Arthur O'Connell
Known for Acting · 116 credits
- Born
- 1908-03-29
- Died
- 1981-05-18
- Place of birth
- New York City, New York, USA
Biography
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.
Known For
TV Shows (39)
Ironside
1967
The Fugitive
1963
as Dr. Josephus Harrison Adams / Samuel Cole
Bonanza
1959
as Dr. Samuel Hubert
Matinee Theater
1955
My Three Sons
1960
Wagon Train
1957
Emergency!
1972
Petticoat Junction
1963
as William Lawrence
The Wild Wild West
1965
Studio One
1948
as Curtis / Manachi Conners
Burke's Law
1963
as Dr. Stuart Alexander
The F.B.I.
1965
as Smitty
Room 222
1969
The Big Valley
1965
as Jubal
Cannon
1971
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
as Jim Elkins / Grant
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
as Lyman
Omnibus
1952
Route 66
1960
The Oscars
1953
as Self
McCloud
1970
Night Gallery
1970
The Name of the Game
1968
as Charlie Sherwin
Alcoa Theatre
1957
Alias Smith and Jones
1971
Ghost Story
1972
as Chief Owen Huston
Startime
1959
as Self
Arrest and Trial
1963
The Greatest Show on Earth
1963
Nanny and the Professor
1970
Medical Story
1975
as Dr. Avery Loomis
The Second Hundred Years
1967
as Edwin Carpenter
Sam Benedict
1962
The New Breed
1961
as Peter Capples
The Paul Lynde Show
1972
Adam's Rib
1973
as Judge
DuPont Show of the Month
1957
Summer Playhouse
1954
Special for Women
1960
as Joe Lawson
Movies (77)
Citizen Kane
1941
as Reporter (uncredited)
The Poseidon Adventure
1972
as John, the Chaplain
Anatomy of a Murder
1959
as Parnell Emmett "Parn" McCarthy
Hello, Annapolis
1942
as Pharmacist Mate
The Great Race
1965
as Henry Goodbody
Canal Zone
1942
as New Recruit (uncredited)
Wicked, Wicked
1973
as Mr. Fenley, Hotel Engineer
Fantastic Voyage
1966
as Col. Donald Reid
Pocketful of Miracles
1961
as Count Alfonso Romero
The Power
1968
as Prof. Henry Hallson
Operation Petticoat
1959
as Chief Motor Machinist's Mate Sam Tostin
There Was a Crooked Man...
1970
as Mr. Lomax
The Naked City
1948
as Sgt. Shaeffer (uncredited)
The Silencers
1966
as Joe Wigman
The Monte Carlo Story
1956
as Mr. Homer Hinkley
Man of the West
1958
as Sam Beasley
Picnic
1955
as Howard Bevans
Ride Beyond Vengeance
1966
as The Narrator
Bus Stop
1956
as Virgil Blessing
Nightmare in the Sun
1965
as Sam Wilson
Force of Evil
1950
as Link Hall (uncredited)
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
1956
as Gordon Walker
They Only Kill Their Masters
1972
as Ernie
Ben
1972
as Bill Hatfield
Hound-Dog Man
1959
as Aaron McKinney
The Proud Ones
1956
as Jim Dexter
The Last Valley
1971
as Hoffman
Operation Mad Ball
1957
as Col. Rousch
The Great Impostor
1960
as Warden J.B. Chandler
A Covenant with Death
1967
as Judge Hockstadter
State of the Union
1948
as First Reporter
The Solid Gold Cadillac
1956
as Mark Jenkins
Cimarron
1960
as Tom Wyatt
Gidget
1959
as Russell Lawrence
Huckleberry Finn
1974
as Col. Grangerford
Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies
2022
as Self - (archive footage)
7 Faces of Dr. Lao
1964
as Clint Stark
Follow That Dream
1962
as Pop Kwimper
Fingers at the Window
1942
as Photographer (uncredited)
The Monkey's Uncle
1965
as Darius Green III
A Taste of Evil
1971
as John
Law of the Jungle
1942
as Simmons
The Reluctant Astronaut
1967
as Arbuckle "Buck" Fleming
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
1991
as actor 'Anatomy of a Murder' (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Third Day
1965
as Dr. Wheeler
One Touch of Venus
1948
as Reporter
Birds Do It
1966
as Professor Wald
I Take This Oath
1940
as Court Clerk
April Love
1957
as Jed Bruce
Homecoming
1948
as Ambulance Attendant (uncredited)
Your Cheatin' Heart
1964
as Fred Rose
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
1970
as Mr. Kruft
A Thunder of Drums
1961
as Sgt. Karl Rodermill
Misty
1961
as Grandpa Clarence Beebe
The Countess of Monte Cristo
1948
as Assistant Director Jensen
Dr. Kildare Goes Home
1940
as Intern (uncredited)
Voice in the Mirror
1958
as Bill Tobin
Two Girls on Broadway
1940
as Reporter at Wedding (uncredited)
If He Hollers, Let Him Go!
1968
as Prosecutor
The Golden Fleecing
1940
as Cameraman (uncredited)
Seven in Darkness
1969
as Larry Wise
The Hiding Place
1975
as Casper ten Boom, 'Papa'
Open Secret
1948
as Carter
The Taming of the Shrew
1950
as Curtis
Blondie's Blessed Event
1942
as Interne (uncredited)
Kissin' Cousins
1964
as Pappy Tatum
Man From Headquarters
1942
as Goldie Shores
Shootout in a One-Dog Town
1974
as Henry Gills
The Whistle at Eaton Falls
1951
as Jim Brewster
The Violators
1957
as Solomon Baumgarten
And One Was Beautiful
1940
as Moroni's Parking Attendant
Murder in Soho
1939
as Lefty
Bested by a Beard
1940
as Phil
Marilyn
1963
as archive footage
Hullabaloo
1940
as Fourth Page
He Asked for It
1940
'Taint Legal
1940
as Book Salesman
About 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… With 116 credits spanning from 1939 to 2022, Arthur O'Connell has appeared in 77 films and 39 TV shows.
Fans searching for Arthur O'Connell movies, Arthur O'Connell filmography, or the latest projects starring Arthur O'Connell can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Arthur O'Connell Movies
- Citizen Kane (1941) — as Reporter (uncredited)
- The Poseidon Adventure (1972) — as John, the Chaplain
- Anatomy of a Murder (1959) — as Parnell Emmett "Parn" McCarthy
- Hello, Annapolis (1942) — as Pharmacist Mate
- The Great Race (1965) — as Henry Goodbody
Where to Watch Arthur O'Connell Films
Most Arthur O'Connell movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Arthur O'Connell, check our movies catalogue and browse page.