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Arthur O'Connell

Acting 73 (deceased) years old New York City, New York, USA ★ 0.9
Born: March 29, 1908
Died: May 18, 1981

Biography

Arthur O'Connell (March 29, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an American stage and film actor. He appeared in films (starting with a small role in Citizen Kane) in 1941 and television programs (mostly guest appearances). Among his screen appearances were Picnic, Anatomy of a Murder, and as the watch-maker who hides Jews during WWII in The Hiding Place.

A veteran vaudevillian, O'Connell, from New York City, made his legitimate stage debut in the mid 1930s, at which time he fell within the orbit of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre. Welles cast O'Connell in the tiny role of a reporter in the closing scenes of Citizen Kane (1941), a film often referred to as O'Connell's film debut, though in fact he had already appeared in Freshman Year (1939) and had costarred in two Leon Errol short subjects as Leon's conniving brother-in-law.

After numerous small movie parts, O'Connell returned to Broadway, where he appeared as the erstwhile middle-aged swain of a spinsterish schoolteacher in Picnic - a role he'd recreate in the 1956 film version, earning an Oscar nomination in the process. Later the jaded looking O'Connell was frequently cast as fortyish losers and alcoholics; in the latter capacity he appeared as James Stewart's boozy attorney mentor in Anatomy of a Murder (1959), and the result was another Oscar nomination. In 1962 O'Connell portrayed the father of Elvis Presley's character in the motion picture Follow That Dream, and in 1964 in the Presley-picture Kissin' Cousins.

O'Connell continued appearing in choice character parts on both TV and films during the 1960s, but avoided a regular television series, holding out until he could be assured top billing. He appeared as Joseph Baylor in the 1964 episode "A Little Anger Is a Good Thing" on the ABC medical drama about psychiatry, Breaking Point. The actor accepted the part of a man who discovers that his 99-year-old father has been frozen in an iceberg on the 1967 sitcom The Second Hundred Years, assuming he'd be billed first per the producers' agreement. Instead, top billing went to newcomer Monte Markham in the dual role of O'Connell's father and his son. O'Connell accepted the demotion to second billing as well as could be expected, but he never again trusted the word of any Hollywood executive.

Ill health forced O'Connell to significantly reduce his acting appearances in the mid '70s, but the actor stayed busy as a commercial spokesman, a friendly pharmacist who was a spokesperson for Crest toothpaste. At the time of his death from Alzheimer's disease in California in May 1981, O'Connell was appearing solely in these commercials, by his own choice.

O'Connell was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Queens, New York.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Arthur O'Connell, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.    

External Links

🎬 IMDb

Known For

Bonanza
Bonanza Dr. Samuel Hubert 1959
The Fugitive
The Fugitive Dr. Josephus Harrison Adams 1963
The Fugitive
The Fugitive Samuel Cole 1963
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Lyman 1956
Studio One
Studio One Curtis 1948

Jimmy's Seen (1)

Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane Reporter (uncredited) 1941

Filmography

Acting Credits (115)

Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies
Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies Self - (archive footage) 2022
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker actor 'Anatomy of a Murder' (archive footage) (uncredited) 1991
The Hiding Place
The Hiding Place Casper ten Boom, 'Papa' 1975
Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry Finn Col. Grangerford 1974
Shootout in a One-Dog Town
Shootout in a One-Dog Town Henry Gills 1974
Adam's Rib
Adam's Rib Judge 1973
Wicked, Wicked
Wicked, Wicked Mr. Fenley, Hotel Engineer 1973
The Poseidon Adventure
The Poseidon Adventure John, the Chaplain 1972
They Only Kill Their Masters
They Only Kill Their Masters Ernie 1972
Ghost Story
Ghost Story Chief Owen Huston 1972
The Paul Lynde Show
The Paul Lynde Show 1972
Ben
Ben Bill Hatfield 1972
Emergency!
Emergency! 1972
A Taste of Evil
A Taste of Evil John 1971
Cannon
Cannon 1971
The Last Valley
The Last Valley Hoffman 1971
Alias Smith and Jones
Alias Smith and Jones 1971
Night Gallery
Night Gallery 1970
There Was a Crooked Man...
There Was a Crooked Man... Mr. Lomax 1970
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? Mr. Kruft 1970
McCloud
McCloud 1970
Nanny and the Professor
Nanny and the Professor 1970
Seven in Darkness
Seven in Darkness Larry Wise 1969
Room 222
Room 222 1969
If He Hollers, Let Him Go!
If He Hollers, Let Him Go! Prosecutor 1968
The Name of the Game
The Name of the Game Charlie Sherwin 1968
The Power
The Power Prof. Henry Hallson 1968
The Second Hundred Years
The Second Hundred Years Edwin Carpenter 1967
The Reluctant Astronaut
The Reluctant Astronaut Arbuckle "Buck" Fleming 1967
Ironside
Ironside 1967
A Covenant with Death
A Covenant with Death Judge Hockstadter 1967
Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage Col. Donald Reid 1966
Birds Do It
Birds Do It Professor Wald 1966
The Silencers
The Silencers Joe Wigman 1966
Ride Beyond Vengeance
Ride Beyond Vengeance The Narrator 1966
The F.B.I.
The F.B.I. Smitty 1965
The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West 1965
The Big Valley
The Big Valley Jubal 1965
The Monkey's Uncle
The Monkey's Uncle Darius Green III 1965
The Third Day
The Third Day Dr. Wheeler 1965
The Great Race
The Great Race Henry Goodbody 1965
Nightmare in the Sun
Nightmare in the Sun Sam Wilson 1965
Your Cheatin' Heart
Your Cheatin' Heart Fred Rose 1964
7 Faces of Dr. Lao
7 Faces of Dr. Lao Clint Stark 1964
Kissin' Cousins
Kissin' Cousins Pappy Tatum 1964
Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction William Lawrence 1963
Burke's Law
Burke's Law Dr. Stuart Alexander 1963
The Fugitive
The Fugitive Dr. Josephus Harrison Adams 1963
The Greatest Show on Earth
The Greatest Show on Earth 1963
The Fugitive
The Fugitive Samuel Cole 1963
Arrest and Trial
Arrest and Trial 1963
Sam Benedict
Sam Benedict 1962
Follow That Dream
Follow That Dream Pop Kwimper 1962
Pocketful of Miracles
Pocketful of Miracles Count Alfonso Romero 1961
The New Breed
The New Breed Peter Capples 1961
A Thunder of Drums
A Thunder of Drums Sgt. Karl Rodermill 1961
Misty
Misty Grandpa Clarence Beebe 1961
The Great Impostor
The Great Impostor Warden J.B. Chandler 1960
Cimarron
Cimarron Tom Wyatt 1960
Route 66
Route 66 1960
My Three Sons
My Three Sons 1960
Operation Petticoat
Operation Petticoat Chief Motor Machinist's Mate Sam Tostin 1959
Hound-Dog Man
Hound-Dog Man Aaron McKinney 1959
Bonanza
Bonanza Dr. Samuel Hubert 1959
Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder Parnell Emmett "Parn" McCarthy 1959
Gidget
Gidget Russell Lawrence 1959
Man of the West
Man of the West Sam Beasley 1958
Voice in the Mirror
Voice in the Mirror Bill Tobin 1958
The Violators
The Violators Solomon Baumgarten 1957
April Love
April Love Jed Bruce 1957
Alcoa Theatre
Alcoa Theatre 1957
DuPont Show of the Month
DuPont Show of the Month 1957
Operation Mad Ball
Operation Mad Ball Col. Rousch 1957
The Monte Carlo Story
The Monte Carlo Story Mr. Homer Hinkley 1956
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Lyman 1956
Bus Stop
Bus Stop Virgil Blessing 1956
The Solid Gold Cadillac
The Solid Gold Cadillac Mark Jenkins 1956
The Proud Ones
The Proud Ones Jim Dexter 1956
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit Gordon Walker 1956
Picnic
Picnic Howard Bevans 1955
Matinee Theater
Matinee Theater 1955
Summer Playhouse
Summer Playhouse 1954
The Oscars
The Oscars Self 1953
Omnibus
Omnibus 1952
The Whistle at Eaton Falls
The Whistle at Eaton Falls Jim Brewster 1951
Force of Evil
Force of Evil Link Hall (uncredited) 1950
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew Curtis 1950
Studio One
Studio One Curtis 1948
Studio One
Studio One Manachi Conners 1948
The Countess of Monte Cristo
The Countess of Monte Cristo Assistant Director Jensen 1948
The Philco Television Playhouse
The Philco Television Playhouse 1948
The Philco Television Playhouse
The Philco Television Playhouse Jim Elkins 1948
The Philco Television Playhouse
The Philco Television Playhouse Grant 1948
One Touch of Venus
One Touch of Venus Reporter 1948
State of the Union
State of the Union First Reporter 1948
Homecoming
Homecoming Ambulance Attendant (uncredited) 1948
The Naked City
The Naked City Sgt. Shaeffer (uncredited) 1948
Open Secret
Open Secret Carter 1948
Hello, Annapolis
Hello, Annapolis Pharmacist Mate 1942
Fingers at the Window
Fingers at the Window Photographer (uncredited) 1942
Blondie's Blessed Event
Blondie's Blessed Event Interne (uncredited) 1942
Canal Zone
Canal Zone New Recruit (uncredited) 1942
Law of the Jungle
Law of the Jungle Simmons 1942
Man From Headquarters
Man From Headquarters Goldie Shores 1942
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane Reporter (uncredited) 1941
Hullabaloo
Hullabaloo Fourth Page 1940
He Asked for It
He Asked for It 1940
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
Dr. Kildare Goes Home Intern (uncredited) 1940
The Golden Fleecing
The Golden Fleecing Cameraman (uncredited) 1940
Bested by a Beard
Bested by a Beard Phil 1940
'Taint Legal
'Taint Legal Book Salesman 1940
I Take This Oath
I Take This Oath Court Clerk 1940
Two Girls on Broadway
Two Girls on Broadway Reporter at Wedding (uncredited) 1940
And One Was Beautiful
And One Was Beautiful Moroni's Parking Attendant 1940
Murder in Soho
Murder in Soho Lefty 1939

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