Frederick O'Neal
Frederick O'Neal (born August 27, 1905 in Brooksville , Mississippi , † August 25, 1992 in New York City , New York ) was an American actor and trade unionist .
Life
O'Neal grew up as one of seven siblings in Brooksville, Mississippi. After his father's death in 1919, his family moved to St. Louis , where he made his acting debut in 1927 as Othello in an African-American theater company that he helped to organize
In 1936 he moved to New York City, where he took acting classes. In 1940 he co-founded the American Negro Theater , which was run with financial support from the Rockefeller family, and where later stars such as Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier made their first appearances. He made his Broadway debut as Frank in 1944 with the production of Anna Lucasta and was named Most Promising Actor at the first ever Clarence Derwent Awards . Other awards for his performance included the New York Drama Critics' Award and the Donaldson Award. Also in the film adaptation of 1959 he played Frank alongside Eartha Kitt and Sammy Davis Jr. O'Neal made his feature film debut in 1949 in Elia Kazans for three Academy Award nominated literary adaptation Pinky . In 1957 he starred alongside Rock Hudson in the war film Flames over Africa and in 1961 he starred alongside Roger Moore and Angie Dickinson in the melodrama Jenseits des Ruwenzori . Occasionally he was seen in television roles; in the crime series Car 54, Please Report , he portrayed Officer Wally Wallace in 19 episodes .
From the mid-1960s, his focus shifted to trade union work. He was President of the Actors' Equity Association from 1964 to 1973, and was named Honorary President upon retirement. In 1970 he was elected President of the Associated Actors and Artistes , which he held until 1988. His work brought him to the list of the main political opponents of US President Richard Nixon in the early 1970s . O'Neal has received several honorary awards for his work, including an honorary doctorate from St. John's University .
Filmography (selection)
Movie
- 1949: Pinky
- 1950: Hatred is Blind (No Way Out)
- 1951: Tarzan and the jungle goddess (Tarzan's Peril)
- 1957: Flames Over Africa (Something of Value)
- 1958: Anna Lucasta
- 1959: Jump Over Your Shadow (Take a Giant Step)
- 1961: Beyond the Ruwenzori (The Sins of Rachel Cade)
- 1970: When Night falls in Manhattan (Cotton Comes to Harlem)
watch TV
- 1961: Route 66
- 1961–1962: Car 54, please report (Car 54, Where Are You?)
- 1967: Tarzan
Broadway
- 1944–1946: Anna Lucasta
- 1953: Take a Giant Step
- 1954: The Winner
- 1954–1955: House of Flowers
Awards
- 1945: Clarence Derwent Award for Anna Lucasta
Web links
- Frederick O'Neal in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Frederick O'Neal in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
- Frederick O'Neal in the All Movie Guide (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Obituary of The New York Times (English)
- ↑ Playbill (English)
- ↑ Actorsequity.org (English)
- ↑ List of White House 'Enemies' and Memo Submitted by Dean to the Ervin Committee ( Memento from June 21, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | O'Neal, Frederick |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | US-American actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 27, 1905 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brooksville , Mississippi , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 25, 1992 |
| Place of death | New York City , New York , United States |