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Donald O Connor

Birth name: Donald David Dixon Ronald O Connor

Birth date: 28.08.1925

Donald David Dixon Ronald O’Connor was a singer, dancer, and actor who came to fame in a series of movies in which he co-starred with Francis the Talking Mule. He is still best known for his performance in the movie musical Singin’ in the Rain (1952), in which he performed the vaudeville-inspired comedy number "Make 'Em Laugh", Arthur Freed's reworking of Cole Porter’s "Be a Clown" from The Pirate (1948). O’Connor was born in Chicago, Illinois, into an Irish immigrant family of vaudeville entertainers. As a toddler, he and his sister were involved in a road accident, which resulted in her death. His father died of a heart attack only a few weeks later. Yet it was as a comedy actor and a song-and-dance man that he became famous. His boyish looks did not allow him to take a romantic lead, except when appearing with a bigger star such as Ethel Merman (in Call Me Madam) or Bing Crosby (with whom he appeared in his first film at the age of eleven). However, he did have a separate Hollywood career in the late 1930s, in which he played such incongruous roles as Beau Geste. During World War II, he was re-invented as a star of musical films. When the heyday of the film musical was over, O’Connor returned to the stage, and had a short-lived television series during the late 1960s. After overcoming a drinking problem in the 1970s, he appeared in the short-lived Bring Back Birdie on Broadway in 1981 and continued to make film and television appearances into the 1990s. O’Connor was still making public appearances well into 2003. One of the last known on camera interviews with Donald O’Connor was arranged by friend David Ruprecht and conducted by Steven F. Zambo. A small portion of this interview can be seen in the 2005 PBS special The Pioneers of Primetime. O'Connor died from congestive heart failure on September 27, 2003 at the age of 78. Among his last words, he is reported to have expressed thanks for the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement which he expected to win at some future date. He left behind his wife, Gloria, and four children. Donald O’Connor is buried in the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Filmography

