Kevin O'Morrison (May 25, 1916 – December 11, 2016) was an American playwright and actor.

Early years

O'Morrison began working when he was 14 years old. The jobs that he held included copy reader, display designer, lumberjack, office boy, stevedore, and truck driver.

Career

Beginning in 1937, O'Morrison performed with the

Mercury Theatre The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury also r ...

in New York. Plays in which he appeared included ''

Danton's Death ''Danton's Death'' (''Dantons Tod'') was the first play written by Georg Büchner, set during the French Revolution. History Georg Büchner wrote his works in the period between Romanticism and Literary realism, Realism in the so-called Vormär ...

'', ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'', and '' Shoemaker's Holiday''. During three years' military service in World War II, O'Morrison had a lead role in the play ''

Winged Victory The ''Winged Victory of Samothrace'', or the ''Niké of Samothrace'', is a Votive offering, votive monument originally discovered on the island of Samothrace in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Helleni ...

''. In addition to touring with that production he performed in the

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

. O'Morrison played the lead actor in the TV series '' Charlie Wild, Private Detective'' (1950–51) for the first seven episodes. The series began on

CBS Television CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

, and then moved to

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

, and finally DuMont. He started his career working as a stage, radio, television, and film actor in the 1940s. He began writing plays in the 1960s, including ''A Party For Lovers'' and ''The Long War''. In 1993, O'Morrison played Cliff Reed in ''

Sleepless in Seattle ''Sleepless in Seattle'' is a 1993 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron, from a screenplay she wrote with David S. Ward and Jeff Arch. Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the film follows a journalist (Ryan) who becomes enamored ...

'', starring

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

and

Meg Ryan Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra (born November 19, 1961), known by her stage name Meg Ryan, is an American actress. Known for her leading roles as quirky, charismatic women since the late 1980s, Ryan is particularly recognized for her work in ...

. Other films in which he acted included '' Dear Ruth'', '' Never Fear'', '' The Set-Up'', and '' The Golden Gloves Story''.

Death

O'Morrison died on December 11, 2016, in

Lynnwood, Washington Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located north of Seattle and south of Everett, Washington, Everett, near the junction of Interstate 5 in Washington, ...

, at the age of 100. He was survived by his wife, Linda.

References

External links

* * * 1916 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American men centenarians American male film actors American male stage actors Male actors from St. Louis Writers from Missouri {{US-screen-actor-1910s-stub