# Milo O'Shea

Milo Donal O'Shea (2 June 1926 – 2 April 2013) was an Irish actor. He was twice nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performances in Staircase (1968) and Mass Appeal (1982).

## Early life

O'Shea was born and brought up in Dublin and educated by the Christian Brothers at Synge Street school, along with his friend Donal Donnelly. His father was a singer and his mother a ballet teacher. Because he was bilingual, O'Shea performed in English-speaking theatres and in Irish in the Abbey Theatre Company. At age 12, he appeared in George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra at the Gate Theatre. He later studied music and drama at the Guildhall School in London and was a skilled pianist.
He was discovered in the 1950s by Harry Dillon, who ran the 37 Theatre Club on the top floor of his shop the Swiss Gem Company, 51 Lower O'Connell Street Dublin. Early in his career O'Shea toured with the theatrical company of Anew McMaster.

## Career

O'Shea began acting on the stage, then moved into film in the 1960s. He became popular in the United Kingdom, as a result of starring in the BBC sitcom Me Mammy alongside Yootha Joyce. In 1967–68 he appeared in the drama Staircase, co-starring Eli Wallach and directed by Barry Morse, which stands as Broadway's first depiction of homosexual men in a serious light. For his role in that drama, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1968.
O'Shea starred as Leopold Bloom in Joseph Strick's 1967 film version of Ulysses. Among his other memorable film roles in the 1960s were the well-intentioned Friar Laurence in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet and the villainous Dr. Durand Durand (who tried to kill Jane Fonda's character by making her die of pleasure) in Roger Vadim's counterculture classic Barbarella (both films were released in 1968). In 1984, O'Shea reprised his role as Dr. Durand Durand (credited as Dr. Duran Duran) for the 1985 Duran Duran concert film Arena (An Absurd Notion), since his character inspired the band's name. He played Inspector Boot in the 1973 Vincent Price horror/comedy film Theatre of Blood.
He was active in American films and television, such as his memorable supporting role as the trial judge in the Sidney Lumet-directed movie The Verdict (1982) with Paul Newman, an episode of The Golden Girls in 1987, and portraying Chief Justice of the United States Roy Ashland in the television series The West Wing. In 1992, O'Shea guest starred in the season 10 finale of the sitcom Cheers and in 1995, in an episode of the show's spin-off Frasier. In the episode of Frasier, he played Dr. Schachter, a couple's therapist who counsels the Crane brothers together. He appeared in the pilot episode of Early Edition as Sherman.
Other stage appearances include Mass Appeal (1981) in which he originated the role of Father Tim Farley (for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1982), the musical Dear World in which he played the Sewer Man opposite Angela Lansbury as Countess Aurelia, Corpse! (1986) and a 1994 Broadway revival of Philadelphia, Here I Come.
O'Shea received an honorary degree from Quinnipiac University in 2010.

## Personal life

O'Shea's first wife was Maureen Toal, an Irish actress, with whom he had two sons. He divorced her in 1974.
He was married to the Irish actress Kitty Sullivan, whom he met in Italy, where he was filming Barbarella and she was auditioning for Man of La Mancha. The couple occasionally acted together, such as in a 1981 Broadway revival of My Fair Lady. O'Shea and Sullivan had no children together. They both adopted United States citizenship and resided in New York City, where they both lived from 1976.

