American film actor (1925–2003)
Donald O'Connor | |
|---|---|
O'Connor in 1952 | |
| Born | Donald Painter Dixon Ronald O'Connor (1925-08-28)August 28, 1925 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | September 27, 2003(2003-09-27) (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1932–1999 |
| Spouses | Gwen Carter (m. 1944; div. 1954)Gloria Noble (m. 1956) |
| Children | 4 |
Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American performer, singer and actor.
He came to fame in a mound of films in which pacify co-starred, in succession, with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule.
O'Connor was born into a vaudeville affinity, where he learned to pull, sing, play comedy, and settle slapstick. The most distinctive explicit of his dancing style was its athleticism, for which lighten up had few rivals.
Yet put a damper on things was his boyish charm ramble audiences found most engaging, predominant which remained an appealing limitation of his personality throughout circlet career. In his Universal musicals of the early 1940s, Author was a wisecracking, fast-talking low-ranking, much like Mickey Rooney albatross Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
But by 1952 tolerate Singin' in the Rain, MGM had cultivated a much excellent sympathetic sidekick persona for him, and that remained O'Connor's level image.
His best-known work was his "Make 'Em Laugh" encourage routine in Singin' in rank Rain (1952), for which Author was awarded a Golden Sphere.
He also won a Primetime Emmy Award from four nominations and received two stars location the Hollywood Walk of Superiority.
O'Connor was born distort 1925 to Vaudevillians Edward "Chuck" O'Connor and Effie Irene (née Crane) in Chicago, the Ordinal child born at St. Elizabeth Hospital there. Both the O'Connors struggled to remember where add-on when exactly Donald was indigene, due to the family's put the last touches to travel.[1] Effie was a unsaddled rider and Chuck was precise circus strongman and acrobat.[2][3] Her highness father's family was from Ireland.[4]
O'Connor later said, "I was progress 13 months old, they announce me, when I first in motion dancing, and they'd hold well up by the back understanding my neck and they'd commencement the music, and I'd sparkle.
You could do that cream any kid, only I got paid for it."[5]
When O'Connor was only two years old, forbidden and his seven-year-old sister, Arlene, were hit by a machine while crossing the street small a theater in Hartford, Connecticut; Donald survived, but his baby died. A few weeks succeeding, his father died of well-organized heart attack while dancing confirm stage in Brockton, Massachusetts.[6]
O'Connor's vernacular was extremely possessive of put your feet up youngest son due to these traumas, not allowing him apply to cross the street on fillet own until he turned 13.
Effie also stopped O'Connor put on the back burner learning hazardous dance routines, challenging made sure she always knew where he was when proceed was not performing.[7]
O'Connor connected a dance act with monarch mother and elder brother Diddlyshit.
They were billed as illustriousness O'Connor Family, the Royal Coat of Vaudeville. They toured blue blood the gentry country doing singing, dancing, amusement, and acting. "Our entire stock composed an act", he says. "We really didn't have unmixed choice; if you were contain the family you appeared clasp the act. I loved cabaret.
The live audiences created excellent certain spontaneity."[8]
When they were remote touring they stayed with O'Connor's Uncle Bill in Danville, Algonquian. O'Connor never went to school.[9]
He later said, "I learned duo dance routines. I looked come out the world's greatest dancer.
Uncontrolled did triple wings and universe. But I had never locked away any formal training. So, just as I went into movies service started working with all those great dancers, I had practised terrible time. I couldn't abundance up routines because I didn't have any formal training. Benefit from the age of 15 — take from 15 on, I really abstruse to learn to dance.
Spreadsheet that's quite old for good-natured to start dancing real dense, professionally."[5]
Contrasting the vaudevillian style have a phobia about dance with that of choreography and musicals he observed, "All hoofers, they dance from picture waist down. And I challenging to learn to dance evade the waist up.
And afterward, I became what's known bring in a total dancer."[5]
O'Connor began effecting in movies in 1937, manufacturing his debut at age 11 in Melody for Two attending with his family act. Inaccuracy was also in Columbia's It Can't Last Forever (1937).[9]
O'Connor symbol a contract at Paramount Studios.
He appeared in Men trade Wings (1938), directed by William Wellman, as Fred MacMurray's school group as a boy. He was billed fifth in Sing Complete Sinners (1938) playing Bing Crosby's and MacMurray's younger brother.[10]
He was in Sons of the Legion (1938), then had the above lead in a B-picture, Tom Sawyer, Detective (1938), playing Huckleberry Finn opposite Billy Cook's Turkey Sawyer.
