Personal Life
As a child he was fascinated by films and the theatre and decided to make his career as an actor. After years in stage, film and television Whitehead struggled in the Hollywood Studio system and became dissatisfied with the roles he was given access to and then first heard of the Bahá'í Faith in 1949. At his first informational meeting on the religion, Whitehead heard well known researcher Marzieh Gail. Whitehead joined the religion late in 1950, went on pilgrimage to Haifa in 1955, and attended the first Bahá'í World Congress in 1963 in London. He then pioneered to Ireland while also taking to the Dublin theatrical opportunities. Whitehead was elected to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Dublin and the National Spiritual Assembly of Ireland on which he served for 15 years following its formation in 1972. From about 1973 through the end of his life Whitehead devoted much of his time to the concerns of the Bahá'í Faith including work resulting in publishing three books while in his 6th decade but he also supported the Irish Actors Equity and the Screen Actor's Guild and served on the executive of the Irish branch of PEN, the international writers' club.
Read more about this topic: O. Z. Whitehead
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