James O'Neill (November 15, 1847 â€" August 10, 1920) was an
Irish-American theatre actor and the father of the American playwright
Eugene O'Neill.James O'Neill was born on November 15, 1846 in County
Kilkenny, Ireland. His parents were distant cousins, Edward and Mary
O'Neill. His father was a farmer. The family emigrated to America in
1851 and settled in Buffalo, New York. In 1857 they moved to
Cincinnati, Ohio where James was apprenticed to a machinist. His
father Edward abandoned them to return to Ireland, where he soon
died.James O'Neill's brother-in-law offered him a job in his business
selling military uniforms during the Civil War. He also paid for a
tutor for James. Later, O'Neill tried to establish several small
businesses, all of which failed. James O'Neill, in his son's view, was
a man crippled by the fear of the poorhouse that had been implanted in
childhood by the Irish famine.At the age of 21, he made his stage
debut in a Cincinnati, Ohio, production of Boucicault's The Colleen
Bawn (1867). Also in 1867, Edwin Forrest embarked on a "farewell
tour". O'Neill had a minor part in Forrest's Cincinnati production of
Virginius, and then joined a travelling repertory company. He played a
young sailor in Joseph Jefferson's Rip Van Winkle and for the first
time found his brogue a handicap. He also played Macduff to Edwin
Booth's Macbeth.
Irish-American theatre actor and the father of the American playwright
Eugene O'Neill.James O'Neill was born on November 15, 1846 in County
Kilkenny, Ireland. His parents were distant cousins, Edward and Mary
O'Neill. His father was a farmer. The family emigrated to America in
1851 and settled in Buffalo, New York. In 1857 they moved to
Cincinnati, Ohio where James was apprenticed to a machinist. His
father Edward abandoned them to return to Ireland, where he soon
died.James O'Neill's brother-in-law offered him a job in his business
selling military uniforms during the Civil War. He also paid for a
tutor for James. Later, O'Neill tried to establish several small
businesses, all of which failed. James O'Neill, in his son's view, was
a man crippled by the fear of the poorhouse that had been implanted in
childhood by the Irish famine.At the age of 21, he made his stage
debut in a Cincinnati, Ohio, production of Boucicault's The Colleen
Bawn (1867). Also in 1867, Edwin Forrest embarked on a "farewell
tour". O'Neill had a minor part in Forrest's Cincinnati production of
Virginius, and then joined a travelling repertory company. He played a
young sailor in Joseph Jefferson's Rip Van Winkle and for the first
time found his brogue a handicap. He also played Macduff to Edwin
Booth's Macbeth.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.