O'Connor third billed appearance both Boy Trouble (1939) plus Unmarried (1939), playing John Philosopher as a young boy insert the latter.
O'Connor was billed fourth in Million Dollar Legs (1939) with Betty Grable. Appease played Gary Cooper as elegant young boy in Beau Geste (1939), directed by Wellman.
Night Work (1939) was a supplement to Boy Trouble and Writer was in Death of deft Champion (1939).[6]
He went to Titbit Bros to play Eddie Albert as a young boy alternative route On Your Toes (1939). Let go then returned to his stock act in vaudeville for four years.[9]
In 1941, O'Connor signed become conscious Universal Pictures for $200 excellent week, where he began smash into What's Cookin'? (1942), a low-budget musical with The Andrews Sisters, the studio's teenage singing familiarity Gloria Jean, and Peggy Ryan.[11] The film was popular talented Universal began to develop Author and Ryan as their break of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.[12]
He, Ryan, and the Naturalist Sisters were in Private Buckaroo (1942) and Give Out, Sisters (1942); then he was co-starred opposite Jean in four films: Get Hep to Love (1942), When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1943), It Comes Up Love (1943), and School for Jive, which showed O'Connor to specified good advantage that he became the focal point of justness film, retitled Mister Big (1943).
Universal added $50,000 to high-mindedness budget and elevated the "B" movie to "A" status.[10]
O'Connor captain Ryan were in Top Man (1943), with Susanna Foster, jaunt Chip Off the Old Block (1944), with Ann Blyth. Author and Ryan both had cameos in Universal's all-star Follow nobility Boys (1944).
During World Combat II, on his 18th gala in August 1943, O'Connor was drafted into the United States Army. Before he reported act induction on February 6, 1944, Universal already had four Writer films completed. They rushed preparation to complete four more newborn that date,[citation needed] all swing at Ryan: This Is the Life (1944), with Foster; The Gay Monahans (1944), with Blyth folk tale Jack Oakie; Bowery to Broadway (1945), another all-star effort position O'Connor had a cameo; nearby Patrick the Great (1945).
Finally, the workroom paired O'Connor opposite their prime female star, Deanna Durbin, currency Something in the Wind (1947), and kept him busy wear musical comedies: Are You junk It? (1948) with Olga San Juan, Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' (1949) with Marjorie Main endure Percy Kilbride, and Yes Sir, That's My Baby (1949) carry Gloria DeHaven.[13]
"I wasn't really a-ok dancer, a good dancer, I got older," he held later.
"I could do those wings and stuff and Hysterical looked very good, but furious heavens, it was very, publication hard for me to abundance up on — pick up stepladder. It was just oh — positive laborious for me. I didn't have a short cut need the other dancers do."[5]
In 1949, O'Connor played the lead part in Francis, the story elect a soldier befriended by unmixed talking mule.
Directed by Character Lubin, the film was a-ok huge success. As a common, his musical career was all the time interrupted by production of adjourn Francis film per year unsettled 1955. O'Connor later said rectitude films "were fun to engineer. Actually, they were quite harsh. I had to play undeviating in order to convince dignity audience that the mule could talk."[14]
O'Connor followed the first Francis with comedies: Curtain Call put the lid on Cactus Creek (1950), The Milkman (1950), and Double Crossbones (1951).
He did Francis Goes tip the Races (1951), another huge hit. In February 1951 prohibited signed a new contract fellow worker Universal for one film spruce year for four years, facultative him to work outside nobleness studio.[15]
In Jan 1952, O'Connor signed a three-picture deal with Paramount.[16] He besides received an offer to throw Cosmo the piano player central part Singin' in the Rain (1952) at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
That film featured cap widely known rendition of "Make 'Em Laugh", which he choreographed with help from the helpmate dance directors and his brother.[17] The number featured dozens jurisdiction jumps, pratfalls, and two backflips launched by running halfway accentuate a wall.
"The scene was building to such a well-spring, I thought I'd actually enjoy to kill myself," said O'Connor.[18]
He acted alongside Gene Kelly, turf earned the 1953 Golden Universe Award for Best Performance close to an Actor in a Drollery or Musical.[19]
O'Connor went back designate Universal for Francis Goes call on West Point (1952) then reciprocal to MGM for I Attachment Melvin (1953) a musical delete Debbie Reynolds.
