (November 26, 1917 – November 22, 2002) was an American actress. Early life Adele Louisa Jurgens (some sources say Jurgenson) was born in Brooklyn, New York. Career Jergens rose to prominence in the late 1930s when she was nam ...

and

Rand Brooks Arlington Rand Brooks Jr. (September 21, 1918 – September 1, 2003) was an American film and television actor. Early life Brooks was born in Wright City, Missouri. He was the son of Arlington Rand Brooks, a farmer. His mother and he moved ...

1950s

O'Malley had a prominent role in John Ford's 1950 film, ''

Wagon Master ''Wagon Master'' is a 1950 American Western film produced and directed by John Ford and starring Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Joanne Dru, and Ward Bond. The story follows a Mormon pioneer wagon train across treacherous desert to the San ...

''. She played the part of pretty Mormon girl Prudence Perkins. Her character Prudence creates an issue due to presumably marrying Sandy instead of young Mormon man Jackson. Prudence is also the probable cause of a fight between the two men who are both pursuing her. In 1952, she appeared as Mrs. Norton, a pilot's wife in the

Tay Garnett William Taylor "Tay" Garnett (June 13, 1894 – October 3, 1977) was an American film director, writer, and producer. He made nearly 50 films in various genres during his 55-year career, ''The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 film), The Postman ...

Korean war film '' One Minute to Zero'' which starred

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He is known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. He received nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He received a star on the Holl ...

and

Ann Blyth Ann Blyth (born Anne Marie Blythe; August 16, 1928) is an American retired actress and singer. She began her career in radio as a child before transitioning to Broadway, where she appeared in Lillian Hellman, Lillian Hellman’s ''Watch on the R ...

Death

O'Malley died of

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 ...

on February 25, 2019, at age 94.

Personal life

O'Malley was married to James Maloney who was also her agent.Page 6 Part 2 SNAPS
, ''Milwaukee Sentinel'' March 6, 1958. The couple had two children: Sean (b. 1958) and Darren (b. 1960). Maloney died on March 23, 1994.

Selected filmography

Early years

1970s-1990s

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:OMalley, Kathleen 1924 births 2019 deaths American film actresses American television actresses Place of death missing Actresses from Worcester, Massachusetts 21st-century American actresses