O.Z. Whitehead
American character actor of rather bizarre range, a member of the so-called John Ford Stock Company. Originally a New York stage actor of some repute, Whitehead entered films in the 1930s. He played a wide variety of character parts, often quite different from his own actual age and type. He is probably most familiar as Al Joad in John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath (1940). But twenty-two years later, in his fifth film for Ford, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Whitehead at 51 was playing a lollipop-licking schoolboy! He continued to work predominantly on the stage, appearing now and again in films or on television. In his last years, he suffered from cancer and died in 1998 in Dublin, Ireland, where he had lived in semi-retirement for many years.
Filmography
Hello, Stranger
Hello, Stranger
Philadelphia, Here I Come
as Ben Burton
Philadelphia, Here I Come
as Ben Burton
The Lion in Winter
as Bishop of Durham
The Lion in Winter
as Bishop of Durham
Ulysses
as Alexander J. Dowie
Ulysses
as Alexander J. Dowie
Summer Magic
as Mr. Perkins
Summer Magic
as Mr. Perkins
Panic in Year Zero!
as Hogan
Panic in Year Zero!
as Hogan
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
as Herbert Carruthers
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
as Herbert Carruthers
Two Rode Together
as Lt. Whitehead
Two Rode Together
as Lt. Whitehead
The Horse Soldiers
as Otis 'Hoppy' Hopkins
The Horse Soldiers
as Otis 'Hoppy' Hopkins
The Last Hurrah
as Norman Cass Jr.
The Last Hurrah
as Norman Cass Jr.
Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!
as Isaac Goodpasture
Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!
as Isaac Goodpasture
The Body Beautiful
as Oscar Blunt
The Body Beautiful
as Oscar Blunt
Beware, My Lovely
as Mr. Franks
Beware, My Lovely
as Mr. Franks
The San Francisco Story
as Alfey
The San Francisco Story
as Alfey
The San Francisco Story
as Alfey
The San Francisco Story
as Alfey
For Men Only
as Prof. Bixby
For Men Only
as Prof. Bixby
FBI Girl
as Chauncey
FBI Girl
as Chauncey
Journey Into Light
as Lippy
Journey Into Light
as Lippy
Comin' Round the Mountain
as Zeke
Comin' Round the Mountain
as Zeke
The Hoodlum
as Breckenridge
The Hoodlum
as Breckenridge
The Scarf
as Whoopie
The Scarf
as Whoopie
Ma and Pa Kettle
as Mr. Billings
Ma and Pa Kettle
as Mr. Billings
A Song Is Born
as Professor Oddly
A Song Is Born
as Professor Oddly
Road House
as Arthur
Road House
as Arthur
The Romance of Rosy Ridge
as Ninny Nat
The Romance of Rosy Ridge
as Ninny Nat
My Brother Talks to Horses
as Mr. Puddy
My Brother Talks to Horses
as Mr. Puddy
The Grapes of Wrath
as Al Joad
The Grapes of Wrath
as Al Joad
The Scoundrel
as Calhoun
The Scoundrel
as Calhoun