Denis O'Dea
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
Credits
- 1960 · Esther and the King as Mordecai
- 1960 · Cradle of Genius as Self
- 1959 · Darby O'Gill and the Little People as Father Murphy
- 1959 · I Captured the King of the Leprechauns as Father Murphy
- 1957 · The Story of Esther Costello as Father Devlin
- 1957 · The Rising of the Moon as Police Sergeant Tom O'Hara (segment '1921')
- 1955 · Captain Lightfoot as Regis Donnell
- 1953 · Mogambo as Father Josef
- 1953 · Sea Devils as Lethierry
- 1953 · Niagara as Inspector Starkey
- 1951 · Never Take No for an Answer as Father Damico
- 1951 · Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. as RAdm. Sir Rodney Leighton
- 1951 · The Long Dark Hall as Sir Charles Morton
- 1950 · Treasure Island as Dr. Livesy
- 1949 · Landfall as Captain Burnaby
- 1949 · Under Capricorn as Mr. Corrigan
- 1949 · Marry Me as George Saunders
- 1949 · The Bad Lord Byron as Prosecuting Counsel
- 1948 · The Fallen Idol as Inspector Crowe
- 1947 · The Mark of Cain as Sir William Godgrey
- 1947 · Odd Man Out as Inspector
- 1936 · The Plough and the Stars as The Covey
- 1936 · Beloved Enemy as Sean's I.R.A. Friend (Uncredited)
- 1935 · The Informer as Street Singer
- 1935 · Guests of The Nation as




