Milo O'Shea obit

A multitalented actor with star quality

 

He was not on the list.

 

Milo O’Shea, the well-known stage, film and television actor, who died on Tuesday aged 86, had a phenomenal memory.  

Sharing a dressing room with fellow Pike Theatre actor TP McKenna when they were both presenting Bafta technical awards at the Grand Opera House, Belfast, in 1998, O’Shea was able to sing faultlessly from beginning to end a number he had performed in a Pike revue in 1955.  

He had brilliant comic timing and, back in the days when theatre in Ireland was largely vocal, could dance as well as sing and was famous as a mime. He also, throughout a career that spanned more than six decades, radiated star quality. 

A member of the sixth generation of a Dublin family, he was born in 1926 to Daniel J O’Shea and his wife, Eleanor (née Flanagan), both of whom had performed with the Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society.  

Maybe that is why he was allowed to appear with Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir at the Gate Theatre, perform on Radio Éireann while still at Synge Street Christian Brothers School, and then pursue an acting career full time.  
After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, he got his first jobs with famous touring companies including those of Louis D’Alton and Anew McMaster, followed by small roles in Longford Productions at the Gate. While touring the UK with the latter, he was spotted by Sir John Gielgud and cast in his production of Treasure Hunt at the London Apollo. 

In June 1952 O’Shea married the actor Maureen Toal, who died last August. They joined Ronald Ibbs’s company on a US tour in lieu of a honeymoon, surviving a crash landing in Iceland en route. When the tour ended they did summer stock, working in tents, and also radio, but O’Shea had to work as an elevator boy at the Waldorf-Astoria and even sell his blood before they returned to Dublin in 1953. There Toal got work in the Irish-language Abbey pantomime.  

Having no Irish, O’Shea still managed to get work there – as a mime. At the same time, he starred in the first late-night Pike revue to great acclaim, as he did in all but one of the six twice-yearly revues that followed. In 1954, he played his first acting lead in Tennessee Williams’s Summer and Smoke at the Pike and finally achieved wide recognition later that year in the leading role of Godfrey Quigley’s production of The Seven Year Itch at the Gaiety. 

O’Shea thought nothing of going on from this production to appear first in a late-night revue and later still in a hotel cabaret or at one of the many golf clubs where he was a firm favourite. Indeed, on one occasion he topped the bill at the vast Theatre Royal before leading the Follies in the tiny Pike and then doing cabaret.  

He starred in many musicals in Dubli n such as Fursey , Carrie and Glory Be! , with which he transferred to London in 1962. After that he starred in countless productions in Dublin, London and on Broadway. These included Mass Appeal in 1983, for which he received a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award, and the blockbuster Meet Me in St Louis , which ran on Broadway for more than a year in 1989.  

After numerous further stage roles in New York, O’Shea returned to Dublin in 1996 to star with David Kelly in The Sunshine Boys at the Gate, having first performed it in the 1970s with Eddie Byrne. He had also returned to the Gate to play in the two-person musical I Do! I Do! in 1973, with singer/actor Kitty Sullivan, whom he married in 1974. His marriage to Toal had ended in divorce the previous year. 

The couple settled in New York in 1976, which allowed O’Shea to be equidistant from his main bases of operation, Hollywood and London. They maintained a penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park by the Dakota building, and formed a spontaneous welcoming committee for any Irish actors or plays turning up on Broadway. 

He had first met Sullivan in 1968, when she was in the cast of the Broadway production of Dear World , in which he starred with Angela Lansbury. He had gone to the US to appear with Lynn Redgrave in Bernard Shaw’s Mrs Warren’s Profession and received his first Tony Award nomination in 1969 for the two-hander Staircase with Eli Wallach.  

 
He received great acclaim from the New York critics for his performance as Lucky in Waiting for Godot in 1978. So big was his reputation by 1995 that the New York Times gave a clue in its crossword simply as: actor, Milo (five letters). 

He was in many of the films shot in Ireland in the 1950s, such as Captain Lightfoot , Rooney and This Other Eden , but he made countless further films. In 1967 alone they ranged from Joseph Strick’s Ulysses , in which he played Bloom, to Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet , which overlapped with Roger Vadim’s Barbarella .  

This forced him to dash between Florence, where he was playing Friar Laurence, and Rome, where he was being mad scientist Durand Durand. His character’s name in Barbarella inspired the name of British pop group Duran Duran. 

