Acting · Dublin, Ireland · Born April 26, 1905
Denis O'Dea (26 April 1905 – 5 November 1978) was an Irish stage and film actor. He was born in Dublin and attended Synge Street CBS. When very young he and his mother Kathleen (from County Kerry) moved in with her sister, who kept a boarding house at 54 South Richmond Street. He worked in insurance until taking up acting. O'Dea was a leading member of Dublin's Abbey Theatre where he had a great acting career from 1929 to 1953; a list of his performances can be found in the Abbey archives. He also appeared in numerous plays by Irish playwright Teresa Deevy, some of which toured New York and England. His work led to a number of notable film roles, including two mid-1930s John Ford films, The Informer and The Plough and the Stars (1936), and the part of the police inspector in pursuit of IRA man James Mason in Carol Reed's Odd Man Out (1947).
MovieEsther and the King
1960
as Mordecai
MovieCradle of Genius
1960
as Self
MovieDarby O'Gill and the Little People
1959
as Father Murphy
MovieI Captured the King of the Leprechauns
1959
as Father Murphy
MovieThe Story of Esther Costello
1957
as Father Devlin
MovieThe Rising of the Moon
1957
as Police Sergeant Tom O'Hara (segment '1921')
MovieCaptain Lightfoot
1955
as Regis Donnell
MovieMogambo
1953
as Father Josef
MovieSea Devils
1953
as Lethierry
MovieNiagara
1953
as Inspector Starkey
MovieNever Take No for an Answer
1951
as Father Damico
MovieCaptain Horatio Hornblower R.N.
1951
as RAdm. Sir Rodney Leighton
MovieThe Long Dark Hall
1951
as Sir Charles Morton
MovieTreasure Island
1950
as Dr. Livesy
MovieLandfall
1949
as Captain Burnaby
MovieUnder Capricorn
1949
as Mr. Corrigan
MovieMarry Me
1949
as George Saunders
The Bad Lord Byron
1949
as Prosecuting Counsel
MovieThe Fallen Idol
1948
as Inspector Crowe
MovieThe Mark of Cain
1947
as Sir William Godgrey
MovieOdd Man Out
1947
as Inspector
MovieThe Plough and the Stars
1936
as The Covey
MovieBeloved Enemy
1936
as Sean's I.R.A. Friend (Uncredited)
MovieThe Informer
1935
as Street Singer
MovieGuests of The Nation
1935
