Arthur O'Connell
Arthur O'Connell (March 29, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an American stage and film actor. He appeared in films (starting with a small role in Citizen Kane) in 1941 and television programs (mostly guest appearances). Among his screen appearances were Picnic, Anatomy of a Murder, and as the watch-maker who hides Jews during WWII in The Hiding Place. A veteran vaudevillian, O'Connell, from New York City, made his legitimate stage debut in the mid 1930s, at which time he fell within the orbit of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre. Welles cast O'Connell in the tiny role of a reporter in the closing scenes of Citizen Kane (1941), a film often referred to as O'Connell's film debut, though in fact he had already appeared in Freshman Year (1939) and had costarred in two Leon Errol short subjects as Leon's conniving brother-in-law. After numerous small movie parts, O'Connell returned to Broadway, where he appeared as the erstwhile middle-aged swain of a spinsterish schoolteacher in Picnic - a role he'd recreate in the 1956 film version, earning an Oscar nomination in the process. Later the jaded looking O'Connell was frequently cast as fortyish losers and alcoholics; in the latter capacity he appeared as James Stewart's boozy attorney mentor in Anatomy of a Murder (1959), and the result was another Oscar nomination. In 1962 O'Connell portrayed the father of Elvis Presley's character in the motion picture Follow That Dream, and in 1964 in the Presley-picture Kissin' Cousins. O'Connell continued appearing in choice character parts on both TV and films during the 1960s, but avoided a regular television series, holding out until he could be assured top billing. He appeared as Joseph Baylor in the 1964 episode "A Little Anger Is a Good Thing" on the ABC medical drama about psychiatry, Breaking Point. The actor accepted the part of a man who discovers that his 99-year-old father has been frozen in an iceberg on the 1967 sitcom The Second Hundred Years, assuming he'd be billed first per the producers' agreement. Instead, top billing went to newcomer Monte Markham in the dual role of O'Connell's father and his son. O'Connell accepted the demotion to second billing as well as could be expected, but he never again trusted the word of any Hollywood executive. Ill health forced O'Connell to significantly reduce his acting appearances in the mid '70s, but the actor stayed busy as a commercial spokesman, a friendly pharmacist who was a spokesperson for Crest toothpaste. At the time of his death from Alzheimer's disease in California in May 1981, O'Connell was appearing solely in these commercials, by his own choice. O'Connell was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Queens, New York. Description above from the Wikipedia article Arthur O'Connell, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies
as Self - (archive footage)
Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies
as Self - (archive footage)
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
as actor 'Anatomy of a Murder' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
as actor 'Anatomy of a Murder' (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Hiding Place
as Casper ten Boom, 'Papa'
The Hiding Place
as Casper ten Boom, 'Papa'
Huckleberry Finn
as Col. Grangerford
Huckleberry Finn
as Col. Grangerford
Shootout in a One-Dog Town
as Henry Gills
Shootout in a One-Dog Town
as Henry Gills
Wicked, Wicked
as Mr. Fenley, Hotel Engineer
Wicked, Wicked
as Mr. Fenley, Hotel Engineer
The Poseidon Adventure
as John, the Chaplain
The Poseidon Adventure
as John, the Chaplain
Ben
as Bill Hatfield
Ben
as Bill Hatfield
A Taste of Evil
as John
A Taste of Evil
as John
The Last Valley
as Hoffman
The Last Valley
as Hoffman
There Was a Crooked Man...
as Mr. Lomax
There Was a Crooked Man...
as Mr. Lomax
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
as Mr. Kruft
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
as Mr. Kruft
Seven in Darkness
as Larry Wise
Seven in Darkness
as Larry Wise
If He Hollers, Let Him Go!
as Prosecutor
If He Hollers, Let Him Go!