Other films in which he featured included The Verdict with Paul Newman, Woody Allen’s Purple Rose of Cairo and Wolf Mankowitz’s The Hebrew Lesson . His last film was Mystics , released in 2003. 

His final stage appearance was a homecoming of sorts as Fluther Good in Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars 12 years ago at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, directed by Joe Dowling, with Rosaleen Linehan as Bessie Burgess. 

O’Shea’s television performances included English series such as Hugh Leonard’s Me Mammy and Tales from the Lazy Acre , and US series such as Ellis Island with Richard Burton, The Golden Girls , Cheers and Fra sier , for which he was nominated for an Emmy. He also appeared frequently on the Johnny Carson programme and the Ed Sullivan Show .  

Despite the fact that he seemed to work night and day, O’Shea was always good-humoured and always seemed to find time for a game of golf. He is survived by his wife, Kitty, and his sons, Colm and Steven. 

Filmography 

Film 

Year , Title , Role , Notes  

1940, Contraband, Air Raid Warden, Uncredited  

1946, Great Expectations, Condemned criminal, Uncredited  

1950, Talk of a Million, Signwriter,  

1958, Never Love a Stranger, Off-Screen Narrator, Uncredited  

1959, This Other Eden, Pat Tweedy,  

1962, Mrs. Gibbons' Boys, Horse,  

1963, Carry On Cabby, Len,  

1964, Never Put It in Writing, Danny O'Toole,  

1967, Ulysses, Leopold Bloom,  

1968, Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence,  

1968, Barbarella, Concierge / Durand-Durand,  

1968, Journey into Darkness, Matt Dystal, (episode 'The New People')  

1969, The Adding Machine, Mr. Zero,  

1970, Paddy, Harry Redmond,  

1970, The Angel Levine, Dr. Arnold Berg,  

1970, Loot, Mr. McLeavy,  

1971, Sacco e Vanzetti, Fred Moore,  

1973, The Love Ban, Father Andrew,  

1973, Theatre of Blood, Inspector Boot,  

1973, Steptoe and Son Ride Again, Doctor Popplewell,  

1973, Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World, Dr. Jameson,  

1974, Professor Popper's Problem, Dr. Klein,  

1974, Percy's Progress, Professor Crabbit,  

1979, Arabian Adventure, Khasim,  

1980, The Pilot, Doctor O'Brian,  

1982, The Verdict, Judge Hoyle,  

1985, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Father Donnelly,  

1989, The Dream Team, Dr. Newald,  

1990, Opportunity Knocks, Max,  

1991, Only the Lonely, Doyle,  

1992, The Playboys, Freddie,  

1997, The Butcher Boy, Father Sullivan,  

1997, The Matchmaker, Dermot O'Brien,  

2000, Moonglow, Peter Brener,  

2002, Puckoon, Sgt. McGillikuddie,  

2003, Mystics, Locky,  

 

Television 

Year , Title , Role , Notes  

1951, The Passing Show, Performer, Episode: "The Years of Change"  

1957-1958, Armchair Theatre, Performer, 2 episodes  

1958, Theatre Night, Shawn Keogh, Episode: "The Hearts a Wonderer"  

1960, ITV Television Playhouse, Performer, 3 episodes  

1960, On Trial, Charles Armstrong, Episode: "W.T. Stead"  

1961, The Play of the Week, Presenter, Episode: "Waiting for Godot"  

1961, No Hiding Place, Perkins, Episode: "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"  

1962, Out of This World, Jacob Luke, Episode: "Pictures Don't Lie"  

1962, Z-Cars, Caxton / Chauncey, 2 episodes  

1963, Maupassant, Brument, Episode: "Women and Money"  

1963, First Night, Benjy Spillane, Episode: "My One True Love"  

1964, Festival, Leopold Bloom, Episode: "Bloomsday"  

1960-1965, ITV Play of the Week, Performer, 4 episodes  

1965, Drama 61-67, Sam Quilly, Episode: "Drama 65' Murder Shoes"  

1965, Theatre 625, Mulligan, Episode: "Portrait of the North"  

1966, The Wednesday Play, Brother Arnold, Episode: "Silent Song"  

1966, Pardon the Expression, Uncle Mike, Episode: "Heads Down"  

