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Ronan O'Casey

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Ronan O'Casey
Born(1922-08-18)August 18, 1922
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DiedApril 12, 2012(2012-04-12) (aged 89)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, producer
Years active1948–1993

Ronan O'Casey (18 August 1922 – 12 April 2012) was a Canadian actor and producer.[1]

Early life

O'Casey was born in Montreal, Quebec, to poet father, Michael Casey, and actress mother, Margaret Sheehy, a Dubliner who had co-starred with the young James Joyce in his first stage role. At the age of eight Ronan O'Casey began acting in his mother's Montreal theatre company and, after tours in theatre and vaudeville, he moved to Dublin and then to London.

O'Casey was at one time a leading ice hockey player in his native Montreal, skills which he was able to put to use during the filming of children's adventure serial The New Forest Rustlers, in which he played the leader of a gang planning to steal a priceless Rembrandt.[2]

Career

O'Casey found early success in post-war films such as The Mudlark (1950), Talk of a Million (1951) and Norman Wisdom's Trouble in Store (1953), going on to play the prisoner of Room 101 in 1984 and the sergeant in Nicholas Ray's war film Bitter Victory (1957). While starring in the West End play Detective Story he met actress and singer Louie Ramsay, whom he married in 1956.[3][4]

O'Casey's comedy talents brought him his best known role, as Jeff Rogers, Canadian son-in-law of Peggy Mount, in the TV sitcom The Larkins (1958–64). He was host of ITV's charades gameshow Don't Say a Word (1963),[5] a panel game with two teams led by Libby Morris and Kenneth Connor.[6] and co-host of Rediffusion's Sing A Song of Sixpence show.[7] In 1966 he was cast as Vanessa Redgrave's lover, the "blow-up" of Antonioni's Blow-Up (1966).

O'Casey also appeared on stage, in plays such as Forever April at the Nottingham Playhouse, in which he co-starred with Kenneth Connor in 1966.[8] and Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms at London's Embassy Theatre in 1955.[9]

As literary head of the production company Commonwealth United, O'Casey was an associate producer on Terry Southern's The Magic Christian (1969) with Ringo Starr, Peter Sellers and a soundtrack by Badfinger. O'Casey was divorced from Louie Ramsay in 1979, and, after moving to the United States in 1980, he married the writer Carol Tavris. He had roles in many US television shows, including L.A. Law, Easy Street, Falcon Crest and Dallas and Santa Barbara. In later years he wrote and staged a one-man play in Los Angeles on the poetry of Yeats by O'Casey.

Stage

Play Year Role Theatre Notes
Detective Story 1950 Warren Stanhope Prince's Theatre [10]
Louise 1950 The Q [11]
Kiss Me Kate 1951 Ralph New Theatre, Oxford
Coliseum, London 		[12][13]
The Shrike 1953 Don Gregory Theatre Royal, Brighton [14]
Queen of Hearts 1954 Knave of Hearts Bournemouth Ice Rink [15]
Desire Under the Elms 1955 Simeon Embassy Theatre
The Kidders 1957 Steve Bucknell Arts Theatre [16][17]
The First Fish 1964 Savoy [18][19]
Harvey 1965 Palace Theatre, Southend [20]
The Rivals 1965 Sir Lucius Theatre Royal, Windsor [21]
They Shoot Actors, Don't They? 1970 EQUITY Charity Event Roundhouse, London [22]

Filmography

Film

Title Year Role Notes
The Man Who Came To Dinner 1947 Richard Stanley TV movie
Rotten Row 1947 Captain Collins TV movie
The Soul of Anthony Nero 1947 Jimmy TV movie
Death at Newtonstewart 1948 Moncrieff TV movie
The Monkey's Paw 1948 Herbert Wright TV Short
The Front Page 1948 Besinger TV movie
Give Us This Day 1949 Bastian [23]
The Mudlark 1950 Slattery Uncredited
Talk of a Million 1951 Derry Murnahan [24][25]
Three Steps to the Gallows 1953 Crawson
Top of the Form 1953 Brother of boy
Trouble in Store 1953 Eddie
Escape by Night 1953 Pietro
Double Exposure 1954 Trickson
Happy Ever After 1954 Reporter
Tiger by the Tail[26] (a.k.a. Cross-Up) 1954 Nick, lead henchman
The Gilded Cage 1955 Charles Liddell
Barbados Quest 1955 Stefan Gordoni
1984 1956 Rutherford [27]
Reach For the Sky 1956 Canadian Pilot / Coltishall II Uncredited
Satellite in the Sky 1956 Reporter
The Big Money 1956 Gang Member Uncredited
Bitter Victory 1957 Sergeant Dunnigan
Blind Spot 1958 Rushford
Inn For Trouble 1960 Jeff Roberts
Blowup 1966 Jane's lover in park Uncredited[28]
Feelings 1976 John Roberts
The Double Exposure of Holly 1976 Lee
The Protector 1985 Police Commissioner
The Beverly Hillbillies 1993 Man at Party (final film role)

