Milo O'Shea
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Milo Donal O'Shea (2 June 1926 – 2 April 2013) was an Irish actor. He was twice nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performances in ''
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'' (1968) and '' Mass Appeal'' (1982).


Early life

O'Shea was born and brought up in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
and educated by the Christian Brothers at Synge Street school, along with his friend Donal Donnelly. His father was a singer and his mother a ballet teacher. Because he was bilingual, O'Shea performed in English-speaking theatres and in Irish in the Abbey Theatre Company. At age 12, he appeared in
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
's '' Caesar and Cleopatra'' at the
Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochla ...
. He later studied music and drama at the Guildhall School in London and was a skilled pianist. He was discovered in the 1950s by Harry Dillon, who ran the 37 Theatre Club on the top floor of his shop the Swiss Gem Company, 51 Lower O'Connell Street Dublin. Early in his career O'Shea toured with the theatrical company of
Anew McMaster Andrew "Anew" McMaster (24 December 1891 – 24 August 1962) was a British stage actor who during his nearly 45 year acting career toured the UK, Ireland, Australia and the United States. For almost 35 years he toured as actor-manager of his o ...
.


Career

O'Shea began acting on the stage, then moved into film in the 1960s. He became popular in the United Kingdom, as a result of starring in the
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sitcom '' Me Mammy'' alongside
Yootha Joyce Yootha Joyce Needham (20 August 1927 – 24 August 1980), known as Yootha Joyce, was an English actress best known for playing Mildred Roper opposite Brian Murphy in the sitcom '' Man About the House'' (1973–1976) and its spin-off '' George ...
. In 1967–68 he appeared in the drama ''
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'', co-starring
Eli Wallach Eli Herschel Wallach ( ; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. Known for his character actor roles, his entertainment career spanned over six decades. He received a British Aca ...
and directed by Barry Morse, which stands as Broadway's first depiction of homosexual men in a serious light. For his role in that drama, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1968. O'Shea starred as Leopold Bloom in Joseph Strick's 1967 film version of '' Ulysses''

Among his other memorable film roles in the 1960s were the well-intentioned Friar Laurence in Franco Zeffirelli's ''
Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...
'' and the villainous Dr. Durand Durand (who tried to kill
Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...
's character by making her die of pleasure) in
Roger Vadim Roger Vadim Plemiannikov (; 26 January 1928 – 11 February 2000) was a French screenwriter, film director, and producer, as well as an author, artist, and occasional actor. His best-known works are visually lavish films with erotic qualities, s ...
's counterculture classic '' Barbarella'' (both films were released in 1968). In 1984, O'Shea reprised his role as Dr. Durand Durand (credited as Dr. Duran Duran) for the 1985
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concert film '' Arena (An Absurd Notion)'', since his character inspired the band's name. He played Inspector Boot in the 1973 Vincent Price horror/comedy film '' Theatre of Blood''. He was active in American films and television, such as his memorable supporting role as the trial judge in the
Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...
-directed movie ''
The Verdict ''The Verdict'' is a 1982 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed's 1980 novel of the same name. The film stars Paul Newman as a down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer in Boston who acc ...
'' (1982) with
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, an episode of ''
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'' in 1987, and portraying
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Roy Ashland in the television series ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...
''. In 1992, O'Shea guest starred in the season 10 finale of the sitcom ''
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'' and in 1995, in an episode of the show's spin-off ''
Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...
''. In the episode of ''Frasier'', he played Dr. Schachter, a couple's therapist who counsels the Crane brothers together. He appeared in the pilot episode of '' Early Edition'' as Sherman. Other stage appearances include '' Mass Appeal'' (1981) in which he originated the role of Father Tim Farley (for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1982),To view nominations, type "Milo O'Shea" in the search box. the musical '' Dear World'' in which he played the Sewer Man opposite
Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American actress, producer, and singer. In a career spanning 80 years, she played various roles on stage and screen. Among her numerous accolades wer ...
as Countess Aurelia, ''Corpse!'' (1986) and a 1994 Broadway revival of '' Philadelphia, Here I Come''. O'Shea received an honorary degree from
Quinnipiac University Quinnipiac University ( ) is a private university in Hamden, Connecticut, United States. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. It also hosts the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. History What became ...
in 2010.


Personal life

O'Shea's first wife was Maureen Toal, an Irish actress, with whom he had two sons. He divorced her in 1974. He was married to the Irish actress Kitty Sullivan, whom he met in Italy, where he was filming '' Barbarella'' and she was auditioning for ''
Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervan ...
''. The couple occasionally acted together, such as in a 1981 Broadway revival of ''
My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...
''. O'Shea and Sullivan had no children together. They both adopted United States citizenship and resided in New York City, where they both lived from 1976.


Death

O'Shea died on 2 April 2013, in New York City following a short illness at the age of 86.


Filmography


Film


Television


Theatre


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * *
Obituary in ''The Irish Times''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oshea, Milo 1926 births 2013 deaths Irish male film actors Irish emigrants to the United States Irish male television actors Irish male stage actors Male actors from Dublin (city) Male actors from New York City People educated at Synge Street CBS Quinnipiac University people