Richard O'Brien (American actor)

For other people named Richard O'Brien, see Richard O'Brien (disambiguation).

Edward Patrick O'Brien (July 14, 1917 – March 29, 1983) was an American film and television actor.^[1]

Richard O'Brien
Born	Edward Patrick O'Brien (1917-07-14)July 14, 1917 Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.
Died	March 29, 1983(1983-03-29) (aged 65) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Film and television actor

O'Brien was born in Fargo, North Dakota.^[2] He worked as a radio announcer in North Dakota before moving to Hollywood in the 1930s.^[3] He began appearing in films, and also worked as a manager at the Carthay Circle Theatre.^[3] During World War II he gave up acting to work as a stevedore in the San Francisco docks.^[3]

In 1953 O'Brien appeared in the television series This Is the Life, later making three appearances in Harbor Command.^{[citation needed]}

O'Brien appeared in films such as High Velocity, Rough Night in Jericho, The Honkers, Chamber of Horrors, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, No Deposit, No Return, The Pack, The Thief Who Came to Dinner, The Andromeda Strain,^[3] and Pieces of Dreams.^[4] On television, O'Brien had recurring roles in The Smith Family and the action and crime drama television series S.W.A.T. He also guest-starred in television programs including Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Barnaby Jones, Trapper John, M.D., 12 O'Clock High, Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, My Three Sons, The Rockford Files, Quincy, M.E., Rawhide, The Wild Wild West, The Fugitive, The Big Valley and General Hospital.^[3]

O'Brien died in March 1983 of cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 65.^[1][3][5]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1962	Days of Wine and Roses		Uncredited
1964	A Tiger Walks		Uncredited
1966	Chamber of Horrors	Dr. Romulus Cobb
1967	Rough Night in Jericho	Ryan
1968	Madigan	Det. O'Brien
1970	Pieces of Dreams	Monsignor Francis Hurley
1971	The Andromeda Strain	Grimes
1972	The Loners	Driver
1972	The Honkers	Matt Weber
1973	The Thief Who Came to Dinner	Sgt. Del Conte
1974	Nightmare Honeymoon	Sheriff
1976	No Deposit, No Return	Capt. Boland
1976	Moving Violation	Police Chief
1976	High Velocity	Beaumont
1976	The Shaggy D.A.	Desk Sergeant
1977	Looking for Mr. Goodbar	Father Timothy
1977	The Pack	Jim Dodge
1978	Heaven Can Wait	Advisor to Former Owner

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1967	The Monkees	Mr. Smith	S1:E28, "Monkees on the Line"

References

1. Associated Press (April 6, 1983). "Richard O'Brien, Hollywood Character Actor, 65, Is Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
2. Collar, Cammila. "Richard O'Brien". AllMovie. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
3. "Longtime Character Actor Richard O' Brien Dies at 65". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. April 5, 1983. p. 7. Retrieved August 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "John Willis' Screen World: Volume 22", University of California, Crown Publishers, p. 107, 1971
5. "Actor Richard O'Brien, who played mostly crooked policemen, priests..." United Press International. April 5, 1983. Retrieved August 6, 2022.

External links

• Richard O'Brien at IMDb
• Richard O'Brien at the TCM Movie Database
• Rotten Tomatoes profile