1966, Thirty-Minute Theatre, Fred, Episode: "Friday Night's the Best Night"  

1967, Uncle Charles, Renzo Phillipe, Episode: "Mrs. Phillipe is Hurt"  

1968, Journey to the Unknown, Matt Dystal, Episode: "The New People"  

1965-1969, Out of the Unknown, Monty/Henry, 2 episodes  

1969, Galton and Simpson Comedy, Alec Hemphill, Episode: "Pity Poor Edie"  

1970, On the House, Mr. McGonigle, The Great McGonigle  

1970, The Glorious Uncertainty, Sam Price, TV movie  

1968–1971, Me Mammy, Bunjy Kennefick, 21 episodes  

1971, Jackanory, Storyteller, 5 episodes  

1971, Andorra, The Teacher, TV movie  

1972, Tales from the Lazy Acre, Various roles, 7 episodes  

1973, And No One Could Save Her, Patrick Dooley, Television movie  

1973, The Protectors, Prince Carpiano, Episode: A Case for the Right  

1973, Orson Welles Great Mysteries, Father Crumlish, Episode: "In the Confessional"  

1974, QB VII, Dr. Lotaki, 3 episodes  

1968-1974, Comedy Playhouse, Various Roles, 2 episodes  

1974, Microbes and Men, Paul Erlich, 2 episodes  

1975, My Son Rueben, Dennis Baxter, Episode: "Better to Have Loved and Lost"  

1977, The Best of Families, Patrick Rafferty, Mini-Series  

1977, Peter Lundy  
and the Medicine Hat Stallion, Brisly, TV movie  

1980, Portrait of a Rebel:  
The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger, Higgins, TV movie  

1980, A Time for Miracles, Performer, TV movie  

1984, Two by Forsyth, Performer, TV movie  

1984, Jennifer Slept Here, Grandpa, Episode: Life with Grandfather  

1984, Ellis Island, Casey O'Donnell, 3 episode miniseries  

1985, Arena (An Absurd Notion), Duran Duran, Short video  

1986, St. Elsewhere, Brendan Connelly, Episode: "Lost Weekend"  

1987, Broken Vows, Monsignor Casey, TV movie  

1987, Angel in Green, Father Mahon, TV movie  

1987, Once a Hero, Abner Bevis, 3 episodes  

1987, Who's the Boss, Judge Kresheck, Episode: "Car and Driver"  

1987, The Golden Girls, Buddy Rourke, Episode: "Charlie's Buddy"  

1988, Beauty and the Beast, Evan Brannigan, Episode: "Temptation"  

1991, The Commish, Frank Atkins, Episode: "No Greater Gift"  

1992, Cheers, Uncle Roger, Episode: "An Old-Fashioned Wedding"  

1993, Murder in the Heartland, Clem Gaughan, 2 episodes  

1995, Frasier, Dr. Schachter, Episode: "Shrink Rap"  

1996, Early Edition, Sherman, Episode: "Pilot"  

1998, Spin City, Father Larry, Episode: "The Paul Bearer"  

1999, Swing Vote, Justice Greene, TV movie  

1999, Oz, Dr. Frederick Garvey, 3 episodes  

2000, Madigan Men, Milo, 2 episodes  

2003-2004, The West Wing, Chief Justice Ashland, 2 episodes, (final appearance)  

 

Theatre 

Year , Title , Role , Venue , Ref.  

1968, Staircase, Harry C. Leeds, Biltmore Theatre, Broadway,  

1969, Dear World, The Sewerman, Mark Hellinger Theatre, Broadway ,  

1976, Mrs. Warren's Profession, Rev. Samuel Gardner, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Broadway ,  

1976-1977, Comedians, Eddie Waters, Music Box Theatre, Broadway ,  

1977-1978, A Touch of the Poet, Jamie Cregan, Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway ,  

1979, Pygmalion, Alfred Doolitte, Ahmanson Theatre, California ,  

1981, My Fair Lady, , Uris Theatre, Broadway ,  

1981-1982, Mass Appeal, Father Tim Farley, Booth Theatre, Broadway ,  

1986, Corpse!, Major Walter Powell, Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway ,  

1989-1990, Meet Me in St. Louis, Grandpa, Gershwin Theatre, Broadway ,  

1994, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, S.B. O'Donnell, Center Stage Right, Broadway ,