Arthur O'Connell

Highest Rated: 100% Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Lowest Rated: 50% Gidget (1959)

Birthday: Mar 29, 1908

Birthplace: Not Available

A veteran vaudevillian, American actor Arthur O'Connell made his legitimate stage debut in the mid '30s, at which time he fell within the orbit of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre. Welles cast O'Connell in the tiny role of a reporter in the closing scenes of Citizen Kane (1941), a film often referred to as O'Connell's film debut, though in fact he had already appeared in Freshman Year (1939) and had costarred in two Leon Errol short subjects as Leon's conniving brother-in-law. After numerous small movie parts, O'Connell returned to Broadway, where he appeared as the erstwhile middle-aged swain of a spinsterish schoolteacher in Picnic -- a role he'd recreate in the 1956 film version, earning an Oscar nomination in the process. The somewhat downtrodden-looking O'Connell was frequently cast as fortyish losers and alcoholics; in the latter capacity he appeared as Jimmy Stewart's boozy attorney mentor in Anatomy of a Murder (1959), and the result was another Oscar nomination. O'Connell continued appearing in choice character parts on both TV and films during the '60s (he'd graduated to villainy in a few of these roles), but avoided a regular television series, holding out until he could be assured top billing. The actor accepted the part of a man who discovers that his 99-year-old father has been frozen in an iceberg on the 1967 sitcom The Second Hundred Years, assuming he'd be billed first per the producers' agreement. Instead, top billing went to newcomer Monty Markham in the dual role of O'Connell's father (the ice had preserved his youthfulness) and his son. O'Connell accepted the demotion to second billing as well as could be expected, but he never again trusted the word of any Hollywood executive. Illness forced O'Connell to cut down on his appearances in the mid '70s, but the actor stayed busy as a commercial spokesman for a popular toothpaste. At the time of his death, O'Connell was appearing solely in these commercials -- by his own choice. For a mere few hours' work each year, Arthur O'Connell remained financially solvent 'til the end of his days.

Highest Rated Movies

Filmography

Movies

		Credit
No Score Yet	The Hiding Place	Casper ten Boom, Papa	—	1975
No Score Yet	Huckleberry Finn	Col. Grangerford	—	1974
No Score Yet	Wicked, Wicked	Hotel Engineer	—	1973
79%	The Poseidon Adventure	Ship's Chaplain	—	1972
No Score Yet	They Only Kill Their Masters	Ernie	—	1972
67%	Ben	Bill Hatfield	—	1972
No Score Yet	The Last Valley	Hoffman	—	1971
No Score Yet	Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?	Mr. Kruft	—	1970
80%	There Was a Crooked Man	Mr. Lomax	—	1970
No Score Yet	The Power	Henry Hallson	—	1968
No Score Yet	If He Hollers, Let Him Go!	Prosecutor	—	1968
No Score Yet	The Reluctant Astronaut	Buck Fleming	—	1967
94%	Fantastic Voyage	Col. Donald Reid	—	1966
No Score Yet	Ride Beyond Vengeance	The Narrator Narrator	—	1966
No Score Yet	The Silencers	Wigman	—	1966
No Score Yet	A Covenant with Death	Judge Hockstadter	—	1966
74%	The Great Race	Henry Goodbody	—	1965
No Score Yet	The Monkey's Uncle	Darius Green III	—	1965
No Score Yet	The Third Day	Dr. Wheeler	—	1965
No Score Yet	Your Cheatin' Heart	Fred Rose	—	1964
83%	Seven Faces of Dr. Lao	Clint Stark	—	1964
No Score Yet	Kissin' Cousins	Pappy Tatum	—	1964
No Score Yet	Follow that Dream	Pop Kwimper	—	1962
56%	Pocketful of Miracles	Count Alfonso Romero	—	1961
No Score Yet	Misty	Grandpa Beebe	—	1961
No Score Yet	The Great Imposter	Warden J.B. Chandler	—	1961
No Score Yet	A Thunder of Drums (1961)	Actor	—	1961
No Score Yet	Cimarron	Tom Wyatt	—	1960
100%	Anatomy of a Murder	Parnell McCarthy	—	1959
50%	Gidget	Russell Lawrence	—	1959
85%	Operation Petticoat	Sam Tostin	—	1959
93%	Man of the West	Sam Beasley	—	1958
No Score Yet	April Love	Jed Bruce	—	1957
No Score Yet	The Montecarlo Story (Montecarlo)	Mr. Homer Hinkley	—	1957
No Score Yet	Operation Mad Ball	Col. Rousch	—	1957
100%	The Solid Gold Cadillac	Jenkins	—	1956
No Score Yet	The Proud Ones	Jim Dexter, Deputy	—	1956
75%	The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit	Walker	—	1956
79%	Bus Stop	Virgil	—	1956
57%	Picnic	Howard Bevans	—	1955
100%	Force of Evil	Link Hall	—	1948
No Score Yet	One Touch of Venus	Reporter	—	1948
80%	State of the Union	1st Reporter	—	1948
No Score Yet	Homecoming	Driver	—	1948
86%	The Naked City	Shaeffer	—	1948
No Score Yet	Open Secret	Carter	—	1948
No Score Yet	Law of the Jungle	Simmons	—	1942
No Score Yet	Man from Headquarters	Goldie	—	1942
No Score Yet	Blondie's Blessed Event	Intern	—	1942
100%	Citizen Kane	Reporter	—	1941
No Score Yet	Doctor Kildare Goes Home	Intern	—	1940
No Score Yet	Murder in the Night	Lefty	—	1940
No Score Yet	Two Girls on Broadway	Reporter	—	1940

TV

		Credit
No Score Yet	Bonanza 1959-1973	Dr. Hubert	1971
No Score Yet	Night Gallery 1970-1973		1971
No Score Yet	Ironside 1967-1975		1969
No Score Yet	The Wild Wild West 1965-1969	Ragan	1966
No Score Yet	The Fugitive 1963-1967	Cole Adams	1965 1964
No Score Yet	Father Knows Best 1954-1960		1959

QUOTES FROM Arthur O'Connell CHARACTERS

Pamell McCarthy says: The lieutenant goes to Quill's place and plugs Mr. Quill about five times, which causes Mr. Quill to promptly die of lead poisoning.

Pamell McCarthy says: Gin!... I knew there was something wrong with that guy. I never met a gin drinker yet that you could trust

Pamell McCarthy says: Gin!... I knew there was something wrong with that guy. I never met a gin drinker yet that you could trust.

Pamell McCarthy says: Twelve people go off into a room. Twelve different minds,twelve different hearts and twelve different walks of life. Twelve sets of eyes, ears, shapes and sizes and these twelve people are asked to judge another human being as different from them as they are from each other and in their judgment,they must become of one mind. Unanimous. That's one of the miracles of man's disorganized soul that they can do it and most instances, do it right well.God bless juries.