Denis O'Dea

Biography

Denis O'Dea (26 April 1905 – 5 November 1978) was an Irish stage and film actor. He was born in Dublin and attended Synge Street CBS. When very young he and his mother Kathleen (from County Kerry) moved in with her sister, who kept a boarding house at 54 South Richmond Street. He worked in insurance until taking up acting. O'Dea was a leading member of Dublin's Abbey Theatre where he had a great acting career from 1929 to 1953; a list of his performances can be found in the Abbey archives. He also appeared in numerous plays by Irish playwright Teresa Deevy, some of which toured New York and England. His work led to a number of notable film roles, including two mid-1930s John Ford films, The Informer and The Plough and the Stars (1936), and the part of the police inspector in pursuit of IRA man James Mason in Carol Reed's Odd Man Out (1947).

Known For

Niagara

Treasure Island

Mogambo

Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.

The Fallen Idol

The Informer

Darby O'Gill and the Little People

Odd Man Out

All Movies (25)

• Esther and the King1960 · as Mordecai
• Cradle of Genius1960 · as Self
• Darby O'Gill and the Little People1959 · as Father Murphy
• I Captured the King of the Leprechauns1959 · as Father Murphy
• The Story of Esther Costello1957 · as Father Devlin
• The Rising of the Moon1957 · as Police Sergeant Tom O'Hara (segment '1921')
• Captain Lightfoot1955 · as Regis Donnell
• Mogambo1953 · as Father Josef
• Sea Devils1953 · as Lethierry
• Niagara1953 · as Inspector Starkey
• Never Take No for an Answer1951 · as Father Damico
• Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.1951 · as RAdm. Sir Rodney Leighton
• The Long Dark Hall1951 · as Sir Charles Morton
• Treasure Island1950 · as Dr. Livesy
• Landfall1949 · as Captain Burnaby
• Under Capricorn1949 · as Mr. Corrigan
• Marry Me1949 · as George Saunders
• The Bad Lord Byron1949 · as Prosecuting Counsel
• The Fallen Idol1948 · as Inspector Crowe
• The Mark of Cain1947 · as Sir William Godgrey
• Odd Man Out1947 · as Inspector
• The Plough and the Stars1936 · as The Covey
• Beloved Enemy1936 · as Sean's I.R.A. Friend (Uncredited)
• The Informer1935 · as Street Singer
• Guests of The Nation1935