# Out to Sea (1997) .... Jonathan Devereaux # "The Nanny" .... Fred (1 episode, 1996) - Freida Needa Man (1996) TV Episode .... Fred # "Frasier" .... Harlow Stafford (1 episode, 1996) - Crane vs. Crane (1996) TV Episode .... Harlow Stafford # Father Frost (1996) .... Baba Yaga # Bandit: Bandit's Silver Angel (1994) (TV) .... Uncle Cyrus ... aka Bandit: Bandit and the Silver Angel (USA) # "The Building" .... Bonnie's Father (1 episode, 1993) - Father Knows Best (1993) TV Episode .... Bonnie's Father # Toys (1992) .... Kenneth Zevo # "Tales from the Crypt" (1 episode, 1992) ... aka HBO's Tales from the Crypt - Strung Along (1992) TV Episode # "Murder, She Wrote" .... Barry Barnes (1 episode, 1990) - The Big Show of 1965 (1990) TV Episode .... Barry Barnes # A Mouse, a Mystery and Me (1987) (TV) .... Alex the mouse # "Highway to Heaven" .... Jackie Clark (1 episode, 1987) - Playing for Keeps (1987) TV Episode .... Jackie Clark # A Time to Remember (1987) .... Father Walsh ... aka Miracle in a Manger (USA) # Alice in Wonderland (1985) (TV) .... Lory Bird ... aka Alice Through the Looking Glass (USA: video title (second part title)) # "The Love Boat" .... Oscar Tilton (2 episodes, 1981-1984) - Paying the Piper/Baby Sister/Help Wanted (1984) TV Episode - Isaac's Teacher/Seal of Approval/The Successor (1981) TV Episode .... Oscar Tilton # "Hotel" .... David Connelly (1 episode, 1983) ... aka Arthur Hailey's Hotel - The Offer (1983) TV Episode .... David Connelly # Alice in Wonderland (1983) (TV) .... Mock Turtle # "Simon & Simon" .... Barnaby the Great / ... (1 episode, 1983) - Grand Illusion (1983) TV Episode .... George Decova/Barnaby the Great # Pandemonium (1982) .... Glenn's Dad # "Fantasy Island" .... Dr. Watson (1 episode, 1982) - The Case Against Mr. Roarke/Save Sherlock Holmes (1982) TV Episode .... Dr. Watson # "The Littlest Hobo" .... Freddie the Clown (1 episode, 1982) - The Clown (1982) TV Episode .... Freddie the Clown # Ragtime (1981) .... Evelyn's Dance Instructor ... aka Love and Glory (Philippines: English title) # A Gift of Music (1981) (TV) .... Host ... aka A Gift of Music: The 200th Anniversary of Los Angeles (USA) # "The Big Show" (1 episode, 1980) - Episode #1.10 (1980) TV Episode # "Hunter" (1 episode, 1977) - Episode #1.5 (1977) TV Episode # "Police Story" .... Holly Connor (1 episode, 1976) - Payment Deferred (1976) TV Episode .... Holly Connor # "The Bionic Woman" .... Harry Anderson (1 episode, 1976) - A Thing of the Past (1976) TV Episode .... Harry Anderson # "Ellery Queen" .... Kenny Freeman (1 episode, 1975) ... aka The Adventures of Ellery Queen - The Adventure of the Comic Book Crusader (1975) TV Episode .... Kenny Freeman # "The Julie Andrews Hour" (1 episode, 1972) - Episode dated 22 November 1972 (1972) TV Episode # "The Jackie Gleason Show" .... Charlie (1 episode, 1969) ... aka The Color Honeymooners (USA: rerun title) - The Honeymooners: Hawaii, Oh! Oh! (1969) TV Episode .... Charlie # "The Donald O'Connor Show" (1968) TV Series .... Host (unknown episodes) # "ABC Stage 67" .... Hermes (1 episode, 1966) - Olympus 7-0000 (1966) TV Episode .... Hermes # "Vacation Playhouse" .... Donald Dugan (1 episode, 1966) - The Hoofer (1966) TV Episode .... Donald Dugan # "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre" .... Benjamin Boggs (1 episode, 1966) ... aka The Chrysler Theater ... aka Universal Star Time (syndication title) - Brilliant Benjamin Boggs (1966) TV Episode .... Benjamin Boggs # "The Bell Telephone Hour" .... Host (3 episodes, 1964-1966) - The Song and the Dance Man (1966) TV Episode .... Host - The Many Facets of Cole Porter (1965) TV Episode .... Host - Episode dated 21 April 1964 (1964) TV Episode .... Host # That Funny Feeling (1965) .... Harvey Granson # Meraviglie di Aladino, Le (1961) .... Aladdin ... aka The Wonders of Aladdin # Cry for Happy (1961) .... Murray Prince # "The DuPont Show of the Month" .... Johnny Shaw (1 episode, 1958) - The Red Mill (1958) TV Episode .... Johnny Shaw # "Playhouse 90" .... Dr. Robert Harrison (1 episode, 1957) - The Jet-Propelled Couch (1957) TV Episode .... Dr. Robert Harrison # The Buster Keaton Story (1957) .... Buster Keaton # Anything Goes (1956) .... Ted Adams # Francis in the Navy (1955) .... Lt. Peter Stirling/Bosun's Mate Slicker Donovan # There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) .... Tim Donahue ... aka Irving Berlin's There's No Business Like Show Business (USA: complete title) # Francis Joins the WACS (1954) .... Peter Stirling # "The Colgate Comedy Hour" .... Host (18 episodes, 1951-1954) ... aka Colgate Summer Comedy Hour (USA: summer title) ... aka Colgate Variety Hour (USA: sixth season title) ... aka Michael Todd Revue (USA: subtitle) - Episode #4.20 (1954) TV Episode .... Host - Episode #4.12 (1953) TV Episode .... Host - Episode #4.8 (1953) TV Episode .... Host - Episode #4.4 (1953) TV Episode - Episode #3.35 (1953) TV Episode .... Host (13 more) # Walking My Baby Back Home (1953) .... Clarence 'Jigger' Millard # Francis Covers the Big Town (1953) .... Peter Stirling # Call Me Madam (1953) .... Kenneth ... aka Irving Berlin's Call Me Madam (USA: complete title) # I Love Melvin (1953) .... Melvin Hoover # Francis Goes to West Point (1952) .... Peter Stirling # Singin' in the Rain (1952) .... Cosmo Brown # Francis Goes to the Races (1951) .... Peter Stirling # Double Crossbones (1951) .... Dave Crandall # The Milkman (1950) .... Roger Bradley # Curtain Call at Cactus Creek (1950) .... Edward Timmons ... aka Take the Stage (UK) # Francis (1950) .... Peter Stirling ... aka Francis the Talking Mule # Yes Sir That's My Baby (1949) .... William Waldo Winfield # Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' (1948) .... Wilbur McMurty # Are You with It? (1948) .... Milton Haskins # Something in the Wind (1947) .... Charlie Read # Patrick the Great (1945) .... Pat Donahue Jr. # Bowery to Broadway (1944) .... Specialty Number # The Merry Monahans (1944) .... Jimmy Monahan # This Is the Life (1944) .... Jimmy Plum # Chip Off the Old Block (1944) .... Donald Corrigan # Top Man (1943) .... Don Warren ... aka Man of the Family (UK) # Mister Big (1943) .... Donald J. O'Connor, Esq. # It Comes Up Love (1943) .... Ricky Ives ... aka A Date with an Angel (UK) # When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1942) .... Frankie Flanagan # Get Hep to Love (1942) .... Jimmy Arnold ... aka She's My Lovely (UK) # Give Out, Sisters (1942) .... Don # Private Buckaroo (1942) .... Donny # What's Cookin'? (1942/I) .... Tommy # On Your Toes (1939) .... Phil Jr., as a Boy # Death of a Champion (1939) .... Small Fry # Night Work (1939) .... Butch Smiley, the Orphan # Beau Geste (1939) .... Beau at age 12 # Million Dollar Legs (1939) .... Sticky Boone # Unmarried (1939) .... Ted Streaver (age 12) # Boy Trouble (1939) .... Butch # Tom Sawyer, Detective (1938) .... Huckleberry Finn # Sons of the Legion (1938) .... Butch Baker # Sing You Sinners (1938) .... Mike Beebe # Men with Wings (1938) .... Pat Falconer at Age 10 # It Can't Last Forever (1937) (uncredited) .... Kid Dancer