Ronan O'Casey

Ronan O'Casey
Born(1922-08-18)August 18, 1922
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DiedApril 12, 2012(2012-04-12) (aged 89)
Los Angeles, California, US
OccupationsActor, producer
Years active1948–1993
Spouse
    Louie Ramsay
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1956; div. 1979)​
    ​
    (m. 1980)​

Ronan O'Casey (18 August 1922 – 12 April 2012) was a Canadian actor and film producer, who worked principally in the United Kingdom and later the United States.[1]

Early life

O'Casey was born in Montreal, Quebec to immigrant parents from Ireland. His father, Michael Casey, was a poet. His mother, actress Margaret Sheehy Culhane, was a Dubliner who had had co-starred with the young James Joyce in his first stage role.[2]

At the age of eight, O'Casey began acting in his mother's Montreal theatre company and, after tours in theatre and vaudeville, he moved to Dublin and then to London.

Career

O'Casey found early success in post-war films such as The Mudlark (1950), Talk of a Million (1951) and Norman Wisdom's Trouble in Store (1953), going on to play the prisoner of Room 101 in 1984 and the sergeant in Nicholas Ray's war film Bitter Victory (1957). While starring in the West End play Detective Story he met actress and singer Louie Ramsay, whom he married in 1956.[3][4]

O'Casey's comedy talents brought him his best known role, as Jeff Rogers, Canadian son-in-law of Peggy Mount, in the TV sitcom The Larkins (1958–64). He was host of ITV's charades gameshow Don't Say a Word (1963),[5] a panel game with two teams led by Libby Morris and Kenneth Connor.[6] and co-host of Rediffusion's Sing A Song of Sixpence show.[7] In 1966 he was cast as Vanessa Redgrave's lover, the "blow-up" of Antonioni's Blow-Up (1966). In 1976, he wrote, produced and starred in (in a non-sexual role) the adult film The Double Exposure of Holly., directed by artist Bob Gill.

O'Casey also appeared on stage, in plays such as Forever April at the Nottingham Playhouse, in which he co-starred with Kenneth Connor in 1966.[8] and Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms at London's Embassy Theatre in 1955.[9]

As literary head of the production company Commonwealth United, O'Casey was an associate producer on Terry Southern's The Magic Christian (1969) with Ringo Starr, Peter Sellers and a soundtrack by Badfinger. After moving to the United States in 1980, he had roles in many US television shows, including L.A. Law, Easy Street, Falcon Crest and Dallas and Santa Barbara. In later years, he wrote and staged a one-man play in Los Angeles on the poetry of Yeats.

Personal life

O'Casey married actress Louie Ramsay in 1956, with whom he had a son, Matt.[1] They divorced in 1979, and O'Casey and, after moving to the United States in 1980, he married the writer Carol Tavris.

O'Casey was at one time a leading ice hockey player in his native Montreal, skills which he was able to put to use during the filming of children's adventure serial The New Forest Rustlers, in which he played the leader of a gang planning to steal a priceless Rembrandt.[10]

Death

O'Casey died in Los Angeles on April 12, 2012, aged 89.[1]

Partial stage credits

Year Play Role Theatre Ref.
1950 Detective Story Warren Stanhope Prince's Theatre [11]
Louise The Q [12]
1951 Kiss Me Kate Ralph New Theatre, Oxford
Coliseum, London 		[13][14]
1953 The Shrike Don Gregory Theatre Royal, Brighton [15]
1954 Queen of Hearts Knave of Hearts Bournemouth Ice Rink [16]
1955 Desire Under the Elms Simeon Embassy Theatre
1957 The Kidders Steve Bucknell Arts Theatre [17][18]
1964 The First Fish Savoy [19][20]
1965 Harvey Palace Theatre, Southend [21]
The Rivals Sir Lucius Theatre Royal, Windsor [22]
1970 They Shoot Actors, Don't They? EQUITY Charity Event Roundhouse, London [23]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1949 Give Us This Day Bastian [24]
1950 The Mudlark Slattery Uncredited
1951 Talk of a Million Derry Murnahan [25][26]
1953 Three Steps to the Gallows Crawson
Top of the Form Brother
Trouble in Store Eddie
Escape by Night Pietro
1954 Double Exposure Trickson
Happy Ever After Reporter
Tiger by the Tail Nick [27]
1955 The Gilded Cage Charles Liddell
Barbados Quest Stefan Gordoni
1956 1984 Rutherford [28]
Reach For the Sky Canadian Pilot / Coltishall II Uncredited
Satellite in the Sky Reporter
The Big Money Gang Member Uncredited
1957 Bitter Victory Sergeant Dunnigan
1958 Blind Spot Rushford
1960 Inn For Trouble Jeff Roberts
1965 Darling Party Guest Uncredited
1966 Blowup Jane's Lover [29]
1968 The Magic Christian N/a Associate producer
1971 The Night Digger N/a Development executive [30]
1971 Freelance N/a Executive producer
1974 Feelings John Roberts
1976 The Double Exposure of Holly Lee Also writer and producer
1985 The Protector NYPD Commissioner
1993 The Beverly Hillbillies Man at Party

