| J. Pat O'Malley | |
|---|---|
As "Perkins" in the 1955 hit television serial, Spin and Marty |
|
| Born | 15 March 1904 Burnley, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 27 February 1985 (aged 80) San Juan Capistrano, Orange County, California, USA |
| Occupation | Singer, composer, songwriter, actor, music director |
| Years active | 1929-85 |
| Spouse | Fay M. O'Malley |
| Children | 2 children[1] |
James Patrick O'Malley (15 March 1904 - 27 February 1985) born in Burnley, Lancashire, England was an English singer and character actor, who appeared in many American films and television programmes during the 1940s–1970s, using the stage name J. Pat O'Malley. He also appeared on the Broadway stage in Ten Little Indians (1944) and Dial M for Murder.[1] A New York Times drama critic praised O'Malley's performance in Ten Little Indians, calling him "a rara avis, a comedian who does not gauge the success of his efforts by the number of laughs he induces at each performance".[2]
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O'Malley began his entertainment career in 1925 as a recording artist and then as principal singer with Jack Hylton and his orchestra in the United Kingdom from 1930 to 1933. Known at that time as Pat O'Malley, he recorded over 400 popular songs of the day. O'Malley began a solo recording career in 1935 in parallel with his work with Hylton. At the end of 1935, Hylton and O'Malley went to the U.S. to record with a band composed of American musicians, thus emulating Ray Noble and Al Bowlly. The venture was short-lived but O'Malley remained in the United States.
Now known as J. Pat O'Malley (to avoid confusion with another film actor named Pat O'Malley), he had a long and varied acting career including the film Lassie Come Home in 1943 as "Hynes" and later in Walt Disney's Spin and Marty hit television serials as the always-faithful "Perkins" (1955–1957). In 1956, he appeared in the episode "The Guilty" of the NBC legal drama, Justice, based on case files of the Legal Aid Society of New York. He guest starred twice as Cinnebar Jones on Bill Williams's syndicated series The Adventures of Kit Carson (1951–1955). He also appeared in Rod Cameron's syndicated City Detective in the episode "Found in a Pawnshop". He also appeared in 1960 in another Cameron series, COronado 9. In 1959–1960, O'Malley starred eight times as Judge Caleb Marsh in the ABC western series Black Saddle starring Peter Breck as a gunslinger-turned-lawyer, with Russell Johnson as a peace officer. In 1960, O'Malley guest starred on the short-lived The Tab Hunter Show sitcom on NBC, on ABC's The Law and Mr. Jones legal drama with James Whitmore and Conlan Carter, and on the syndicated crime drama Johnny Midnight starring Edmond O'Brien. He also appeared as a police officer on John Cassavetes's NBC detective series Johnny Staccato. He guest starred on Pat O'Brien's ABC sitcom Harrigan and Son.
In 1961, he guest starred in ABC's drama Bus Stop, starring Marilyn Maxwell as the owner of a diner in a fictitious small Colorado town. O'Malley appeared in 1962 on CBS's Twilight Zone episode called "The Fugitive" (he made also a very short appearance in the episode Walking Distance). In the 1962–1963 season, he guest starred twice on both Gene Kelly's ABC's Going My Way, about a Roman Catholic priest in New York City, and on the CBS anthology series The Lloyd Bridges Show. O'Malley and Spring Byington starred in an episode of Jack Palance's ABC circus drama, The Greatest Show on Earth, which aired in the 1963—1964 season.
In the 1964–1965 season, O'Malley appeared as a handyman on the ABC's sitcom Wendy and Me with costars George Burns, Connie Stevens, Ron Harper and James T. Callahan. He guest starred in 1965 in Christopher Jones's ABC western, The Legend of Jesse James, and in 1966 in Jack Sheldon's CBS's short-lived unconventional sitcom Run, Buddy, Run.[3] O'Malley also appeared occasionally as "Vince" in the 1966 ABC comedy/western series The Rounders, with Ron Hayes, Patrick Wayne and Chill Wills. That same year he also played an old prospector who helps David McCallum in the Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode, "The Nowhere Affair".
In 1969, O'Malley portrayed Carol Brady's (Florence Henderson) father in the premiere episode of ABC's The Brady Bunch. That same year, he appeared as cop on the beat in 20th Century Fox's film production of Hello, Dolly! He made several appearances in the television series Maude, as Hermione Baddeley's beau, from 1973-75. He appeared in a cameo on NBC's Emergency! in its third season.[4]
Walt Disney also engaged O'Malley to provide voices for animated films such as the Cockney coster in the "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" sequence in Mary Poppins (1964), Cyril Proudbottom in The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) and the role of Colonel Hathi and the vulture Buzzie in The Jungle Book (1967). His voice can also be heard in Alice in Wonderland (1951), in which he performs all the character voices in the "The Walrus and the Carpenter" segment (besides Alice), including Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Walrus, the Carpenter, and Mother Oyster. He performed the roles of the Colonel and Jasper in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) and in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in several roles including the original voice of the Pirate Captain dunking the magistrate into the well. In 1979 he made an appearance on Three's Company as Leo.
In 1982, O'Malley made his final television appearance on Taxi. A DVD version of the Adventures of Spin & Marty from the 1955 season was released in 2005 as part of the Walt Disney Treasures series.
O'Malley died from cardiovascular disease in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, California, shortly before what would have been his 81st birthday. He was survived by his wife, Fay M. O'Malley (1926–2002)[5] and two children.[1]
The following is a list of notable films/episodes that J. Pat O'Malley appeared in or did voices for, these do not include television series as a whole or guest star appearences.
| Year | Film | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Lassie Come Home | Hynes | |
| 1949 | The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | Cyril Proudbottom, Winkie, Policeman, Paper boy (unseen) | (Voices) |
| 1951 | Alice in Wonderland (1951 film) | Tweedledum and Tweedledee; Walrus; Carpenter; Mother Oyster | (Voices) |
| 1961 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians | Jasper Badun; Colonel | (Voices) |
| 1962 | The Fugitive (Twilight Zone) | Old Ben | |
| 1967 | The Jungle Book (1967 film) | Colonel Hathi the Indian elephant/Buzzie the Vulture | (Voices) |
| 1967 | D-Day At Stalag 13, Hogan's Heroes | England General at Headquarters | |
| 1969 | Hello, Dolly! (film) | Policeman in park | |
| 1973 | Robin Hood (1973 film) | Otto the Blacksmith - a dog | (Voice - uncredited) |
| 1976 | The Gumball Rally | Barney Donahue |