Derrick O'Connor
Derrick O'Connor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 3 January 1941 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 29 June 2018 (aged 77) |
| Alma mater | East 15 Acting School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1968–2016 |
| Website | derrickoconnor |
Derrick O'Connor (3 January 1941 – 29 June 2018) was an Irish actor, who worked extensively in the United Kingdom and the United States.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]O'Connor was born in Dublin in 1941, and raised there and in London, England. He trained at the East 15 Acting School in Essex.[2]
Career
[edit]Theatre
[edit]O'Connor first achieved prominence on stage in Edinburgh, thanks to his work with the Traverse Theatre and the Royal Lyceum Theatre.[1] He starred in avant-garde plays by the likes of Stanley Eveling and Megan Terry.[1] Under director Richard Eyre, he starred in productions of The Taming of the Shrew, The Caretaker, and Oh, What a Lovely War!.[2] In London, he starred in The Merry-Go-Round at the Royal Court Theatre.[2] He also starred in Moby-Dick (directed by Keith Johnstone), in Blood Sports opposite Simon Callow,[2] and in Born Yesterday at the Royal Exchange, Manchester.[3] He also performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company.[3][4]
After moving to the United States, O'Connor directed and produced plays in San Francisco and Los Angeles.[2]
Film and television
[edit]O'Connor was best known for his performance as South African mercenary Pieter Vorstedt in Lethal Weapon 2 and for his roles in three Terry Gilliam films.[5] He also appeared as Jack Stone in the British police drama series The Professionals in the episode "You'll be Alright".[6] Another role was that of Peter Morgan in the series Crown Court (1976). In 1980, he appeared as Ray Fox in the Thames TV series Fox.
Gilliam, who directed O'Connor in three films, had noted in his audio commentaries that O'Connor seemed to have a habit of relinquishing most of his dialogue in favour of physical character humour. Notable examples include Time Bandits, in which his character's dialogue was resorted to simple grunts while the Maid Marian character "translated" for him and in Brazil, in which O'Connor scrapped all of his character's dialogue and simply repeated the dialogue of Bob Hoskins' character.[7]
Personal life
[edit]O'Connor married Mimi Suzanne Ploss in 1990. They had a son, Max, a filmmaker.[8]
Death
[edit]O'Connor died from pneumonia in Santa Barbara, on 29 June 2018, at the age of 77.[8]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Blood on Satan's Claw | Member of Mob Chasing Margaret | Uncredited |
| 1973 | The Final Programme | Frank | |
| 1974 | Butley | Irishman in pub | Uncredited |
| 1977 | Jabberwocky | Flying Hogfish Peasant | |
| 1978 | Sweeney 2 | Llewelyn | |
| 1978 | On a Paving Stone Mounted | ||
| 1980 | Fox | Ray Fox | TV series |
| 1980 | Bloody Kids | Detective Ritchie | TV movie |
| 1980 | Hawk the Slayer | Ralf | |
| 1981 | Time Bandits | Robber Leader | |
| 1982 | The Bell | Noel Spens | TV series |
| 1982 | The Missionary | Gym Trainer | |
| 1984 | Pope John Paul II | Swiacki | TV movie |
| 1985 | Brazil | Dowser | |
| 1987 | Hope and Glory | Mac | |
| 1989 | Lethal Weapon 2 | Pieter Vorstedt | |
| 1989 | Dealers | Robby Barrell | |
| 1993 | Stark | Zimmerman | TV mini-series, 3 episodes |
| 1994 | Felidae | Mendel | (English dub) |
| 1995 | Ghosts | Jack Rudkin | Episode: " I'll Be Watching You" |
| 1995 | How to Make an American Quilt | Dean Reed | |
| 1998 | Deep Rising | Captain H.W. Atherton | |
| 1999 | End of Days | Thomas Aquinas | |
| 2003 | Daredevil | Father Everett | |
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Very Old Man | |
| 2006 | Unrest | Walter Blackwell | |
| 2007 | The Blue Hour | Humphrey | |
| 2014 | Man from Reno | Stephen Luft | |
| 2016 | Pushing Dead | Sidewalk Salesman |
Television
[edit]| Year
1978 |
Title
OUT |
Role
John pavey |
Notes | Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Professionals | Jack Stone | Episode: "You'll Be All Right" | |||
| 1988 | Stringer | Frank Buchanan | Lead role | [9] | ||
| 1996 | Tracey Takes On... | Kay's Father | Episode: "Death" | |||
| 2006 | Monk | Inspector St. Clare | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Big Reward" | [10] | ||
| 2009 | EXIT Stage Left | Abe Baynor | Web series; 2 episodes | [11][12] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Obituary: Derrick O'Connor, Hollywood hard man who honed his skills on the Edinburgh stage". The Scotsman. Johnston Publishing Ltd. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "Obituary: Derrick O'Connor – 'helped transform fringe theatre in the 1970s'". The Stage. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ^ a b "Derrick O'Connor | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ^ McNary, Dave (3 July 2018). "Irish Character Actor Derrick O'Connor Dies at 77". Variety. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Derrick O'Connor". BFI. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017.
- ^ "You'll Be Alright (1982)". BFI. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019.
- ^ Petski, Denise (3 July 2018). "Derrick O'Connor Dies: 'Lethal Weapon 2', 'End Of Days' Actor Was 77". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ a b Barnes, Mike (3 July 2018). "Derrick O'Connor, Villain in 'Lethal Weapon 2,' Dies at 77". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "ABC-TV leads the way", Port Lincoln Times, 28 April 1988
- ^ "Mr. Monk and the Big Reward". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Hinojosa, Sinohui (writer and director) (10 May 2009). "A Wonderful World Act I". EXIT Stage Left. Season 1. Episode 10.
- ^ Hinojosa, Sinohui (writer and director) (25 May 2009). "A Wonderful World Act I". EXIT Stage Left. Season 1. Episode 11.
External links
[edit]- Derrick O'Connor at IMDb
- Official website (archived)
