Edward Francis Michael Patrick Joseph O'Shea (March 17, 1906 – December 4, 1973) was an American actor, who appeared on the stage, in

feature films A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film ( motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation ...

, and television in a career that spanned between the 1940s and early 1970s. He also was a comedian, musician, band leader, and performed on radio.

Early life

O'Shea was born in Hartford, Connecticut on March 17, 1906, on St. Patrick's Day. He held jobs as a newspaper copy boy, a

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Denver, Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the co ...

messenger, and a tobacco farmer before making his debut in show business.

Career

O'Shea played drums and the banjo. Much like his character from ''

Lady of Burlesque ''Lady of Burlesque'' (also known as ''The G-String Murders'' and in the UK, ''Striptease Lady'') is a 1943 American musical comedy mystery film directed by William A. Wellman, produced by Hunt Stromberg, and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Mi ...

'' (1943), Biff Brannigan, O'Shea was a comedian and emcee at speakeasies. He put together his own dance band, "Michael O'Shea and His Stationary Gypsies", and later broke into radio and the "legitimate" stage, where he was billed for a time as "Eddie O'Shea". He worked on radio shows such as ''Superman'', ''Mr District Attorney'', ''The March of Time'' and ''Gangbuster''. O'Shea received acclaim for his performance in the 1942 play '' The Eve of St. Mark'' on Broadway. The play was a hit and film producers began approaching O'Shea to do screen tests.MR. O'SHEA, THE HARTFORD GYPSY By THEODORE STRAUSS. New York Times (18 Apr 1943: X3.

Early films

O'Shea's work in ''Eve'' led to an offer to play

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career, she was known for her strong, realistic screen p ...

's leading man in the film ''

'' (1943) for producer

Hunt Stromberg Hunt Stromberg (July 12, 1894 – August 23, 1968) was a film producer during Hollywood's Golden Age. In a prolific 30-year career beginning in 1921, Stromberg produced, wrote, and directed some of Hollywood's most profitable and enduring films, ...

, released through

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

. It was a sizeable hit.Scott Eyman, ''Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer'', Robson, 2005 p 339 Samuel Bronston offered him the title role in the biopic ''

Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...

'' (1943), also released through United Artists. The cast included

Virginia Mayo Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of popular comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Bros.' biggest box-office draw in the late 1940s. S ...

who would become O'Shea's second wife. O'Shea was asked to reprise his stage role in the film version of '' The Eve of St. Mark'' (1944), produced by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. That studio contracted him to make two more films. Fox announced they would make ''Where Do We Go From Here?'' with him and Stanley Prager, also in ''Eve'', but it appears not to have been made. He had the lead role in '' Man from Frisco'' (1944), a fictional account of the career of Henry Kaiser for

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

, directed by

Robert Florey Robert Florey (September 14, 1900 – May 16, 1979) was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor. Florey directed more than 50 films, the best known likely being the Marx Brothers first feature ''The Cocoanuts'' (1929 ...

. At Fox he made a musical, '' Something for the Boys'' (1944), with

Carmen Miranda Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955), known professionally as Carmen Miranda (), was a Portuguese-born Brazilian singer, dancer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell", she was known for her signature ...

. O'Shea then went into '' It's a Pleasure!'' (1945), playing a hockey star who marries figure skater

Sonja Henie Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norway, Norwegian figure skating, figure skater and film star. She was a three-time List of Olympic medalists in figure skating, Olympic champion (Figure skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics, ...

, done for International Pictures. Back at Fox he had the lead in a B, ''

Circumstantial Evidence Circumstantial evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact, such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime. By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly, i.e., without need ...

'' (1945).

Return to Broadway

O'Shea returned to Broadway with a role in the revival of '' The Red Mill'' (1945–47), produced by Hunt Stromberg Jr. which ran for 531 performances.

Supporting actor in film

When the show finished he returned to films. He had a support part with '' Mr. District Attorney'' (1947) at Columbia. He was

Nancy Coleman Nancy Coleman (December 30, 1912 – January 18, 2000) was an American film, stage, television and radio actress. After working on radio and appearing on the Broadway stage, Nancy Coleman moved to Hollywood to work for Warner Bros. studios. Earl ...

's leading man in ''

Violence Violence is characterized as the use of physical force by humans to cause harm to other living beings, or property, such as pain, injury, disablement, death, damage and destruction. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence a ...

'' (1947) at

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

and played

Natty Bumppo Nathaniel "Natty" Bumppo is a fictional character and the protagonist of James Fenimore Cooper's pentalogy of novels known as the ''Leatherstocking Tales''. He appears throughout the series as an archetypal American ranger, and has been portrayed ...

