Known For
Acting
Born
Apr 26, 1905
Died
Nov 05, 1978
Place of Birth
Dublin, Ireland
Credits
25 titles
Denis O'Dea
Biography
Denis O'Dea (26 April 1905 – 5 November 1978) 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 (from County Kerry) moved in with her sister, who kept a boarding house at 54 South Richmond Street. He worked in insurance until taking up acting. O'Dea was a leading member of Dublin's Abbey Theatre where he had a great acting career from 1929 to 1953; a list of his performances can be found in the Abbey archives. He also appeared in numerous plays by Irish playwright Teresa Deevy, some of which toured New York and England. His work led to a number of notable film roles, including two mid-1930s John Ford films, The Informer and The Plough and the Stars (1936), and the part of the police inspector in pursuit of IRA man James Mason in Carol Reed's Odd Man Out (1947).
Known For
Filmography
Esther and the King
Mordecai
Cradle of Genius
Self
Darby O'Gill and the Little People
Father Murphy
I Captured the King of the Leprechauns
Father Murphy
The Story of Esther Costello
Father Devlin
The Rising of the Moon
Police Sergeant Tom O'Hara (segment '1921')
Captain Lightfoot
Regis Donnell
Mogambo
Father Josef
Sea Devils
Lethierry
Niagara
Inspector Starkey
Never Take No for an Answer
Father Damico
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.
RAdm. Sir Rodney Leighton
The Long Dark Hall
Sir Charles Morton
Treasure Island
Dr. Livesy
Landfall
Captain Burnaby
Under Capricorn
Mr. Corrigan
Marry Me
George Saunders
The Bad Lord Byron
Prosecuting Counsel
The Fallen Idol
Inspector Crowe
The Mark of Cain
Sir William Godgrey
Odd Man Out
Inspector
The Plough and the Stars
The Covey
Beloved Enemy
Sean's I.R.A. Friend (Uncredited)
The Informer
Street Singer
Guests of The Nation