| Dan O'Herlihy | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 1, 1919 Wexford, Ireland |
| Died | February 17, 2005 (aged 85) Malibu, California, USA |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1947–1998 |
| Spouse | Elsa Bennett (1945–2005) (his death) 5 children |
Daniel O'Herlihy (1 May 1919 – 17 February 2005) was an Oscar nominated Irish film actor.[1]
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O'Herlihy was born in Wexford, Ireland in 1919. His family moved to Dublin at a young age. He was educated at Christian Brothers College in Dun Laoghaire and later studied in University College Dublin, graduating in 1944 with a degree in Architecture.[2]
O'Herlihy first appeared in Hungry Hill and Carol Reed's Odd Man Out in 1947. His first American film role was as Macduff in Orson Welles' version of Macbeth (1948). In 1952, he starred in the Red Scare film Invasion U.S.A. and in 1954 in Luis Buñuel's Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor (Marlon Brando won for On the Waterfront instead).
O'Herlihy later was featured in The Young Land in 1959 as Judge Millard Isham. He starred in Fail-Safe in 1964 (as General Black, or "Blackie"), The Big Cube and 100 Rifles, in 1969, and in the 1970 epic Waterloo, playing the part of Marshal of France Michel Ney. In 1982, there was Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The Last Starfighter in 1984 as Grig, Alex Rogan's copilot, navigator, and sidekick, The Whoopee Boys in 1986 as a conman, John Huston's The Dead in 1987, in RoboCop, and its sequel RoboCop 2.
He also had a fairly extensive career in television, appearing in such shows as CBS's anthology series, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, and ABC's crime drama, Target: The Corruptors!, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode, "The Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Rum Affair".
In 1963-64, he appeared as the wandering gold-seeker father in the western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters with co-star Kurt Russell. On ABC's 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 one-season run. In 1966, he appeared in the episode "Have You Seen the Aurora Borealis?" of NBC's western series The Road West, starring Barry Sullivan. In 1974, on British television, he played the Senior American Officer, Col Max Dodd in the second series of BBC's POW drama Colditz. 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 episode, "Deep Freeze" of Batman: The Animated Series voicing the Mr. Freeze-obsessed theme park mogul Grant Walker. In 1998, O'Herlihy acted in his last film, The Rat Pack, playing Joseph P. Kennedy.
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Nominated | Academy Award | Best Actor | Robinson Crusoe |
Dan O'Herlihy married Elsie Bennett in 1945. He was the brother of director Michael O'Herlihy (1928–1997) and the father of actor Gavan O'Herlihy, visual artist Olwen O'Herlihy, and architect Lorcan O'Herlihy. He was also the grandfather of Cian Dowling, Colin O'Herlihy, Micaela O'Herlihy and Eilis O'Herlihy.
Dan O'Herlihy died of natural causes in Malibu, California in 2005, aged 85. His personal papers are held in the University College Dublin Archives.