Una O'Connor

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Una O'Connor (born October 23, 1880 in Belfast , † February 4, 1959 in New York City ; actually Agnes Teresa McGlade ) was an Irish actress . Although the stage actress did not make her first film until she was 50, she achieved notoriety for the impersonation of quirky servants, housekeepers and wives in numerous Hollywood films.

life and career

Una O'Connor first played at the Abbey Theater in Dublin before appearing on London's theater stages. From 1911 she also played on Broadway in the United States. In 1932, O'Connor played the role of Ellen Bridges in Noël Coward's play Cavalcade , whereupon she was hired for this role in Frank Lloyd's film adaptation a year later. Her appearance in the Oscar- winning film marked her breakthrough on the big screen. O'Connor had previously starred in Alfred Hitchcock's British crime film Murder - Sir John Intervenes! played a supporting role and made her first film appearance. For horror film director James Whale she stood in front of the camera in 1933 in The Invisible One and two years later in Frankenstein's Bride and fell into loud screaming fits in front of the respective title characters in both films. With such sometimes shrill appearances, she finally managed to establish herself as a character actress. John Ford used them in his films The Traitor and The Plow and the Stars in the mid-1930s . Her prime roles were somewhat hysterical servants and wives, whom she often portrayed as a comic relief .

In addition, O'Connor often played in period films and literary adaptations such as David Copperfield , Signals to London and The Little Lord , all with child star Freddie Bartholomew in the lead role. In 1938 she was seen as the servant of Olivia de Havilland in the adventure classic Robin Hood, King of the Vagabonds , in which Errol Flynn played the title role. Her career continued in similar roles in the 1940s, until she ended her film career for the time being in 1947.

Tombstone of Una O'Connor

Una O'Connor, who returned to the theater after her film work, was often cast there for eccentric characters in supporting roles, for example in the play Witness to the Prosecution of Agatha Christie , which was performed on Broadway in 1954. O'Connor played the role of a Scottish housekeeper here. In the same film adaptation of Billy Wilder in 1957 they also played this role. It was her first film appearance in several years and at the same time her last. In the film, she was cross-examined by Charles Laughton , with whom she starred in The Canterville Ghost in 1944 and in The Barretts of Wimpole Street in 1934 . The Times specifically praised O'Connor in its film review of the prosecution as "a wasp looking for a victim to sting at the Old Bailey."

In 1958 she withdrew into private life. Una O'Connor died of a heart attack in 1959 at the age of 78. She was never married and had no children. Her grave is in Calvary Cemetery in Woodside , New York .

Filmography

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Witness For The Prosecution Mr. Laughton Leads For The Defense. In: The Times, Jan 29, 1958, No. 54061, p. 5.

Web links

Commons : Una O'Connor  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME O'Connor, Una
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McGlade, Agnes Teresa (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Irish actress
DATE OF BIRTH October 23, 1880
PLACE OF BIRTH Belfast
DATE OF DEATH 4th February 1959
Place of death New York City