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Dan O'Herlihy
Dan O'Herlihy
	O'Herlihy in 1955
Born	Daniel Peter O'Herlihy; 1 May 1919; Wexford, County Wexford, Ireland
Died	17 February 2005 (aged 85); Malibu, California, U.S.
Citizenship	Ireland; United States (1983–2005)
Alma mater	University College Dublin
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1944–1998
Spouse	Elsa Bennett (m. 1945)
Children	5, including Gavan O'Herlihy and Lorcan O'Herlihy

Daniel Peter O'Herlihy^[1] (1 May 1919 – 17 February 2005) was an Irish^[2] actor of film, television and radio.^[3] O'Herlihy's best-known roles included his Oscar-nominated portrayal of the lead character in Luis Buñuel's Robinson Crusoe (1954),^[4] Brigadier General Warren A. Black in Fail Safe (1964), Marshal Ney in Waterloo (1970), Conal Cochran in Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), Grig in The Last Starfighter (1984), "The Old Man" in RoboCop (1987) and its 1990 sequel, and Andrew Packard in the television series Twin Peaks (1990–91).^[5]

Early life and education

O'Herlihy was born in Wexford, County Wexford in 1919, but moved with his family to Dublin when he was young. He was educated at Christian Brothers College in Dún Laoghaire and later studied at University College Dublin, graduating in 1944 with a degree in architecture, following in his father's footsteps.^[4]

He developed a keen interest in acting during his university studies. He joined several amateur theatre groups and joined the Abbey Theatre as a bit player. After graduating from the university, he decided to pursue acting full-time, working at the Abbey and Gate Theatre, first as a set designer, then later as an actor.^[3]

Career

O'Herlihy's first notable acting role came in 1944, when he played the lead in the Gate's production of Red Roses For Me, written and directed by Seán O'Casey. He appeared in some fifty plays at the Gate.^[6] He made his film debut in 1947 in Carol Reed's Odd Man Out,^[7] which was shot on location in Belfast, and also worked extensively in radio.^[3] His first American film role was as Macduff in Orson Welles' version of Macbeth (1948),^[7] followed by supporting roles in films such as the Red Scare fantasy Invasion, U.S.A., the Kiplingesque Soldiers Three and a series of swashbucklers, such as The Black Shield of Falworth (1954).

His career took an upward turn in 1954 when he played the title role in Luis Buñuel's Robinson Crusoe, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.^[7] O'Herlihy recalled that the producers of the film wanted Buñuel to use Orson Welles for the role, with Buñuel refusing, saying he was too big and too fat.^[7] They arranged a screening of Welles' Macbeth to show how a bearded Welles would look, but O'Herlihy's performance as Macduff convinced Buñuel to cast O'Herlihy instead.^[8]

O'Herlihy was later featured in 1959 in The Young Land as Judge Millard Isham and as Dave Edwards in Douglas Sirk's remake of Imitation of Life. The following year he played Sir Harry Ivers, an upper-class English drifter who joins Alan Ladd in a plot to ruin an Arizona cattle town by robbing its bank, in the western One Foot in Hell. O'Herlihy was also cast as Dr. Caligari in The Cabinet of Caligari, Robert Bloch's reimagining of the German silent classic, in 1962.

In 1964, he starred in Fail Safe in the role of General Black, or "Blackie", who nukes New York on presidential orders. In 1969, he was cast in The Big Cube and 100 Rifles. In 1970, he starred in the epic Waterloo, playing the part of Michel Ney, the marshal of France. In 1982, he starred in Halloween III: Season of the Witch as Conal Cochran and in 1984, he appeared in The Last Starfighter as Grig, Alex Rogan's reptilian co-pilot, navigator and sidekick. In 1986's The Whoopee Boys he played a judge and in 1987, he appeared in RoboCop as "The Old Man". That same year, he was cast in John Huston's The Dead. In 1990, he appeared in RoboCop 2, the sequel to the 1987 film.

O'Herlihy had a fairly extensive career in television, having appeared on Rawhide, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Adventures in Paradise and Target: The Corruptors!. He portrayed Larry "Ace" Banner in the first season of The Untouchables in the episode titled "The Big Squeeze". He was cast as Stephen Jordan in the last season of Checkmate episode " "Referendum on Murder". He also appeared on The Americans and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in the episodes "The Fiddlesticks Affair" and "The Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Rum Affair" and on Route 66 in the episode "To Walk with the Serpent". In 1962, he was cast as Glenn Kassin in "The Earth Mover" episode of Empire. He appeared on Bonanza (episode: "The Artist" as Matthew Raine).