as Prosecutor
The Power
as Henry Hallson
The Power
as Henry Hallson
The Reluctant Astronaut
as Arbuckle "Buck" Fleming
The Reluctant Astronaut
as Arbuckle "Buck" Fleming
A Covenant with Death
as Judge Hockstadter
A Covenant with Death
as Judge Hockstadter
Fantastic Voyage
as Col. Donald Reid
Fantastic Voyage
as Col. Donald Reid
Birds Do It
as Professor Wald
Birds Do It
as Professor Wald
The Silencers
as Joe Wigman
The Silencers
as Joe Wigman
Ride Beyond Vengeance
as The Narrator
Ride Beyond Vengeance
as The Narrator
The Monkey's Uncle
as Darius Green III
The Monkey's Uncle
as Darius Green III
The Third Day
as Dr. Wheeler
The Third Day
as Dr. Wheeler
The Great Race
as Henry Goodbody
The Great Race
as Henry Goodbody
Nightmare in the Sun
as Sam Wilson
Nightmare in the Sun
as Sam Wilson
Your Cheatin' Heart
as Fred Rose
Your Cheatin' Heart
as Fred Rose
7 Faces of Dr. Lao
as Clint Stark
7 Faces of Dr. Lao
as Clint Stark
Kissin' Cousins
as Pappy Tatum
Kissin' Cousins
as Pappy Tatum
Pocketful of Miracles
as Count Alfonso Romero
Pocketful of Miracles
as Count Alfonso Romero
A Thunder of Drums
as Sgt. Karl Rodermill
A Thunder of Drums
as Sgt. Karl Rodermill
The Great Impostor
as Warden J.B. Chandler
The Great Impostor
as Warden J.B. Chandler
Cimarron
as Tom Wyatt
Cimarron
as Tom Wyatt
Operation Petticoat
as Chief Motor Machinist's Mate Sam Tostin
Operation Petticoat
as Chief Motor Machinist's Mate Sam Tostin
Hound-Dog Man
as Aaron McKinney
Hound-Dog Man
as Aaron McKinney
Gidget
as Russell Lawrence
Gidget
as Russell Lawrence
Man of the West
as Sam Beasley
Man of the West
as Sam Beasley
Voice in the Mirror
as Bill Tobin
Voice in the Mirror
as Bill Tobin
The Violators
as Solomon Baumgarten
The Violators
as Solomon Baumgarten
April Love
as Jed Bruce
April Love
as Jed Bruce
Operation Mad Ball
as Col. Rousch
Operation Mad Ball
as Col. Rousch
The Monte Carlo Story
as Mr. Homer Hinkley
The Monte Carlo Story
as Mr. Homer Hinkley
Bus Stop
as Virgil Blessing
Bus Stop
as Virgil Blessing
The Solid Gold Cadillac
as Mark Jenkins
The Solid Gold Cadillac
as Mark Jenkins
The Proud Ones
as Jim Dexter
The Proud Ones
as Jim Dexter
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
as Gordon Walker
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
as Gordon Walker
Picnic
as Howard Bevans
Picnic
as Howard Bevans
The Whistle at Eaton Falls
as Jim Brewster
The Whistle at Eaton Falls
as Jim Brewster
Force of Evil
as Link Hall (uncredited)
Force of Evil
as Link Hall (uncredited)
The Countess of Monte Cristo
as Assistant Director Jensen
The Countess of Monte Cristo
as Assistant Director Jensen
One Touch of Venus
as Reporter
One Touch of Venus
as Reporter
State of the Union
as First Reporter
State of the Union
as First Reporter
Homecoming
as Ambulance Attendant (uncredited)
Homecoming
as Ambulance Attendant (uncredited)
Open Secret
as Carter
Open Secret
as Carter
Hello, Annapolis
as Pharmacist Mate
Hello, Annapolis
as Pharmacist Mate
Fingers at the Window
as Photographer (uncredited)
Fingers at the Window
as Photographer (uncredited)
Blondie's Blessed Event
as Interne (uncredited)
Blondie's Blessed Event
as Interne (uncredited)
Canal Zone
as New Recruit (uncredited)
Canal Zone
as New Recruit (uncredited)
Law of the Jungle
as Simmons
Law of the Jungle
as Simmons
Man From Headquarters
as Goldie Shores
Man From Headquarters
as Goldie Shores
Citizen Kane
as Reporter (uncredited)
Citizen Kane
as Reporter (uncredited)
Hullabaloo
as Fourth Page
Hullabaloo
as Fourth Page
He Asked for It
He Asked for It
The Golden Fleecing
as Cameraman (uncredited)
The Golden Fleecing
as Cameraman (uncredited)
'Taint Legal
as Book Salesman
'Taint Legal
as Book Salesman
I Take This Oath
as Court Clerk
I Take This Oath
as Court Clerk
Two Girls on Broadway
as Reporter at Wedding (uncredited)
Two Girls on Broadway
as Reporter at Wedding (uncredited)
And One Was Beautiful
as Moroni's Parking Attendant
And One Was Beautiful
as Moroni's Parking Attendant
Murder in Soho
as Lefty
Murder in Soho
as Lefty