Joseph O'Conor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joseph O'Conor
Born	(1916-02-14)14 February 1916 Dublin, Ireland
Died	21 January 2001(2001-01-21) (aged 84) London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1947–2001
Spouse(s)	Naita Moore ​ ​ (m. 1939; her death 1977)​ Lizann Rodger ​ (m. 1979)​
Children	4

Joseph O'Conor (born February 14, 1916 – died January 21, 2001) was a talented Irish actor and writer. He was known for his many roles on stage, in movies, and on television, especially for playing Mr. Brownlow in the film Oliver!.

Joseph O'Conor's Early Life

Joseph O'Conor was born in Dublin, Ireland, on February 14, 1916. His family later moved to London, England. He went to school at the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School and studied at the University of London and RADA, which is a famous drama school.

He started his acting career on stage in 1939. One of his first big roles was in a modern version of William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. In the same year, he married Naita Moore, and they had two children together.

Acting Career After the War

After World War II, Joseph O'Conor returned to acting in 1946. He performed in many different plays in London, often taking on roles in Shakespeare's works. He even switched roles with another famous actor, Donald Wolfit, playing both Iago and Othello in Othello. He also played the main character in Hamlet.

Joseph O'Conor was a very spiritual person. He often acted in plays about religious themes, and he played Jesus Christ in the York Mystery Plays in 1951 and 1954. At that time, it was not allowed to show God or Christ on public stages in England, so his name was kept secret for the 1951 show.

He decided to try acting outside of London and spent two seasons at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland. There, he played Benedick in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. After that, he spent three seasons (1956–1958) at the Bristol Old Vic theatre. He acted in plays by George Bernard Shaw, including playing Higgins in Pygmalion and Undershaft in Major Barbara. He also had one of his own plays, The Iron Harp, performed there.

While continuing his theatre work, Joseph O'Conor also started acting more in television shows and movies. In 1967, he played Old Jolyon Forsyte in the TV series The Forsyte Saga. A year later, in 1968, he became well-known to many for his role as Mr. Brownlow in the movie Oliver!.

He joined the Royal National Theatre in 1974, where he played Alonso in The Tempest alongside John Gielgud. He also played the King of France in All's Well That Ends Well in 1975. In the BBC TV series The Barchester Chronicles (1982), he played a character named Bunce.

Later Years and Final Roles

Joseph O'Conor's first wife passed away in 1977. He later married actress Lizann Rodger in 1979, and they had two children together. He continued to act in many plays, especially Shakespearean ones, both on stage and for television.

In 1982, he provided the voice for the Narrator and the urSkeks in the puppet film The Dark Crystal. In the 1990s, he appeared in several movies. A memorable role was J. C. Sullivan in The Forbidden Quest (1993), where he played a survivor of a polar expedition. He also played the Bishop of Oxford in Tom & Viv (1994) and Mr. Nancarrow in The Wisdom of Crocodiles (1998).

Today, many younger people remember Joseph O'Conor mostly for his role as Mr. Brownlow in the classic film Oliver!. Besides acting, he also directed plays and wrote six of his own. Joseph O'Conor passed away in London on January 21, 2001.

Selected Movies and TV Shows

• Paul Temple's Triumph (1950)
• Stranger at My Door (1950) - Michael Foley
• Gorgo (1961) - Prof. Hendricks
• The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964) - Don Jose Margella
• Crooks in Cloisters (1964) - Father Septimus
• The Gorgon (1964) - Coroner
• Oliver! (1968) - Mr. Brownlow
• A Walk with Love and Death (1969) - Pierre of St. Jean
• Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) - Bishop Fisher
• Doomwatch (1972) - Vicar
• Father, Dear Father (1973) - Vicar
• Penny Gold (1973) - Blachford
• Yellow Dog (1973) - Dover
• The Black Windmill (1974) - Sir Edward Julyan
• The Barchester Chronicles (1982) - Bunce
• The Dark Crystal (1982) - Narrator / urSkeks (voice)
• The Forbidden Quest (1993) - J.C. Sullivan
• Tom & Viv (1994) - Bishop of Oxford
• Elizabeth (1998) - Earl of Derby
• The Wisdom of Crocodiles (1998) - Mr. Nancarrow
• The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) - Poitiers' Chief Inquisitor

Joseph O'Conor's Writings

Joseph O'Conor was also a writer. Here are some of the plays and stories he wrote:

• The Iron Harp, 1955
• Inca, 1961
• The Tumble Stone, 1962
• A Lion Trap, 1963 (an adventure story about Sir Walter Raleigh)
• The Third Picture, 1964
• The Heiress, 1971
• King Canoodlum and the Great Horned Cheese (a children's story, 1979)