In 1963–1964, he was in The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters. On The Long, Hot Summer, O'Herlihy became the lead star, having replaced Edmond O'Brien in the part of Will Varner midway through the program's single-season run. In 1966, he appeared in the episode "Have You Seen the Aurora Borealis?" of The Road West, starring Barry Sullivan. In 1974, he appeared in QB VII and played the Senior American Officer, Col. Max Dodd in the second series of BBC's POW drama Colditz. In the same year he took a role in the film, The Tamarind Seed, which starred Omar Sharif and Julie Andrews.

In 1976, he guest-starred in an episode of Gibbsville. In 1978, he guest-starred in the second part of the Battlestar Galactica episode "Gun on Ice Planet Zero" as Dr. Ravishol. O'Herlihy also portrayed the ill-fated lumber tycoon Andrew Packard in the cult television program Twin Peaks (1991) and in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Deep Freeze", voicing the villainous theme park mogul Grant Walker. In 1998, O'Herlihy acted in his last film, The Rat Pack, playing Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.^[8]

Personal life

Dan O'Herlihy married Elsie Bennett in 1945.^[4] He was the brother of director Michael O'Herlihy,^[9] and the father of actor Gavan O'Herlihy,^[10] architect Lorcan O'Herlihy,^[11] and visual artist-turned-theatrical producer Olwen O'Herlihy.^[12] One grandchild, Micaela O'Herlihy,^{[citation needed]} is a filmmaker whose work has been shown at the Sundance Film Festival.^[13] Another, Alana O'Herlihy,^{[citation needed]} is a photographer and director who has collaborated with Miley Cyrus.^[14]

O'Herlihy became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1983.^[15]

Death

O'Herlihy died of natural causes in Malibu, California in 2005, aged 85.^[16] His personal papers are held in the University College Dublin Archives.^[17]

Complete filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1947	Hungry Hill	Harry Brodrick
1947	Odd Man Out	Nolan
1948	Macbeth	MacDuff
1948	Larceny	Duke
1948	Kidnapped	Alan Breck
1950	The Iroquois Trail	Lieutenant Blakely
1951	Soldiers Three	Sergeant Murphy
1951	The Highwayman	Robin
1951	The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel	Commando Captain	Uncredited
1951	The Blue Veil	Hugh Williams
1951	The Last Half Hour: The Mayerling Story	Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria
1952	At Sword's Point	Aramis Jr.
1952	Actor's and Sin	Alfred O'Shea / The Narrator (segment "Actor's Blood")
1952	Operation Secret	Mike Duncan
1952	Invasion, U.S.A.	Mr. Ohman
1953	Sword of Venus	Danglars
1954	Robinson Crusoe	Robinson Crusoe / Crusoe's father
1954	The Black Shield of Falworth	Prince Hal
1954	Bengal Brigade	Captain Ronald Blaine
1955	The Purple Mask	Brisquet
1955	The Virgin Queen	Lord Derry
1957	That Woman Opposite	Dermot Kinross
1958	Home Before Dark	Arnold Bronn
1959	Imitation of Life	David Edward
1959	The Young Land	Judge Millard Isham
1960	A Terrible Beauty	Don McGinnis
1960	One Foot in Hell	Sir Harry Ivers
1961	King of the Roaring '20s: The Story of Arnold Rothstein aka The Big Bankroll	Detective Phil Butler
1962	To Walk with the Serpent	John Westerbrook
1962	The Cabinet of Caligari	Caligari / Paul
1962	Bonanza	Matthew Raine	Season 4 episode 3 : "The Artist"
1963	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	Simon Carter	Season 1 Episode 17: "Forecast: Low Clouds and Coastal Fog"
1964	Fail Safe	General Black
1969	How to Steal the World	Professor David Garrow
1969	100 Rifles	Steven Grimes
1969	The Big Cube	Charles Winthrop
1970	Waterloo	Marshal Michel Ney
1972	The People	Sol Diemus
1972	The Carey Treatment	J.D. Randall
1974	The Tamarind Seed	Fergus Stephenson
1976	Banjo Hackett: Roamin' Free	"Tip" Conaker
1976	The Quest: The Longest Drive	Mathew Hatcher
1977	Good Against Evil	Father Kemschler
1977	MacArthur	President Roosevelt
1977	Deadly Game	Colonel Edward Stryker
1977	Woman on the Run	Crandell
1979	Mark Twain: Beneath the Laughter	Mark Twain
1981	Death Ray 2000	The Director
1981	Artemis 81	Albrecht Von Drachenfels
1982	Halloween III: Season of the Witch	Conal Cochran
1983	The Last Day	American Ambassador
1984	The Secret Servant	Professor John Tyler
1984	The Last Starfighter	Grig
1986	The Whoopee Boys	Judge Stenrhill
1986	Dark Mansions	Alexander Drake
1987	RoboCop	The Old Man
1987	The Dead	Mr. Browne
1988	A Waltz Through the Hills	Uncle Tom
1988	L.A. Law	Vernon Kepler	Season 2 Episode 20: "Chariots of Meyer"
1990	RoboCop 2	The Old Man
1990	Twin Peaks	Andrew Packard
1993	Love, Cheat & Steal	Hamilton Fisk
1994	Batman: The Animated Series	Grant Walker	Voice, Season 3 Episode 10: "Deep Freeze"
1998	The Rat Pack	Joe Kennedy