Sam Katzman Sam Katzman (July 7, 1901 – August 4, 1973) was an American film producer and director. Katzman's specialty was producing low-budget genre films, including serials, which had disproportionately high returns for the studios and his financi ...

's version of ''

Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is an 1826 historical romance novel by James Fenimore Cooper. It is the second book of the ''Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinder'', p ...

'', ''

Last of the Redmen ''Last of the Redskins'' also known as ''Last of the Redmen'' is a 1947 American western (genre), Western film, directed by George Sherman and starring Jon Hall (actor), Joh Hall and Michael O'Shea (actor), Michael O'Shea. The film was shot in Vi ...

'' (1947), with Jon Hall at Columbia. He had a supporting role in '' Smart Woman'' (1948), at Allied Artists, and the lead in ''

Parole, Inc. ''Parole, Inc.'' is a 1948 American crime film directed by Alfred Zeisler and starring Michael O'Shea, with Turhan Bey and Evelyn Ankers in support. The film depicts an undercover FBI investigation of corruption within the state parole board of ...

'' (1949), for

Eagle-Lion Films Eagle-Lion Films was the name of two distinct, though related, companies. In 1944, UK film magnate J. Arthur Rank created an American distribution company with the name to handle his British films. The following year, under a reciprocal distrib ...

. He supported

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...

in '' The Big Wheel'' (1949) at United Artists, but had the lead in '' The Threat'' (1949) a "B" for RKO. O'Shea supported John Payne in ''

Captain China ''Captain China'' is a 1950 American adventure film directed by Lewis R. Foster and written by Lewis R. Foster and Gwen Bagni. The film stars John Payne, Gail Russell, Jeffrey Lynn, Lon Chaney Jr., Edgar Bergen, Michael O'Shea and Ellen Cor ...

'' (1950) and

Dan Duryea Dan Duryea ( , January 23, 1907 – June 7, 1968) was an American actor in film, stage, and television. Known for portraying villains, he had a long career in a variety of leading and secondary roles.Gaita, PaulDan Duryea Biography."''Turner C ...

in ''

The Underworld Story ''The Underworld Story'' is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Cy Endfield and starring Dan Duryea, Herbert Marshall, Gale Storm, with Howard Da Silva and Michael O'Shea in support. Da Silva plays the loud-mouthed gangster Carl Du ...

'' (1950). He had a support role in ''

Disc Jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

'' (1951), then did three films at Fox: ''

Fixed Bayonets A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...

'' (1951) for

Sam Fuller Samuel Michael Fuller (August 12, 1912 – October 30, 1997) was an American film director, screenwriter, novelist, journalist, and actor. He was known for directing low-budget genre movies with controversial themes, often made outside t ...

, ''

The Model and the Marriage Broker ''The Model and the Marriage Broker'' is a 1951 American romantic comedy film starring Jeanne Crain, Scott Brady, and Thelma Ritter. Directed by George Cukor and produced by Charles Brackett, the picture effectively features Ritter in a rare l ...

'' (1951) for

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor ( ; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...

, and '' Bloodhounds of Broadway'' (1952).

Television

After his career in film waned — he was largely out of films by 1952 — he took many roles in television. He acted in TV programs such as ''

The Revlon Mirror Theater ''The Revlon Mirror Theater'' (also known as ''Mirror Theater'') is an American anthology drama television series. The series was broadcast on NBC from June 23 to September 1, 1953, before moving to CBS for the rest of its run from September 19 t ...

'', ''

Ethel Barrymore Theatre The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 243 West 47th Street (Manhattan), 47th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1928, it ...

'', ''

Damon Runyon Theater ''Damon Runyon Theater'' is an American television program that presented dramatized versions of Damon Runyon's short stories. Hosted by Donald Woods, the program aired for a total of 39 episodes on CBS from April 1955 through February 1956 (r ...

'', and ''

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to ''Schlitz Playh ...

''. He had a supporting part in '' It Should Happen to You'' (1954).

''It's a Great Life''

He also starred in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' It's a Great Life'' from 1954 to 1956 as Denny Davis, a former GI trying to find a civilian job.