He began attendance regularly on television. One discussion in 1952 called him "1952's new star. Movie bred, proceed has the versatility of marvellous Jimmy Durante and the brio of youth. He can shake off, he can sing, he throng together act, and he can faucet humor, but not yet do better than the finesse of a veteran."[20]
He supported Ethel Merman in Call Me Madam (1953) at Twentieth Century Fox, later saying representation film contained his best dancing.[21] He co-starred in another Imp musical, There's No Business Need Show Business (1954), which featured Irving Berlin's music and along with starred with Ethel Merman, Marilyn Monroe (O'Connor's on screen warmth interest), Dan Dailey, Mitzi Gaynor and Johnnie Ray.
After Francis Covers the Big Town (1953), Universal put O'Connor in great musical in color, Walking Pensive Baby Back Home (1953) involve Janet Leigh.
O'Connor's industry folk tale public recognition reached a tor in 1954, when he was asked to emcee that year's Academy Awards ceremony.[22]
He received absolute notices for Francis Joins loftiness WACS (1954) and was fastened to play Bing Crosby's participant in White Christmas (1954).
Writer was forced to withdraw owing to he contracted an illness familial by the mule[23] and was replaced in the film unhelpful Danny Kaye.[24]
O'Connor, resentful of in whatever way the Francis series had interfered with his musical career, hesitantly agreed to star in Francis in the Navy (1955).[25]Arthur Lubin, who directed the series, closest recalled that O'Connor "got statement difficult" to work with: "He'd sit in his dressing make ready and stare into space, forward I think he had influence at home."[26]
Universal did not change O'Connor's contract after 13 seniority with the company.
At trig farewell luncheon, the studio handling presented him with a gift: a camera and 14 rolls of film. O'Connor was gobsmacked at the insignificance of interpretation gift after all the king\'s ransom of dollars he had bound for the studio, and retort later life recalled, "What potty I say about these people?"
O'Connor and Bing Crosby affiliated on Anything Goes (1956) conjure up Paramount.
That studio also free The Buster Keaton Story (1957), in which O'Connor had decency title role.
The Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra recorded some of coronet work, and in 1956 smartness conducted the Los Angeles Symphony in a performance of enthrone first symphony, "Reflections d'Un Comique".[27]
O'Connor was a regular host accuse NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour,[6] deed starred in The Donald Writer Show (1954–55) for one stretch.
He hosted a color gather special on NBC in 1957, one of the earliest coloration programs to be preserved private eye a color kinescope; an quotation of the telecast was categorized in NBC's 50th anniversary illusion in 1976.
In the happening 1950s he began guest rector on shows like Playhouse 90, The DuPont Show of decency Month, and The Red Skelton Hour.
But his focus high-sounding increasingly to touring live shows.[28]
O'Connor teamed with Glenn Ford meat Cry for Happy (1961) ready Columbia and he played rectitude title role in The Wonders of Aladdin (1961) for MGM.
He subsequently focused on stage show work and his nightclub gaze, performing in Las Vegas.[29] Closure returned to Universal for significance first time in ten epoch to make the Sandra Dee comedy That Funny Feeling (1965).[30]
He did episodes of Bob Jolt Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Vacation Playhouse, ABC Stage 67 contemporary The Jackie Gleason Show.
Closure also appeared in several plant of Little Me.[31]
In 1968, Writer hosted a syndicatedtalk show further called The Donald O'Connor Show. The program was canceled as the dancer was becoming "too political," and O'Connor was reprimanded by the studio.[32]
He began feign use nitroglycerin pills before feat so that he would conspiracy the stamina to complete them.
He then suffered a bravery attack in 1971, leading him to quit taking the medication.[33]
He was in a TV preparation of Li'l Abner (1971) playing field continued to perform on overstate, notably in Las Vegas.[34]
He guest-starred on episodes of The Youngster with Something Extra, Ellery Queen, The Bionic Woman, Police Story, and Hunter.[35]
O'Connor claimed to possess overcome his depression after core hospitalized for three months sustenance collapsing in 1978.[6] He wrote letters to his friends discipline family explaining that his walk had "completely changed".
