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Denis O'Dea 1905 - 1978

Denis O'Dea was born on April 26, 1905, and died at age 73 years old on November 5, 1978 in Dublin, D Ireland. Denis O'Dea was buried at Mount Jerome 158 Harold's Cross Rd, in Dublin. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Denis O'Dea.

Denis O'Dea

April 26, 1905

November 5, 1978

Dublin, D, Ireland

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Denis O'Dea Denis O'Dea (1905 - 1978)

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Denis O'Dea's History: 1905 - 1978

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Introduction

Denis O'Dea - Irish film actor Denis O'Dea was an Irish stage and film actor. He was born in Dublin and attended Synge Street CBS. When very young he and his mother Kathleen moved in with her sister, who kept a boarding house at 54 South Richmond Street. He worked in insurance until taking up acting. Born: April 26, 1905, Dublin, Ireland Died: November 5, 1978, Dublin, Ireland Spouse: Siobhán McKenna (m. 1956–1978) Parents: Kathleen O'Dea Children: Donnacha O'Dea
04/26

1905

Birthday

April 26, 1905

Birthdate

Unknown

Birthplace

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Professional Career

Filmography 1960 Esther and the King Mordecai 1959 ITV Television Playhouse (TV Series) Very Rev. Thomas Canon Skerritt Shadow and Substance (1959) ... Very Rev. Thomas Canon Skerritt 1959 Darby O'Gill and the Little People Father Murphy 1959 The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) Father Murphy I Captured the King of the Leprechauns (1959) Father Murphy 1957 The Story of Esther Costello Father Devlin 1957 The Rising of the Moon Police Sergeant Tom O'Hara (3rd Episode) 1955 Captain Lightfoot Regis Donnell 1954 BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (TV Series) Darrell Blake The Moon in the Yellow River (1954) Darrell Blake 1954Rheingold Theatre (TV Series) Major Talon The Refugee (1954) Major Talon 1953 Mogambo Father Josef 1953 Sea Devils Lethierry 1953 Niagara Inspector Starkey 1951 Never Take No for an Answer Father Damico 1951 The Whiteheaded Boy (TV Movie) George 1951 Captain Horatio Hornblower RAdm. Sir Rodney Leighton 1951 The Long Dark Hall Sir Charles Morton 1950 Treasure Island Dr. Livesy 1949 Landfall Captain Burnaby 1949 Under Capricorn Mr. Corrigan 1949 Marry Me Saunders 1949 The Bad Lord Byron Prosecuting Counsel 1948 The Fallen Idol Inspector Crowe 1947 The Mark of Cain Sir William Godfrey 1947 Odd Man Out Inspector 1936 The Plough and the Stars The Covey 1936 Beloved Enemy Sean's I.R.A. Friend (uncredited) 1935 The Informer Street Singer (as Dennis O'Dea)
Personal Life & Family

Married to Siobhan Mckenna until he died.
11/5

1978

Death

November 5, 1978

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

Dublin, D Ireland
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Mount Jerome 158 Harold's Cross Rd, in Dublin, D D6W HY98, Ireland
Burial location
Obituary

DICTIONARY OF IRISH BIOGRAPHY MAIN NAVIGATION O'Dea, Denis Contributed by Hourican, Bridget O'Dea, Denis (1903–78), actor, was born 26 April 1903 in Dublin, the only child of Michael O'Dea, RIC officer, and Katherine O'Dea (née Neilson), both originally from north Co. Kerry. At the time of Denis's birth, they were living at Desmond Place, north Dublin, but they later moved in with Katherine's sister, Josephine Neill, who ran a boarding house and flats in 52 South Richmond St., which became Denis's home until his aunt died (c.1957). He was educated at the CBS, Synge St. As a young man he joined the 3rd Dublin Battalion of the IRA and was on the anti-treaty side in the civil war. Arrested after an ambush in St Stephen's Green when a bystander was killed, he was interned in Newbridge barracks, aged 19. There he held plays on an improvised stage in the dining hall and, after release, he and other ex-internees staged plays at the Rotunda and other venues to raise funds for the dependants of republican prisoners. Rejecting his previous plans to study medicine, he attended the Abbey school of acting and made his first professional appearance in the Abbey in September 1929 in ‘The Woman’, a play by Margaret O'Leary. At this period he was working in insurance, but shortly afterward he went on the Abbey payroll. His early parts included Luke Cary in George Shiels's (qv) ‘The New Gossoon’ (1930); Donnell Blake in the production by Lennox Robinson (qv) of ‘The Moon in the Yellow River’ (April 1931) by Denis Johnston (qv); and Michael Taafe in ‘Margaret Gillan’ (17 July 1933) by Brinsley McNamara (qv). He was part of the Abbey tour of America in 1932 and 1938 and, being strikingly handsome, was able to embark on a Hollywood career, although he was almost invariably in supporting roles. His first screen appearance was in The informer (1935) by John Ford (qv), and the following year he appeared as the young Covey in that director's The Plough and the Stars (1936) and was singled out for praise in The Times. A noted success was as the chilly, implacable inspector chasing an escaped IRA convict (played by James Mason) through Belfast in Carol Reed's classic Odd Man Out (1947).

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