J.M. Kerrigan
Joseph Michael Kerrigan (16 December 1884 – 29 April 1964), better known as J.M. Kerrigan, was an Irish character actor. Kerrigan was born in Dublin, Ireland. He worked as a newspaper reporter until 1907 when he joined the famous Abbey Players. There he became a stalwart, appearing in plays by Lady Gregory, William Butler Yeats and John Millington Synge (for whom he played the role of Shawn Keogh in The Playboy of the Western World. His first screen appearance was in the silent film Food of Love in 1916. By the 1920s he was appearing on Broadway, often in plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Sheridan. He settled permanently in Hollywood in 1935, having been recruited along with several other Abbey performers, to appear in John Ford's The Informer. In that film and in Ford's The Long Voyage Home, he plays similar roles, that of a leech who attaches himself to men until they run out of money. Perhaps his best known role was in The General Died at Dawn, where he plays a character actually named Leach, in which he steals scenes from Gary Cooper, Madeleine Carroll and William Frawley. In it he plays a sinister little petty thief who, holding a gun on Cooper, says, "I may be fat, but I'm agile." He had little screen time in films which he starred as minor roles, such as the "First Drayman" in Merely Mary Ann (1931) with Janet Gaynor. One of his most recognizable minor roles was in Gone with the Wind (1939), in which he played John Gallegher, the seemly jovial mill owner who whips his convict labour in to "co-operation". He appeared in Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), the famous film version of Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea in a minor role at the beginning of the film. In 1946, he tried breaking into Broadway shows, playing the discombobulated leprechaun Jackeen J. O'Malley in the show "Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley", based on the Crockett Johnson comic strip. J. M. Kerrigan died in Hollywood on 29 April 1964, aged 79. Kerrigan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6621 Hollywood Blvd.
Filmography
The Fastest Gun Alive
as Kevin McGovern
The Fastest Gun Alive
as Kevin McGovern
It's a Dog's Life
as Paddy Corbin
It's a Dog's Life
as Paddy Corbin
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
as Billy
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
as Billy
The Silver Whip
as Riley
The Silver Whip
as Riley
My Cousin Rachel
as Reverend Pascoe
My Cousin Rachel
as Reverend Pascoe
Park Row
as Dan O'Rourke
Park Row
as Dan O'Rourke
The Wild North
as Callahan
The Wild North
as Callahan
Two of a Kind
Two of a Kind
Sealed Cargo
as Skipper Ben
Sealed Cargo
as Skipper Ben
Mrs. Mike
as Uncle John
Mrs. Mike
as Uncle John
The Fighting O'Flynn
as Timothy
The Fighting O'Flynn
as Timothy
The Luck of the Irish
as Tatie the Innkeeper
The Luck of the Irish
as Tatie the Innkeeper
Call Northside 777
as Sullivan - Court Bailiff (uncredited)
Call Northside 777
as Sullivan - Court Bailiff (uncredited)
Abie's Irish Rose
as Patrick Murphy
Abie's Irish Rose
as Patrick Murphy
Black Beauty
as John
Black Beauty
as John
She Went to the Races
as Jeff Habbard
She Went to the Races
as Jeff Habbard
The Spanish Main
as Pillery Gow
The Spanish Main
as Pillery Gow
The Crime Doctor's Warning
as Robert MacPherson (uncredited)
The Crime Doctor's Warning
as Robert MacPherson (uncredited)
The Great John L.
as Father O'Malley
The Great John L.
