Kieron Moore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kieron Moore | |
|---|---|
 Kieron Moore |
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| Born | Ciarán Ó hAnnracháin October 5, 1924 Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland |
| Died | July 15, 2007 (aged 82) Charente-Maritime, France |
| Occupation | actor |
Kieron Moore (born Ciarán Ó hAnnracháin anglicized Kieron O’Hanrahan) (b. 5 October 1924, Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland - d. 15 July 2007, France) was an Irish film and television actor whose career was at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s. He may be best remembered for his role as Count Vronsky in the 1948 film adaptation of Anna Karenina opposite Vivien Leigh, although some critics deemed him miscast[citation needed].
[edit] Biography
He grew up in County Cork following the Irish Civil War in an Irish-speaking household. His father, Peadar Ó hAnnracháin (also known as Peter/Peadar Hourihane and Peadar O'Hourihane) was a writer and poet, and a staunch supporter of the Irish language. Peadar, who was one of the first organisers for Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League), was twice imprisoned by the British. He also wrote for the Southern Star newspaper for many years and had been that newspaper's editor for a period of time. Several members of Kieron's family pursued careers in the arts. His sister, Neasa Ní Annracháin, was a stalwart of the Raidió Éireann Players, while his brother, Fachtna, was director of music at the station, and a second sister, Bláithín Ní Annracháin, played the harp with the National Symphony Orchestra. Following his family's move to Dublin, Moore attended Irish language school, Coláiste Mhuire. Later, his medical studies at University College Dublin were cut short when he was invited to join the Abbey Players. He married Barbara White in 1947, with whom he had four children.
Living in England for many years, Moore made well over 50 appearances in film and in several British television episodes. Beginning his acting career at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, he made his English stage debut, the age of 19 as Heathcliff in a production of Wuthering Heights, later starring in a BBC TV production of the play (1948). His first film role was as an IRA man in The Voice Within (1945). Alexander Korda offered him a seven-year contract with London Films following his acclaimed performance in the West End hit Red Roses for Me (written by Sean O'Casey).
Adopting the stage name Kieron Moore, he was cast in a leading role in Man About the House in 1947. His next role, in the psychological thriller Mine Own Executioner (1947), confirmed his potential, however he was deemed to have been seriously miscast when he took on the role of the suave Count Vronsky in Julian Duvivier's Anna Karenina, which starred Vivien Leigh and Ralph Richardson, receiving the worst notices of his career. Despite this setback, he was invited to Hollywood, where in 1951 he made two films, playing Uriah the Hittite in the biblical epic David and Bethsheba and a Foreign Legion officer in Ten Tall Men, starring Burt Lancaster. In 1953 he was featured in Mantrap (1953), Recoil (1953), and The Blue Peter (1954).
In 1959, he appeared in Darby O'Gill and the Little People. The following year, gave an impressive performance in the comedy-thriller The League of Gentlemen (1960), playing a homosexual former officer recruited to take part in a major robbery. There followed roles in The Siege of Sidney Street (1960), shot on location in Ireland, Dr Blood's Coffin (1960), The Thin Red Line (1964) and Arabesque (1966). In his final film, Custer of the West (1967), he played Chief Dull Knife. He also made television appearances in Fabian of the Yard, Jason King and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) which aired in 1970 in episode 16 When the Spirit Moves You where he was cast as the villain Miklos Corri. Anton Rodgers another actor who died in 2007 also appeared in that episode. Moore also took on the starring role in Ryan International, which he also wrote.
He bowed out of acting in 1974. After his acting career ended he became a social activist on behalf of the Third World, joining CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development), with whom he worked for nine years, during which he made two film documentaries, Progress of Peoples (Peru) and The Parched Earth (Senegal). Later, as projects manager, he travelled to the Middle East and India. He next became associate editor of The Universe, editing the supplement, New Creation, which he transformed into the magazine, New Day.
He last worked for television, providing voice-overs for Muiris Mac Conghail's RTÉ documentaries about the Aran Islands and the Blaskets.
He retired in 1994 to the Charente-Maritime in France, where he joined the church choir, became a hospital visitor, and enjoyed reading French, Spanish, English and Irish literature.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara, who played the heroine in The Voice Within, their daughter Theresa (Soeur Miriame-Therese) and sons Casey, Colm and Seán.[1]
