Joseph O'Conor Biography (1916-)

Born February 14, 1916, in Dublin, Ireland; son of Daniel and Frances (maidenname, Call) O'Conor; married Naita Moore. Education: Studied forthe stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; studied at Cardinal Vaughan and London University. Avocational interests: Judo, cricket, and guitarplaying. Career: Actor, playwright, director, and composer. Theatre Royal, Windsor, member of repertory company, 1950-51; Bristol Old Vic Company,member, 1956-58; North-East Theatre Festival, director, 1964-65. Awards,Honors: Foyle Award for New Plays, 1956, for The Iron Harp..

Favorite roles: Lear and Falstaff.

Nationality: Irish
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor, playwright, director, composer
Birth Details: February 14, 1916; Dublin, Ireland

Famous Works

CREDITS
Film Appearances
Michael Foley, Stranger at My Door,1950
(Uncredited) Paul Temple's Triumph,1950
Professor Hendricks, Gorgo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1961
Don Jose Margella, The Devil-Ship Pirates, Columbia, 1964
Coroner, The Gorgon, Columbia, 1964
Father Septimus, Crooks in Cloisters,1964
Mr. Brownlow, Oliver!, Columbia, 1968
Archbishop Fisher, Anne of the Thousand Days, Universal, 1969
(As Joseph O'Connor) A Walk with Love and Death,1969
Vicar, Doomwatch, AVCO Embassy, 1972
Yellow Dog,1973
Sir Julyan, The Black Windmill,1974
Voice of the narrator, The Dark Crystal, Universal, 1982
J. C. Sullivan, The Forbidden Quest,1993
Chelan, Scarlet and Black,1993
Bishop of Oxford, Tom & Viv, Miramax, 1994
Earl of Derby, Elizabeth(also known as Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen), Gramercy, 1998
Mr. Nancarrow, The Wisdom of Crocodiles, Miramax, 1998
Poitiers' Chief Inquisitor, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc(also known as Jeanne d'Arc and Joan of Arc), Sony Pictures Entertainment, 1999
Television Appearances
Series
Old Jolyon Forsyte, The Forsyte Saga,1967
The vicar, Father Dear Father,1968
The Incredible Mr. Tanner,1981
Miniseries
The Possessed,1971
Bunce, The Barchester Chronicles,1984
Movies
Polonius, Hamlet,1959
No Place like Earth(also known as Out of the Unknown: No Placelike Earth), 1965
Nineteen Eighty Four,1965
Sir David Browning, Message for Posterity(also known as Wednesday Play: Message for Posterity), 1967
Lodovico, Othello(also known as BBC Television Shakespeare: Othello), 1981
Specials
Friar Lawrence, Romeo and Juliet(also known as BBC Television Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet), PBS, 1978
Doctor, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, PBS, 1996
Episodic
Dr. Hugh Willard, "Thunderbolt," R3,1964
CO, "Nightwatch," Redcap,1965
Freeman, "No Place like Earth," Out of the Unknown,1965
Stage Appearances
(Stage debut) Flavius, Trebonius, and Titinius, Julius Caesar, Embassy Theatre, then His Majesty's Theatre, London, England, 1939
Conrade, Much Ado about Nothing, Aldwych Theatre, London, England,1946
Miles Forrester, Give Me the Sun, Boltons, 1947
James Vane, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Q, 1947
Captain Ridley, Cockpit, Playhouse, 1948
Title role, Faust, Q, 1948
Othello and Iago, Othello, Bedford, Camden Town, 1949
Title role, Hamlet, Bedford, Camden Town, 1949
Michael, Zeal of Thy House, Canterbury, 1949
King Malcolm, Saxon Saint, Edinburgh Festival, 1950
Alan Wainwright, Virtuoso, Q, 1951
Christ, Mystery Plays, York Festival of Arts, 1951
Sean Murphy, A Priest in the Family, Westminster, 1951
Lord Thomas Seymour, The Young Elizabeth, New Theatre, 1952
Hank Teagle, The Big Knife, Duke of York's, 1954