References

^ "Those We Lost; WE LOST MANY INFLUENTIAL IRISH-AMERICANS IN THE LAST YEAR. THOUGH IMPOSSIBLE TO MENTION THEM ALL, HERE IS OUR TRIBUTE TO SOME OF THOSE WHO TOUCHED OUR LIVES". Irish America. April 2006. pp. 112–115. ProQuest 211223308. The Irish-born Hollywood film actor and director Dan O'Herlihy died on February 18. 2005 at his home in Malibu, California. He was 85. [...] Daniel Peter O'Herlihy was born in Wexford, Ireland, on May 1, 1919. He qualified as an architect at the National University, but his real love was acting, and while still in college he started to take small parts with the Abbey and Gate theatres.
^ "Irish actor Dan O'Herlihy dies, 85". RTÉ. 18 February 2005.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Dan O'Herlihy". The Independent. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Dan O'Herlihy". ucd.ie. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
^ Maurer, Mark (15 October 2014). "The 5 Actors 'Twin Peaks' Will Be Missing When It Returns in 2016". indiewire.com. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
^ "Obituary: Dan O'Herlihy". the Guardian. 21 February 2005. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d McLellan, Dennis (19 February 2005). "Daniel O'Herlihy, 85; Irish Actor Was a Best Actor Oscar Nominee". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
^ ^a ^b Vallance, Tom (21 February 2005). "Dan O'Herlihy". The Independent. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
^ Gardella, Kay (March 28, 1984). "Delightful Forsyth Tales from Ireland". New York Daily News. p. 75. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
^ "The O'Herlihy Dynasty". Martinsville Bulletin Entertainer. April 14, 1978. p. 13. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
^ Finnerty-Pyne, Sinéad; Goldin, Greg; O'Herlihy, Lorcan (2020). Architecture Is a Social Act: Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects [LOHA]. Amsterdam: FRAME Publishers. p. 52.
^ Contrada, Fred (May 12, 1997). "Theatre Background: She's the Force Behind the Show; Olwen O'Herlihy has served as production manager, producer and director". The Republican. p.B-1. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
^ "From U.S. to New Zealand, Sundance is long on shorts". The Salt Lake Tribune. April 2006. p. D4. ProQuest 211223308. Shorts on the Frontier -- "Careless Reef" by Gerard Holthuis, The Netherlands; "The Cold Ones" by Aaron Platt, U.S.; 'Fast Film' by Virgil Widrich, Austria/Luxembourg; 'Light Is Calling' by Bill Morrison, U.S.; 'N Judah 5:30' by Sam Green, U.S.; 'Out of the Ether' by Kerry Laitala, U.S.; 'Papillon d'Amour' by Nicolas Provost, Belgium; 'Pictures From Dorothy' by Kevin Jerome Everson, U.S.; 'Song of the Firefly' by Izabella Pruska-Oldenhof, Canada; and 'Thunder Perfect Mind' by Micaela O'Herlihy, U.S.
^ France, Lisa Respers (20 November 2020). "Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa team up for 'Prisoner'". CNN Wire Service. p. 1. ProQuest 2462436993. Both women shared the news of the release on social media. 'Big love to the whole gang who helped put this together directed by Alana O'Herlihy + Miley,' Lipa tweeted. The new song is part of Cyrus's upcoming release, 'Plastic Hearts,' which is due out Nov. 27.
^ Carpenter, Dick (20 June 1983). "Names and Faces". The Boston Globe. p. 1. ProQuest 294268153. Clearly not a man to act precipitously, Dan O'Herlihy has become an American citizen. The 64-year-old Irish actor, nominated for an Oscar for his lead role in 'The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe,' was one of a group naturalized Friday in Los Angeles.
^ Willis, John; Monush, Barry (2006). Screen World Film Annual. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 394. ISBN 978-1-55783-706-6.
^ Stone, Rob; Guitierrez-Albilla, Julian (2013). A Companion To Luis Buñuel. Chicester, WS : Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 299–300. ISBN 978-1-4443-3633-7.