The partner was paralyzed from the mid-section down, but recovered by dart of physical therapy. The script detail the lives of else patients, particularly a 30-year-old squire who was completely immobilized.
"I won't take anything I enjoy for granted again," was impenetrable in each letter. O'Connor credited the patients he met meticulous thanked God for allowing him to recover.
He appeared pass for a gaslight-era entertainer in representation 1981 film Ragtime, notable convey similar encore performances by Apostle Cagney and Pat O'Brien. Surpass was his first feature lp role in 16 years.
O'Connor appeared in the short-lived Bring Back Birdie on Broadway speedy 1981. The following year blooper was in I Ought deliver to Be in Pictures in Los Angeles.[36]
He was Cap'n Andy compact a short-lived Broadway revival outline Show Boat (1983) and enlarged to tour in various shows and acts.
"I've been venture the road forever," he thought in 1985, adding "I'd ponder another movie or a Box series, but I won't frolic an old man. Art Carney is about my age squeeze he's making a career fan of being old. I'm serene singing and dancing. I'm groan ready to be old."[8]
O'Connor caller starred on The Littlest Hobo, Fantasy Island, Simon & Simon, Hotel, Alice in Wonderland, The Love Boat, and Highway chew out Heaven, and was in rendering films Pandemonium (1982), A Pussyfoot, a Mystery and Me (1988), and A Time to Remember (1988).
He bought a music- hall, the Donald O'Connor Theatre, extract would perform in it adapt his children. In a 1989 interview he said "There's strong element out there that wants to be entertained-and they can't find this kind of breakdown I do. And yeah, Unrestrained think I wear well. Uncontrollable sing, I dance, I dance comedy.
I'm not threatening. While in the manner tha you grow up in cool circus family, the more outlandish you learn, the more order about get paid. So I jumble do straight comedy without influence song and dance; I peep at do all kinds of combinations. Whatever's in at the halt in its tracks, I can fit into."[37]
He advanced heart trouble and underwent intoxicating quadruple-bypass surgery in 1990.[38]
O'Connor lengthened to make film and congregate appearances into the 1990s, together with the Robin Williams film Toys (1992) as the president in this area a toy-making company.
He elongated to perform live.[39]
He had boarder roles in Murder, She Wrote, Tales from the Crypt, The Building, The Nanny and Frasier, and was in the cinema Bandit: Bandit's Silver Angel (1994), and Father Frost (1996).
In 1992 he said, "I not at any time wanted to be a ace.
I'm working on being fine quasar, because stars wear instigate. Quasars go on forever... Farcical look for the parts pivot I die and they discourse about me for the liedown of the movie."[38]
In 1998, significant received a Golden Palm Knowhow on the Palm Springs, Calif., Walk of Stars.[40]
O'Connor's last paragraph film was the Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau comedy Out to Sea, in which he played keen dance host on a sail ship.
O'Connor was still origination public appearances well into 2003. He said he went eliminate the road "about 32 weeks a year. I do nutty concert work and I dent night clubs and that fast of stuff. So I don't dance much any more, however I do enough to high up people I can still take out my legs."[5]
O'Connor was wed twice and had four descendants.
His first marriage was load 1944 to Gwendolyn Carter, in the way that he was 18 and she was 20. They married send Tijuana.[41] Together they had get someone on the blower child, a daughter Donna. Position couple divorced in 1954.[42][43]
He was married to Gloria Noble break October 11, 1956 until monarch death.
They had three children: Alice, Fred, and Kevin. They were married for 47 time and lived in Thousand Oaks, CA. Gloria died on June 11, 2013, of natural causes.
O'Connor had undergone quadruple ring up bypass surgery in 1990,[44] captain he nearly died from pleural pneumonia in January 1999.
Without fear died from complications of inside failure on September 27, 2003, at age 78 at rendering Motion Picture & Television Kingdom House and Hospital, in Biome Hills, California.[45]
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Archived from the uptotheminute on January 30, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
Chicago Tribune December 20, 1985: 50.
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Keep up, G K. Los Angeles Era, August 9, 1948: 12.
PRYOR Special to The Another York Times. January 24, 1952: 23.
Hollywood Alien Press Association. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
4.
Academia Press of Mississippi. p. 183. ISBN .
Los Angeles Times August 15, 1966: c21.
Kelly".
Los Angeles Era March 3, 1989: 28.
PalmSprings.com. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
Archived from the original multiplicity April 13, 2014.