archytele The Vault

Arthur O'Connell

Acting Born Mar 29, 1908 Died May 18, 1981 New York City, New York, USA 120 credits

Biography

Arthur O'Connell was an American stage and film actor born in New York City on March 29, 1908, and he passed away on May 18, 1981, at the age of 73. A veteran vaudevillian, he made his legitimate stage debut in the mid-1930s and became associated with Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre. Welles cast him in a tiny reporter role in the closing scenes of the 1941 film Citizen Kane, which is often referred to as his film debut. Over his career, O'Connell amassed 116 known acting credits, appearing in various television programs, mostly through guest appearances, and in numerous films such as Picnic, Anatomy of a Murder, and The Hiding Place, where he portrayed the watch-maker who hides Jews during World War II.

Advertisement
Career

Career overview

Arthur O'Connell was an American stage and film actor born in New York City on March 29, 1908. A veteran vaudevillian, he made his legitimate stage debut in the mid 1930s. During this time, he fell within the orbit of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre. Welles cast O'Connell in the tiny role of a reporter in the closing scenes of Citizen Kane in 1941. This appearance is often referred to as O'Connell's film debut, though he had a small role in the film starting his career in 1941.

Over the course of his career, O'Connell appeared in numerous films and television programs, mostly making guest appearances on television. His notable screen appearances include Picnic, Anatomy of a Murder, and The Hiding Place, in which he played the watch-maker who hides Jews during World War II. He accumulated 116 known acting credits throughout his career in film and television.

O'Connell passed away on May 18, 1981, at the age of 73. His professional legacy spans decades of work across stage, film, and television, establishing him as a recognizable character actor in American entertainment history.

Ask the Vault

Ask anything about Arthur O'Connell.

Frequent co-stars

Career timeline

Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
Medical StoryThe Hiding Place
Shootout in a One-Dog TownHuckleberry Finn
Adam's RibWicked, Wicked
Emergency!Ghost StoryThe Poseidon AdventureThe Paul Lynde ShowBen
CannonAlias Smith and JonesThe Last ValleyA Taste of Evil
Night GalleryMcCloudNanny and the ProfessorThere Was a Crooked Man...Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
Room 222Seven in Darkness
The Name of the GameThe PowerIf He Hollers, Let Him Go!
IronsideThe Second Hundred YearsThe Reluctant AstronautA Covenant with Death
Fantastic VoyageThe SilencersRide Beyond VengeanceBirds Do It
The Wild Wild WestThe F.B.I.The Big ValleyThe Great RaceNightmare in the Sun
7 Faces of Dr. LaoKissin' CousinsYour Cheatin' Heart
The FugitiveThe FugitiveBurke's LawPetticoat JunctionArrest and Trial
Sam BenedictFollow That Dream
The New BreedPocketful of MiraclesA Thunder of DrumsMisty
My Three SonsRoute 66Special for WomenCimarronThe Great Impostor
BonanzaStartimeAnatomy of a MurderOperation PetticoatGidget
Man of the WestVoice in the Mirror
Wagon TrainAlcoa TheatreDuPont Show of the MonthOperation Mad BallApril Love
Dick Powell's Zane Grey TheatreBus StopThe Monte Carlo StoryThe Man in the Gray Flannel SuitThe Proud Ones
Matinee TheaterPicnic
Summer Playhouse
The Oscars
Omnibus
The Whistle at Eaton Falls
Force of EvilThe Taming of the Shrew
The Philco Television PlayhouseThe Philco Television PlayhouseThe Philco Television PlayhouseStudio OneStudio One
Hello, AnnapolisCanal ZoneLaw of the JungleFingers at the WindowBlondie's Blessed Event

Full filmography