Hugh O'Connell
Hugh O'Connell | |
|---|---|
 O'Connell (extreme right) in the 1930 play Once in a Lifetime. | |
| Born | August 4, 1898 |
| Died | January 19, 1943 (aged 44) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1929–1942 (film) |
Hugh O'Connell (August 4, 1898 – January 19, 1943) was an American film actor and performed on Broadway.[1]
Early years
Hugh O'Connell was born on August 4, 1898, in New York City.[2] After being orphaned at an early age, he went to live with a farmer near Green Bay, Wisconsin. He studied business at the Appleton Business College in Wisconsin. After working at a depot of the Northwestern Railroad, he became an usher at a theater in Chicago. The Cal Stewart Stock Company was playing at that venue, and when the troupe went on the road, he went with it.[3]
Career
O'Connell's experience with the Stewart company led to jobs with stock companies in Juneau, Alaska, the province of Saskatchewan in Canada, and other places.[3] He left a touring troupe in Seattle, hoping to find better opportunities on the West Coast. When he failed to find such opportunities there and in San Francisco, he went East with another company and acted in "a lot of one-night stands" before joining road companies based in New York.[4] His Broadway credits include Face Value (1921), Zeno (1923), Cousin Sonia (1925), The Wisdom Tooth (1926), Sure Fire (1926), Ballyhoo (1927), Fog (1927), The Racket (1927), Gentlemen of the Press (1928), Week-End (1929), Once in a Lifetime (1930), Face the Music (1932), A Saturday Night (1933), The Milky Way (1934), Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 (1936), and Run Sheep Run (1938).[2] An Associated Press review of The Milky Way said it was "the best performance of Hugh O'Connell, who is undoubtedly the funniest actor on the stage ..."[5]
Personal life and death
O'Connell was married and had a son.[3] He died on January 19, 1943, in Hollywood, California.[2]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | The Smiling Lieutenant | Niki's Orderly | |
| 1931 | Secrets of a Secretary | Charlie Rickenbacker | |
| 1931 | Personal Maid | Kipp | |
| 1933 | Broadway Through a Keyhole | Chuck Haskins | |
| 1933 | All at Sea | ||
| 1934 | Gift of Gab | Patsy | |
| 1934 | Cheating Cheaters | Steve Wilson | |
| 1934 | Strange Wives | Warren | |
| 1934 | The Man Who Reclaimed His Head | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1935 | It Happened in New York | Greg Haywood | |
| 1935 | Chinatown Squad | Sergeant McLeash | |
| 1935 | Manhattan Moon | Speed | |
| 1935 | She Gets Her Man | Windy | |
| 1935 | The Affair of Susan | Dudley Stone | |
| 1935 | Diamond Jim | Charles B. Horsley | |
| 1937 | Ready, Willing, and Able | Truman Hardy | |
| 1937 | Fly-Away Baby | Hughie Sprague | |
| 1937 | Marry the Girl | Michael 'Mike' Forrester | |
| 1937 | The Footloose Heiress | John C. Allyn | |
| 1937 | That Certain Woman | Virgil Whitaker | |
| 1937 | The Perfect Specimen | Waldorf Hotel Clerk | |
| 1938 | Swing Your Lady | Smith | |
| 1938 | Accidents Will Happen | John Oldham | |
| 1938 | Torchy Blane in Panama | Skinner | |
| 1938 | Women Are Like That | George Dunlap | |
| 1938 | Mystery House | Newell Morse | |
| 1938 | Penrod's Double Trouble | Professor Caligostro | |
| 1940 | My Favorite Wife | Johnson - Insurance Adjuster | |
| 1940 | Lucky Partners | Niagara Clerk | |
| 1941 | The Mad Doctor | Lawrence Watkins | |
| 1941 | The People vs. Dr. Kildare | Process Server | Uncredited |
| 1941 | Puddin' Head | Kincaid | |
| 1941 | My Life with Caroline | Muirhead | |
| 1941 | Three Girls About Town | Chief of Police | |
| 1941 | Moonlight in Havana | Charlie | (final film role) |
References
- ↑ Fleming p. 265
- 1 2 3 "Hugh O'Connell". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Hugh O'Connell, Orphan Once, Assists Other Orphans Now". Portland Press Herald. November 3, 1939. p. 28. Retrieved January 25, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Hugh O'Connell Bares Trials in Giving Theater 'New Face'". The San Francisco Call-Bulletin. October 31, 1935. p. 16. Retrieved January 25, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Barron, Mark (May 13, 1934). "Broadway Roars With Laughter At Hugh O'Connell In 'The Milky Way'". Portland Sunday Telegram And Sunday Press Herald. Associated Press. p. B 7. Retrieved January 25, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
Bibliography
- Fleming, E.J. Carole Landis: A Tragic Life in Hollywood. McFarland, 2005.