as Father O'Malley
Tarzan and the Amazons
as Splivens
Tarzan and the Amazons
as Splivens
The Big Bonanza
as 'Judge' Jasper Kincaid
The Big Bonanza
as 'Judge' Jasper Kincaid
Wilson
as Edward Sullivan
Wilson
as Edward Sullivan
The Fighting Seabees
as Sawyer Collins
The Fighting Seabees
as Sawyer Collins
Mr. Lucky
as Mr. McDougal (uncredited)
Mr. Lucky
as Mr. McDougal (uncredited)
Action in the North Atlantic
as Caviar Jinks (uncredited)
Action in the North Atlantic
as Caviar Jinks (uncredited)
Captains of the Clouds
as Foster
Captains of the Clouds
as Foster
The Vanishing Virginian
as John Phelps
The Vanishing Virginian
as John Phelps
The Wolf Man
as Charles Conliffe
The Wolf Man
as Charles Conliffe
Appointment for Love
as Timothy
Appointment for Love
as Timothy
The Long Voyage Home
as Crimp
The Long Voyage Home
as Crimp
No Time for Comedy
as Jim
No Time for Comedy
as Jim
One Crowded Night
as Brother 'Doc' Joseph
One Crowded Night
as Brother 'Doc' Joseph
Untamed
as Mr. Angus McGavity
Untamed
as Mr. Angus McGavity
Curtain Call
as Mr. Middleton
Curtain Call
as Mr. Middleton
Congo Maisie
as Captain Finch
Congo Maisie
as Captain Finch
Gone with the Wind
as Johnny Gallagher
Gone with the Wind
as Johnny Gallagher
The Witness Vanishes
as Flinters
The Witness Vanishes
as Flinters
Two Bright Boys
as Mike Casey
Two Bright Boys
as Mike Casey
6,000 Enemies
as Dan Barrett
6,000 Enemies
as Dan Barrett
The Zero Hour
as Timothy
The Zero Hour
as Timothy
Sorority House
as Lew Fisher
Sorority House
as Lew Fisher
Union Pacific
as Monahan
Union Pacific
as Monahan
Undercover Agent
as Tom 'Pop' Madison
Undercover Agent
as Tom 'Pop' Madison
The Kid From Texas
as Farr
The Kid From Texas
as Farr
The Great Man Votes
as Hot Shot Gillings
The Great Man Votes
as Hot Shot Gillings
Motor Madness
as Henry John 'Cap' McNeil
Motor Madness
as Henry John 'Cap' McNeil
Lloyd's of London
as Brook Watson
Lloyd's of London
as Brook Watson
The General Died at Dawn
as Leach
The General Died at Dawn
as Leach
The Prisoner of Shark Island
as Judge Maiben
The Prisoner of Shark Island
as Judge Maiben
Timothy's Quest
as Dr. Cudd
Timothy's Quest
as Dr. Cudd
Hot Tip
as Matt
Hot Tip
as Matt
Werewolf of London
as Hawkins
Werewolf of London
as Hawkins
The Informer
as Terry
The Informer
as Terry
Vanessa: Her Love Story
as Perkins (uncredited)
Vanessa: Her Love Story
as Perkins (uncredited)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
as Chief Verger Tope
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
as Chief Verger Tope
The Fountain
as Shordley
The Fountain
as Shordley
The Key
as O'Duffy
The Key
as O'Duffy
A Modern Hero
as Mr. Ryan
A Modern Hero
as Mr. Ryan
Lone Cowboy
as Mr. Curran
Lone Cowboy
as Mr. Curran
A Study in Scarlet
as Jabez Wilson
A Study in Scarlet
as Jabez Wilson
Careless Lady
as Trowbridge
Careless Lady
as Trowbridge
The Rainbow Trail
as Paddy Harrigan
The Rainbow Trail
as Paddy Harrigan
Merely Mary Ann
as First Drayman
Merely Mary Ann
as First Drayman
The Black Camel
as Thomas MacMasters
The Black Camel
as Thomas MacMasters
Don't Bet on Women
as Chipley Duff
Don't Bet on Women
as Chipley Duff
Under Suspicion
as Doyle
Under Suspicion
as Doyle
Lightnin'
as Judge Lemuel Townsend
Lightnin'
as Judge Lemuel Townsend
New Movietone Follies of 1930
as Gateman in Show
New Movietone Follies of 1930
as Gateman in Show
Song o' My Heart
as Peter
Song o' My Heart
as Peter
Lucky In Love
as Connors
Lucky In Love
as Connors
Little Old New York
as John O'Day
Little Old New York
as John O'Day