Christ, Mystery Plays, York Festival of Arts, 1954
Benedick, Much Ado about Nothing, Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland, 1954-55
Raphael, Tobias and the Angel, Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland, 1954-55
Captain Adam Brant, Mourning Becomes Electra, Arts, London, 1955
Michael O'Riordan, The Iron Harp, Guildford Repertory, 1955
Kent, King Lear, Bristol Old Vic, c. 1956-58
Georges Danton, The Empty Chair, Bristol Old Vic, c. 1956-58
Higgins, Pygmalion, Bristol Old Vic, c. 1956-58
Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Bristol Old Vic, c. 1956-58
Andrew Undershaft, Major Barbara, Bristol Old Vic, c. 1956-58
Title role, Othello, Bristol Old Vic, c. 1956-58
Uncle Fritz, Oh! My Papa!, Bristol Old Vic, c. 1956-58
Michael O'Riordon, The Iron Harp, Bristol Old Vic, c. 1956-58
King Artaban, Christ's Comet, Canterbury Festival, 1958
Duke, A Man for All Seasons, Globe, 1960
Claudius, Hamlet, Strand, 1961
Inca Atahualpa, Inca, Glasgow Citizens', 1961
Julian, The Long Sunset, Mermaid, 1961
Buckingham, Richard III, Old Vic, 1962
Title role, Julius Caesar, Old Vice, 1962
Gonzalo, The Tempest, Old Vic, 1962
Father Arnall and the Preacher, Stephen D, St. Martins, 1963
Stepan, The Possessed, Mermaid, 1963
Title role, King Lear, Empire, Sunderland, 1964
Vershinin, The Three Sisters, Oxford Playhouse, 1964
Nikolai Dor, The Twelfth Hour, Oxford Playhouse, 1964
Falstaff, Henry IV: Part 1, Empire, Sunderland, 1965
Robert Wise, The Third Picture, Empire, Sunderland, 1965
Wally Cross, The Big Breaker, Belgrade, Coventry, 1965
Title role, King Lear, Thorndike, Leatherhead, 1968
Prospero, The Tempest, Playhouse, Oxford, 1969
Title role, The O'Neill, Abbey, Dublin, Ireland, 1969
Pontius Pilate, Son of Man, Round House, 1969
Prior Gabrielli, The Heretic, Duke of York's, 1970
Bert Careless, Slip Road Wedding, the Shaw, 1971
Capulet, Romeo and Juliet, the Shaw, 1971
Sir Antony Absolute, The Rivals, Thorndike, Leatherhead, 1973
Sir Antony Absolute, The Rivals, Bucks County Playhouse, Pennsylvania, 1973
Claudius, Hamlet, the Howff, 1973
Alonso, The Tempest, National Theatre, Old Vic, 1974
Herr Gabor, Spring Awakening, National Theatre, Old Vic, 1974
Claudius, Cape Town, Maynardville, 1975
King of France, All's Well That Ends Well, Greenwich, 1975
The Duke, Measure for Measure, Greenwich, 1975
Toby Belch, Twelfth Night, St. George's, Islington, 1976
Friar Laurence, Romeo and Juliet, St. George's, Islington, 1976
George, Duke of Clarence, and Cardinal Bouchier, Richard III, St.George's, Islington, 1976
Vicentio, Measure for Measure, St. George's, Islington, 1977
Polonius, Hamlet, St. George's, Islington, 1977
Shallow, The Merry Wives of Windsor, St. George's, Islington,1977
Prospero, The Tempest, Welsh Drama Company, 1976
Lear and other, A Man for All Seasons,1977
Duke Frederick and Duke Senior, As You Like It, Bristol Old Vic, 1978
Vermandero, The Changeling, Bristol Old Vic, 1978
Sorin, The Seagull, Bristol Old Vic, 1978
Soothsayer, Julius Caesar, St. George's, 1979
John of Gaunt, Richard II, St. George's, 1979
Duke Senior, As You Like It, St. George's, 1979
Also appeared as Orlando, Philip the Bastard, and Oberon, Open Air Theatre, 1948.
Major Tours
The second workman, Purple Dust,1953
Michael O'Riordon, The Iron Harp, c. 1956-58
Chorus, Henry V, Old Vic Company, U.S. cities, 1958-59
Becket, Murder in the Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral, 1959
Nicolas, The Lotus-Eaters, Pembroke, Croydon, 1960
Stage Director
Inca, Old Vic, 1962
Hamlet, Empire, Sunderland, 1963
The Merchant of Venice, North-East Theatre Festival, 1964
The Winter's Tale, Empire, Sunderland, 1965
Codirector, The Heretic, Duke of York's, 1970
Hamlet, Thorndike, Leatherhead, 1970
The Heiress, Richmond, 1971
Hamlet, the Howff, 1973
The Merchant of Venice, St. George's, Islington, 1977
Saint Joan, Thorndike, Leatherhead, 1979
WRITINGS
Plays
The Iron Harp, Guildford Repertory, 1955
Inca, Glasgow Citizens', 1961
The Tumble Stone,1962
A Lion Trap,1963
The Third Picture,1964
The Heiress, Richmond, 1971
Film Music
The Dark Crystal,1982

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