### Death

O'Shea died on 2 April 2013, in New York City following a short illness at the age of 86.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1940 | Contraband | Air Raid Warden | Uncredited |
| 1946 | Great Expectations | Condemned criminal | Uncredited |
| 1950 | Talk of a Million | Signwriter | |
| 1958 | Never Love a Stranger | Off-Screen Narrator | Uncredited |
| 1959 | This Other Eden | Pat Tweedy | |
| 1962 | Mrs. Gibbons' Boys | Horse | |
| 1963 | Carry On Cabby | Len | |
| 1964 | Never Put It in Writing | Danny O'Toole | |
| 1967 | Ulysses | Leopold Bloom | |
| 1968 | Romeo and Juliet | Friar Laurence | |
| 1968 | Barbarella | Concierge / Durand-Durand | |
| 1968 | Journey into Darkness | Matt Dystal | (episode 'The New People') |
| 1969 | The Adding Machine | Mr. Zero | |
| 1970 | Paddy | Harry Redmond | |
| 1970 | The Angel Levine | Dr. Arnold Berg | |
| 1970 | Loot | Mr. McLeavy | |
| 1971 | Sacco & Vanzetti | Fred Moore | |
| 1973 | The Love Ban | Father Andrew | |
| 1973 | Theatre of Blood | Inspector Boot | |
| 1973 | Steptoe and Son Ride Again | Doctor Popplewell | |
| 1973 | Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World | Dr. Jameson | |
| 1974 | Professor Popper's Problem | Dr. Klein | |
| 1974 | Percy's Progress | Professor Crabbit | |
| 1979 | Arabian Adventure | Khasim | |
| 1980 | The Pilot | Doctor O'Brian | |
| 1982 | The Verdict | Judge Hoyle | |
| 1985 | The Purple Rose of Cairo | Father Donnelly | |
| 1989 | The Dream Team | Dr. Newald | |
| 1990 | Opportunity Knocks | Max | |
| 1991 | Only the Lonely | Doyle | |
| 1992 | The Playboys | Freddie | |
| 1997 | The Butcher Boy | Father Sullivan | |
| 1997 | The Matchmaker | Dermot O'Brien | |
| 2000 | Moonglow | Peter Brener | |
| 2002 | Puckoon | Sgt. McGillikuddie | |
| 2003 | Mystics | Locky | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1951 | The Passing Show | Performer | Episode: "The Years of Change" |
| 1957–1958 | Armchair Theatre | Performer | 2 episodes |
| 1958 | Theatre Night | Shawn Keogh | Episode: "The Hearts a Wonderer" |
| 1960 | ITV Television Playhouse | Performer | 3 episodes |
| 1960 | On Trial | Charles Armstrong | Episode: "W.T. Stead" |
| 1961 | The Play of the Week | Presenter | Episode: "Waiting for Godot" |
| 1961 | No Hiding Place | Perkins | Episode: "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" |
| 1962 | Out of This World | Jacob Luke | Episode: "Pictures Don't Lie" |
| 1962 | Z-Cars | Caxton / Chauncey | 2 episodes |
| 1963 | Maupassant | Brument | Episode: "Women and Money" |
| 1963 | First Night | Benjy Spillane | Episode: "My One True Love" |
| 1964 | Festival | Leopold Bloom | Episode: "Bloomsday" |
| 1960–1965 | ITV Play of the Week | Performer | 4 episodes |
| 1965 | Drama 61-67 | Sam Quilly | Episode: "Drama '65: Mrs Quilley's Murder Shoes" |
| 1965 | Theatre 625 | Mulligan | Episode: "Portrait of the North" |
| 1966 | The Wednesday Play | Brother Arnold | Episode: "Silent Song" |
| 1966 | Pardon the Expression | Uncle Mike | Episode: "Heads Down" |
| 1966 | Thirty-Minute Theatre | Fred | Episode: "Friday Night's the Best Night" |
| 1967 | Uncle Charles | Renzo Phillipe | Episode: "Mrs. Phillipe is Hurt" |
| 1968 | Journey to the Unknown | Matt Dystal | Episode: "The New People" |
| 1965–1969 | Out of the Unknown | Monty/Henry | 2 episodes |
| 1969 | Galton and Simpson Comedy | Alec Hemphill | Episode: "Pity Poor Edie" |
| 1970 | On the House | Mr. McGonigle | "The Great McGonigle" |
| 1970 | The Glorious Uncertainty | Sam Price | TV movie |
| 1968–1971 | Me Mammy | Bunjy Kennefick | 21 episodes |
| 1971 | Jackanory | Storyteller | 5 episodes |
| 1971 | Andorra | The Teacher | TV movie |