TV

Title Year Role Notes
Happy Ever After 1954 Reporter
Willie the Squouse 1954 Richard TV movie
The Vise 1954-1956 Archie / Thompson / Paul / Dillon 4 episodes
BBC Sunday Night Theatre 1955 McAllister Episode: "The Voices"
The Trollenberg Terror (a.k.a. The Crawling Eye) 1956-1957 Albert 6 episodes
ITV Play of the Week 1956-1958 Frank Lubey / Glenn / Private O'Hara / Philip Gadney 4 episodes
The Buccaneers 1957 Understandable Perkins Episode: "Indian Fighters"
Alf's Button 1958 ? [29]
All My Sons 1958 [30]
Armchair Theatre 1958-1959 Slim Murray / William R. Rush 3 episodes
The Larkins 1958-1963 Jeff Rogers 27 episodes
The Four Just Men 1959-1960 Dexter / Joe 2 episodes[31]
A Town Has Turned to Dust 1960 ? [32]
Danger Man 1961 Pilot Episode: "The Island"
The New Forest Rustlers 1966 The Chief 6 episodes[33]
Ryan's Hope 1980-1981 Chip Willard 2 episodes
The A-Team 1986 Ambassador Moo Episode: "The Spy Who Mugged Me"
L.A. Law 1986 Gregory Northrop Episode: "Sidney, the Dead-Nosed Reindeer"
Santa Barbara 1986-1989 Bishop / Psychiatrist 10 episodes
Shell Game 1987 Nathan Thayer Episode: "Norman's Parking Ticket"
Easy Street 1987 Ross Chamberlain Episode: "The Country Club"
Sledge Hammer! 1987 Milo Tieup Episode: "Sledge in Toyland"
Falcon Crest 1987-1989 Elroy Higgins / Ambassador 2 episodes

References

  1. ^ Obituary, The Guardian, 9 May 2012.
  2. ^ The Stage, 29 September 1966
  3. ^ The Stage, 30 January 1958
  4. ^ The Stage, 30 December 1955
  5. ^ The British Television Pilot Episodes Research Guide 1936-2015, Christopher Perry, Kaleidoscope Publishing, 2015, (p.69)
  6. ^ The Stage, 6 June 1963
  7. ^ The Stage, 29 July 1965
  8. ^ The Stage, 15 September 1966
  9. ^ The Stage, 24 March 1955
  10. ^ The Tatler, 12 April 1950
  11. ^ The Stage, 2 February 1950
  12. ^ The Stage, 1 March 1951
  13. ^ The Stage, 15 March 1951
  14. ^ The Stage, 22 January 1953
  15. ^ The Stage, 7 January 1954
  16. ^ The Stage, 14 November 1957
  17. ^ Illustrated London News, 23 November 1957
  18. ^ The Stage, 9 July 1964
  19. ^ The Tatler, 22 July 1964
  20. ^ The Stage, 15 April 1965
  21. ^ The Stage, 24 June 1965
  22. ^ The Stage, 5 November 1970
  23. ^ Waterford Standard, 22 April 1950
  24. ^ Waterford Standard, 21 July 1951
  25. ^ Falkirk Herald, 18 July 1951
  26. ^ British Film Noir Guide, Michael F. Keaney, 2011, McFarland & Co., 2011. (p.204)
  27. ^ Columbia Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1928-1982, Michael R. Pitts. McFarland, 2010
  28. ^ Michelangelo Red Antonioni Blue: Eight Reflections on Cinema, Murray Pomerance, University of California Press, 2011
  29. ^ The Stage, 4 December 1958
  30. ^ The Stage, 1 May 1958
  31. ^ The Stage, 11 June 1959
  32. ^ The Stage, 16 June 1960
  33. ^ The Stage, 13 October 1966
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