Frances Bavier Frances Elizabeth Bavier (December 14, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American stage and television actress. Originally from New York theatre, she worked in film and television from the 1950s until the 1970s. She is best known for her role a ...

played his landlady. He was nominated for an Emmy in 1955. He worked as a panelist on TV shows and filmed a pilot for a TV sitcom with his wife

, ''McGarry and His Mouse'' (1960) but it was not picked up for a series. He guest starred on episodes of ''

Adventures in Paradise Adventures in Paradise may refer to: * ''Adventures in Paradise'' (TV series) * "Adventures in Paradise", aka "Theme from Adventures in Paradise", composed by Lionel Newman, recorded by many inc. Arthur Lyman, Santo & Johnny, Rob E. G., and (word ...

'', ''

Daktari ''Daktari'' ( Swahili for "doctor") is an American family drama series that aired on CBS between 1966 and 1969. The series is an Ivan Tors Films Production in association with MGM Television starring Marshall Thompson as Marsh Tracy, a veter ...

'' and ''

Adam-12 ''Adam-12'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb and produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pe ...

''. In 1964 he returned briefly to New York stage in a production ''I Was Dancing''.Michael O'Shea, 67, Stage Actor Also in TV Series, Films, Dies: Started as Band Leader New York Times 5 Dec 1973: 43.

Personal life

O'Shea was married twice, first to Grace Watts, by whom he had two children. They were divorced in 1947. He next wed actress

, in 1947, whom he had met while filming ''Jack London'' in 1943. They subsequently appeared on the stock stage together in such productions as ''

George Washington Slept Here ''George Washington Slept Here'' is a 1942 comedy film starring Jack Benny, Ann Sheridan, Charles Coburn, Percy Kilbride, and Hattie McDaniel. It was based on the 1940 play of the same name by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, adapted by Ever ...

,'' ''Tunnel of Love'' and ''

Fiorello! ''Fiorello!'' is a musical about New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia, a reform Republican, which debuted on Broadway in 1959, and tells the story of how La Guardia took on the Tammany Hall political machine. The book is by Jerome Weidman ...

''. The couple had one child, Mary Catherine O'Shea, born in 1953. That year O'Shea's first wife sued him for unpaid alimony. A Republican, O'Shea supported

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

's campaign in the 1952 presidential election. In 1957 he pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm, firing two shots into a tractor tire because boys had "hot-rodded" it near his home. In August of 1959 he was arrested after brandishing a pistol in a Philadelphia restaurant following an argument between his wife and another customer over the air conditioning. O'Shea was of the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

faith. O'Shea kept up his

bricklayer A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsperson and tradesperson who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The terms also refer to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of maso ...

's union card and was a reserve

deputy sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is commonly ...

in the

Ventura County Sheriff's Office The Ventura County Sheriff's Office (VCSO), also sometimes known as the Ventura County Sheriff's Department (VCSD), provides law enforcement for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, Ventura County, California, as well as se ...

p.7 ''Michael O'Shea is Claimed By Death'' ''Beaver County Times'' 5 Dec 1973 He died of a heart attack in Dallas in 1973, about to go on tour with Mayo in a production of ''

Forty Carats ''Forty Carats'' is a play by Jay Presson Allen. Adapted from the French original by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy, the comedy revolves around a 40-year-old American divorcee who is assisted by a 22-year-old when her car breaks down ...

''.Michael O'Shea, Tough-Talking Actor, The Washington Post and Times-Herald 6 Dec 1973: B22.

Partial filmography

*''

'' (1943) *''

'' (1943) *'' Something for the Boys'' (1944) *'' Man from Frisco'' (1944) – Matt Braddock *''

The Eve of St Mark ''The Eve of St Mark'' is a 1942 play by Maxwell Anderson set during World War II. It later became a 1944 film by 20th Century Fox that featured some of the same actors who repeated their roles in the film. The title is derived from the legend ...

'' (1944) *''

'' (1945) *'' It's a Pleasure'' (1945) *''

'' (1947) *''

'' (1947) * '' Mr. District Attorney'' (1947) *''

'' (1948) *'' Smart Woman'' (1948) *'' The Threat'' (1949) *'' The Big Wheel'' (1949) *''

'' (1950) *''

'' (1951) *''

Fixed Bayonets! ''Fixed Bayonets!'' is a 1951 American war film written and directed by Samuel Fuller and produced by Twentieth Century-Fox during the Korean War. It is Fuller's second film about the Korean War. Plot In the first winter of the Korean War, duri ...

'' (1951) *''

Disk Jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music festivals), mobile ...

'' (1951) *'' Bloodhounds of Broadway'' (1952) *'' It Should Happen to You'' (1954)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oshea, Michael 1906 births 1973 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Male actors from Connecticut American vaudeville performers 20th-century American male actors Connecticut Republicans California Republicans American Roman Catholics American people of Irish descent