Prolific Character Actor
After acting in theatrical productions in Dublin (Ireland) and New York during the 1950s, O'Connor's breakthrough came when he was cast by director Burgess Meredith (assisted by John Astin) in a featured role in the Broadway adaptation of James Joyce's novel Ulysses. O'Connor and Meredith remained close, lifelong friends.
O'Connor made his television acting debut as a character actor on two episodes of Sunday Showcase. These two parts led to other roles on such television series as The Eleventh Hour, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Fugitive, The Wild Wild West, Armstrong Circle Theatre, The Americans, Death Valley Days, The Great Adventure, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Dr. Kildare, I Spy, That Girl, Premiere, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea among many others. O'Connor starred as an Eastern European villain in the first season of "Mission Impossible" Season 1, Episode 18 "The Trial," brilliantly played and recognizable by his intense blue eyes. Late in his career, he appeared on several episodes of Mad About You as the father of Helen Hunt's character.
Read more about this topic: Carroll O'Connor
Famous quotes containing the words prolific, character and/or actor:
“Multitude, solitude: equal and interchangeable terms for the active and prolific poet.”
—Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867)
“When trying a case [the famous judge] L. Cassius never failed to inquire “Who gained by it?” Man’s character is such that no one undertakes crimes without hope of gain.”
—Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 B.C.)
“The actor should not play a part. Like the Aeolian harps that used to be hung in the trees to be played only by the breeze, the actor should be an instrument played upon by the character he depicts.”
—Alla Nazimova (1879–1945)