Dan O'Herlihy

Early life and education O'Herlihy was born on 1 May 1919 in Wexford, County Wexford, but moved with his family to Dublin when he was young. He was educated at Christian Brothers College in Dún Laoghaire and later studied at University College Dublin, graduating in 1944 with a degree in architecture, following in his father's footsteps.

Career O'Herlihy's first notable acting role came in 1944, when he played the lead in the Gate's production of Red Roses For Me, written and directed by Seán O'Casey. He appeared in some fifty plays at the Gate. He made his film debut in 1947 in Carol Reed's Odd Man Out, which was shot on location in Belfast, and also worked extensively in radio.

O'Herlihy was later featured in 1959 in The Young Land as Judge Millard Isham and as Dave Edwards in Douglas Sirk's remake of Imitation of Life. The following year he played Sir Harry Ivers, an upper-class English drifter who joins Alan Ladd in a plot to ruin an Arizona cattle town by robbing its bank, in the western One Foot in Hell. O'Herlihy was also cast as Dr. Caligari in The Cabinet of Caligari, Robert Bloch's reimagining of the German silent classic, in 1962.

In 1964, he starred in Fail Safe in the role of General Black, or "Blackie", who nukes New York on presidential orders. In 1969, he was cast in The Big Cube and 100 Rifles. In 1970, he starred in the epic Waterloo, playing the part of Michel Ney, the marshal of France. In 1982, he starred in Halloween III: Season of the Witch as Conal Cochran and in 1984, he appeared in The Last Starfighter as Grig, Alex Rogan's reptilian co-pilot, navigator and sidekick. In 1986's The Whoopee Boys he played a judge and in 1987, he appeared in RoboCop as "The Old Man". That same year, he was cast in John Huston's The Dead. In 1990, he appeared in RoboCop 2, the sequel to the 1987 film.

O'Herlihy had a fairly extensive career in television, having appeared on Rawhide, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Adventures in Paradise and Target: The Corruptors!. He portrayed Larry "Ace" Banner in the first season of The Untouchables in the episode titled "The Big Squeeze". He was cast as Stephen Jordan in the last season of Checkmate episode " "Referendum on Murder". He also appeared on The Americans and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in the episodes "The Fiddlesticks Affair" and "The Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Rum Affair" and on Route 66 in the episode "To Walk with the Serpent". In 1962, he was cast as Glenn Kassin in "The Earth Mover" episode of Empire. He appeared on Bonanza (episode: "The Artist" as Matthew Raine).

In 1963–1964, he was in The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters. On The Long, Hot Summer, O'Herlihy became the lead star, having replaced Edmond O'Brien in the part of Will Varner midway through the program's single-season run. In 1966, he appeared in the episode "Have You Seen the Aurora Borealis?" of The Road West, starring Barry Sullivan. In 1974, he appeared in QB VII and played the Senior American Officer, Col. Max Dodd in the second series of BBC's POW drama Colditz. In the same year he took a role in the film, The Tamarind Seed, which starred Omar Sharif and Julie Andrews.

In 1976, he guest-starred in an episode of Gibbsville. In 1978, he guest-starred in the second part of the Battlestar Galactica episode "Gun on Ice Planet Zero" as Dr. Ravishol. O'Herlihy also portrayed the ill-fated lumber tycoon Andrew Packard in the cult television program Twin Peaks (1991) and in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Deep Freeze", voicing the villainous theme park mogul Grant Walker. In 1998, O'Herlihy acted in his last film, The Rat Pack, playing Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and the father of actor Gavan O'Herlihy, architect Lorcan O'Herlihy, and visual artist-turned-theatrical producer Olwen O'Herlihy. One grandchild, Micaela O'Herlihy, is a filmmaker whose work has been shown at the Sundance Film Festival. Another, Alana O'Herlihy, is a photographer and director who has collaborated with Miley Cyrus.

O'Herlihy became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1983.

O'Herlihy died of natural causes in Malibu, California in 2005, aged 85. His personal papers are held in the University College Dublin Archives.