| 1972 | Tales from the Lazy Acre | Various roles | 7 episodes |
| 1973 | And No One Could Save Her | Patrick Dooley | Television movie |
| 1973 | The Protectors | Prince Carpiano | Episode: "A Case for the Right" |
| 1973 | Orson Welles Great Mysteries | Father Crumlish | Episode: "In the Confessional" |
| 1974 | QB VII | Dr. Lotaki | 3 episodes |
| 1968–1974 | Comedy Playhouse | Various Roles | 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Microbes and Men | Paul Erlich | 2 episodes |
| 1975 | My Son Rueben | Dennis Baxter | Episode: "Better to Have Loved and Lost" |
| 1977 | The Best of Families | Patrick Rafferty | Mini-Series |
| 1977 | Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion | Brisly | TV movie |
| 1980 | Portrait of a Rebel: The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger | Higgins | TV movie |
| 1980 | A Time for Miracles | Performer | TV movie |
| 1984 | Two by Forsyth | Performer | TV movie |
| 1984 | Jennifer Slept Here | Grandpa | Episode: "Life with Grandfather" |
| 1984 | Ellis Island | Casey O'Donnell | 3 episode miniseries |
| 1985 | Arena (An Absurd Notion) | Duran Duran | Short video |
| 1986 | St. Elsewhere | Brendan Connelly | Episode: "Lost Weekend" |
| 1987 | Broken Vows | Monsignor Casey | TV movie |
| 1987 | Angel in Green | Father Mahon | TV movie |
| 1987 | Once a Hero | Abner Bevis | 3 episodes |
| 1987 | Who's the Boss | Judge Kresheck | Episode: "Car and Driver" |
| 1987 | The Golden Girls | Buddy Rourke | Episode: "Charlie's Buddy" |
| 1988 | Beauty and the Beast | Evan Brannigan | Episode: "Temptation" |
| 1991 | The Commish | Frank Atkins | Episode: "No Greater Gift" |
| 1992 | Cheers | Uncle Roger | Episode: "An Old-Fashioned Wedding" |
| 1993 | Murder in the Heartland | Clem Gaughan | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Frasier | Dr. Schachter | Episode: "Shrink Rap" |
| 1996 | Early Edition | Sherman | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1998 | Spin City | Father Larry | Episode: "The Paul Bearer" |
| 1999 | Swing Vote | Justice Greene | TV movie |
| 1999 | Oz | Dr. Frederick Garvey | 3 episodes |
| 2000 | Madigan Men | Milo | 2 episodes |
| 2003–2004 | The West Wing | Chief Justice Ashland | 2 episodes, (final appearance) |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
| 1968 | Staircase | Harry C. Leeds | Biltmore Theatre, Broadway |
| 1969 | Dear World | The Sewerman | Mark Hellinger Theatre, Broadway |
| 1976 | Mrs. Warren's Profession | Rev. Samuel Gardner | Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Broadway |
| 1976–1977 | Comedians | Eddie Waters | Music Box Theatre, Broadway |
| 1977–1978 | A Touch of the Poet | Jamie Cregan | Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway |
| 1979 | Pygmalion | Alfred Doolitte | Ahmanson Theatre, California |
| 1981 | My Fair Lady | Alfred Doolitte | Uris Theatre, Broadway |
| 1981–1982 | Mass Appeal | Father Tim Farley | Booth Theatre, Broadway |
| 1986 | Corpse! | Major Walter Powell | Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway |
| 1989–1990 | Meet Me in St. Louis | Grandpa | Gershwin Theatre, Broadway |
| 1994 | Philadelphia, Here I Come! | S.B. O'Donnell | Center Stage Right, Broadway |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1968 | British Academy Film Awards | Most Promising Newcomer | Ulysses | Nominated |
| 1968 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Play | Staircase | Nominated |
| 1982 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Play | Mass Appeal | Nominated |
| 1982 | Drama Desk Award | Best Actor in a Play | Mass Appeal | Nominated |
| 1982 | Outer Critics Circle | Best Actor in a Play | Mass Appeal | Won |