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1947 The Man Who Came To Dinner Richard Stanley TV movie
Rotten Row Captain Collins
The Soul of Anthony Nero Jimmy
1948 Death at Newtonstewart Moncrieff
The Monkey's Paw Herbert Wright TV Short
The Front Page Besinger TV movie
1954 Willie the Squouse Richard TV movie
1954-56 The Vise Archie / Thompson / Paul / Dillon 4 episodes
1955 BBC Sunday Night Theatre McAllister Episode: "The Voices"
1956-57 The Trollenberg Terror Albert 6 episodes
1956-58 ITV Play of the Week Frank Lubey / Glenn / Private O'Hara / Philip Gadney 4 episodes [31]
1957 The Buccaneers Understandable Perkins Episode: "Indian Fighters"
1958 Alf's Button TV movie [32]
1958-59 Armchair Theatre Slim Murray, William R. Rush 3 episodes
1958-63 The Larkins Jeff Rogers 27 episodes
1959-60 The Four Just Men Dexter, Joe 2 episodes [33]
1960 BBC Sunday-Night Play Hannify Episode: "A Town Has Turned to Dust" [34]
1961 Danger Man Pilot Episode: "The Island"
1966 The New Forest Rustlers The Chief 6 episodes [35]
1980-81 Ryan's Hope Chip Willard 2 episodes
1986 The A-Team Ambassador Moo Episode: "The Spy Who Mugged Me"
L.A. Law Gregory Northrop Episode: "Sidney, the Dead-Nosed Reindeer"
1986, 1989 Santa Barbara Psychiatrist, Bishop 10 episodes
1987 Shell Game Nathan Thayer Episode: "Norman's Parking Ticket"
Easy Street Ross Chamberlain Episode: "The Country Club"
Sledge Hammer! Milo Tieup Episode: "Sledge in Toyland"
1987, 1989 Falcon Crest Ambassador, Elroy Higgins 2 episodes

References

  1. ^ a b c Obituary, The Guardian, 9 May 2012.
  2. ^ "The Celtic Connection | Past Issue Highlights". Retrieved 2026-02-25.
  3. ^ The Stage, 30 January 1958
  4. ^ The Stage, 30 December 1955
  5. ^ The British Television Pilot Episodes Research Guide 1936-2015, Christopher Perry, Kaleidoscope Publishing, 2015, (p.69)
  6. ^ The Stage, 6 June 1963
  7. ^ The Stage, 29 July 1965
  8. ^ The Stage, 15 September 1966
  9. ^ The Stage, 24 March 1955
  10. ^ The Stage, 29 September 1966
  11. ^ The Tatler, 12 April 1950
  12. ^ The Stage, 2 February 1950
  13. ^ The Stage, 1 March 1951
  14. ^ The Stage, 15 March 1951
  15. ^ The Stage, 22 January 1953
  16. ^ The Stage, 7 January 1954
  17. ^ The Stage, 14 November 1957
  18. ^ Illustrated London News, 23 November 1957
  19. ^ The Stage, 9 July 1964
  20. ^ The Tatler, 22 July 1964
  21. ^ The Stage, 15 April 1965
  22. ^ The Stage, 24 June 1965
  23. ^ The Stage, 5 November 1970
  24. ^ Waterford Standard, 22 April 1950
  25. ^ Waterford Standard, 21 July 1951
  26. ^ Falkirk Herald, 18 July 1951
  27. ^ British Film Noir Guide, Michael F. Keaney, 2011, McFarland & Co., 2011. (p.204)
  28. ^ Columbia Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1928-1982, Michael R. Pitts. McFarland, 2010
  29. ^ Michelangelo Red Antonioni Blue: Eight Reflections on Cinema, Murray Pomerance, University of California Press, 2011
  30. ^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
  31. ^ The Stage, 1 May 1958
  32. ^ The Stage, 4 December 1958
  33. ^ The Stage, 11 June 1959
  34. ^ The Stage, 16 June 1960
  35. ^ The Stage, 13 October 1966
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