Filmography Film

+ Year Title Role Notes 1947 Hungry Hill Harry Brodrick 1947 Odd Man Out Nolan 1948 Larceny Duke 1948 Macbeth MacDuff 1948 Kidnapped Alan Breck 1950 The Iroquois Trail Lieutenant Blakely 1951 Soldiers Three Sergeant Murphy 1951 The Highwayman Robin 1951 The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel Commando Captain Uncredited 1951 The Blue Veil Hugh Williams 1952 At Sword's Point Aramis Jr. 1952 Actor's and Sin Alfred O'Shea / The Narrator Segment: "Actor's Blood" 1952 Operation Secret Mike Duncan 1952 Invasion, U.S.A. Mr. Ohman 1953 Sword of Venus Danglars 1954 Robinson Crusoe Robinson Crusoe / Crusoe's father 1954 The Black Shield of Falworth Prince Hal 1954 Bengal Brigade Captain Ronald Blaine 1955 The Purple Mask Brisquet 1955 The Virgin Queen Lord Derry 1957 That Woman Opposite Dermot Kinross British crime drama. AKA, City After Midnight (U.S. title) 1958 Home Before Dark Arnold Bronn 1959 Imitation of Life David Edward 1959 The Young Land Judge Millard Isham 1960 A Terrible Beauty Don McGinnis AKA The Night Fighters 1960 One Foot in Hell Sir Harry Ivers 1961 King of the Roaring '20s: The Story of Arnold Rothstein Detective Phil Butler AKA The Big Bankroll 1962 The Cabinet of Caligari Caligari / Paul 1964 Fail Safe General Black 1969 How to Steal the World Professor David Garrow 1969 The Big Cube Charles Winthrop 1969 100 Rifles Steven Grimes 1970 Waterloo Marshal Michel Ney 1972 The Carey Treatment J.D. Randall 1974 The Tamarind Seed Fergus Stephenson 1977 MacArthur President Roosevelt 1982 Halloween III: Season of the Witch Conal Cochran 1984 The Last Starfighter Grig 1986 The Whoopee Boys Judge Stenrhill 1987 RoboCop The CEO of OCP Corp. 1987 The Dead Mr. Browne 1990 RoboCop 2 The CEO of OCP Corp.

Television

+ Year Title Role Notes 1951 The Last Half Hour: The Mayerling Story Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria TV movie 1955 The Final Tribute Directors Showcase 1960 The DuPont Show with June Allyson Davide 1 episode 1960 The Untouchables Larry "Ace" Banner Episode: "The Big Squeeze" 1960 Rawhide John Cord 1 episode 1961 The Americans Col. Fry 1 episode 1961 Target: The Corruptors! Walter Cannon 1 episode 1961–1962 Adventures in Paradise Seth Wilkerson / Colonel Tomlinson 2 episodes 1962 Route 66 John Westerbrook Episode: "To Walk with the Serpent" 1962 Checkmate Stephen Jordan Episode: "Referendum on Murder" 1962 Bonanza Matthew Raine Episode: "The Artist" 1962 Empire Glenn Kassin Episode: "The Earth Mover" 1963 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Simon Carter Episode: "Forecast: Low Clouds and Coastal Fog" 1963 Combat! "The Chateau" 1963–1964 The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters Dr. Sardius McPheeters 26 episodes 1965 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Marcel Rudolph Episode: "The Fiddlesticks Affair" 1966 The Long, Hot Summer "Boss" Will Varner 12 episodes 1966 The Road West Seamus O'Flaherty Episode: "Have You Seen the Aurora Borealis?" 1967 Mission: Impossible Jack Cole 1 episode 1967 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Capt. Rupert Oliver Morton Episode: "The Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Rum Affair" 1972 The People Sol Diemus TV movie 1974 Colditz Lt. Col. Max Dodd 5 episodes 1974 QB VII David Shawcross 2 episodes 1976 Banjo Hackett: Roamin' Free "Tip" Conaker TV movie 1976 The Quest: The Longest Drive Mathew Hatcher TV movie 1976 Gibbsville Walter Culligan 1 episode 1977 Good Against Evil Father Kemschler TV movie 1977 Woman on the Run Crandell TV movie 1977 The Bionic Woman Harry Walker 1 episode 1977 Deadly Game Colonel Edward Stryker TV movie 1978 Battlestar Galactica Dr. Ravashol Episode: "Gun on Ice Planet Zero" 1979 Mark Twain: Beneath the Laughter Mark Twain TV movie 1979 A Man Called Sloane The Director 12 episodes 1981 Death Ray 2000 The Director TV movie 1981 Artemis 81 Albrecht Von Drachenfels TV movie 1983 The Last Day American Ambassador TV movie 1984 The Secret Servant Professor John Tyler 3 episodes 1986 Dark Mansions Alexander Drake TV movie 1988 A Waltz Through the Hills Uncle Tom TV movie 1988 L.A. Law Vernon Kepler Episode: "Chariots of Meyer" 1989 The Equalizer Randall Payne Episode: "Prisoners of Conscience" 1991 Twin Peaks Andrew Packard 6 episodes 1993 Love, Cheat & Steal Hamilton Fisk TV movie 1994 Batman: The Animated Series Grant Walker (voice) Episode: "Deep Freeze" 1998 The Rat Pack Joe Kennedy TV movie (final screen role)