James Augustine O'Dea (26 April 1899 â€" 7 January 1965) was an Irish
actor and comedian.Jimmy O'Dea was born at 11 Lower Bridge Street,
Dublin, to James O'Dea, an ironmonger, and Martha O'Gorman, who kept a
small toy shop. He was one of 11 children. His father had a shop in
Capel Street. He was educated at the Irish Christian Brothers
O'Connell School in North Richmond Street, Dublin, where a classmate
was future Taoiseach Seán Lemass, by the Holy Ghost Fathers at
Blackrock College, and by the Jesuits at Belvedere College. From a
young age he was interested in taking to the stage; he co-founded an
amateur acting group, the Kilronan Players, in 1917. But his father
would not hear of it. O'Dea was apprenticed to an optician in
Edinburgh, Scotland, where he qualified as an optician.He returned to
Dublin where, aged 21, he set up his own business which he was,
eventually, to give to his sister, Rita. In his spare time he took
part in amateur productions of Ibsen and Chekhov. From 1920 he was in
the Irish theatre in Hardwicke Street working with actor-producer John
McDonagh. In 1922 he made a series of comedy films for Norman Whitten.
After working in plays by Shaw for a few years he rejoined McDonagh in
revues, the first of which, Dublin To-Night, was produced at the
Queen's Theatre in 1924. In 1927 he took to the stage full-time. In
1928, this company's first production Here We Are won international
acclaim, and in December of the same year it produced its first
Christmas Pantomime, Sinbad the Sailor.O'Dea formed a partnership with
Harry O'Donovan (died 3 November 1973) whom he first met in a
production of You Never Can Tell in 1924. Their first show was Look
Who's Here at Queen's. For more than two decades beginning in 1929 the
duo produced two shows a year in Dublin, first in the Olympia Theatre,
then in the Gaiety. They created O'Dea's most famous character, "Mrs.
Biddy Mulligan". The role drew on Jimmy's previous manifestations as
"Dames" in Variety performances and pantomimes. Biddy Mulligan was the
representation (caricature, parody and stereotype) of a Dublin
street-seller, with all the working-class repartee, wisdom and
failings implicit. He made a number of recordings of sketches starring
Mrs. Mulligan. Biddy Mulligan is referenced in many Dublin music hall
songs such as "Biddy Mulligan the Pride of the Coombe", "Daffy the
Belle of the Coombe" and "The Charladies' Ball".
actor and comedian.Jimmy O'Dea was born at 11 Lower Bridge Street,
Dublin, to James O'Dea, an ironmonger, and Martha O'Gorman, who kept a
small toy shop. He was one of 11 children. His father had a shop in
Capel Street. He was educated at the Irish Christian Brothers
O'Connell School in North Richmond Street, Dublin, where a classmate
was future Taoiseach Seán Lemass, by the Holy Ghost Fathers at
Blackrock College, and by the Jesuits at Belvedere College. From a
young age he was interested in taking to the stage; he co-founded an
amateur acting group, the Kilronan Players, in 1917. But his father
would not hear of it. O'Dea was apprenticed to an optician in
Edinburgh, Scotland, where he qualified as an optician.He returned to
Dublin where, aged 21, he set up his own business which he was,
eventually, to give to his sister, Rita. In his spare time he took
part in amateur productions of Ibsen and Chekhov. From 1920 he was in
the Irish theatre in Hardwicke Street working with actor-producer John
McDonagh. In 1922 he made a series of comedy films for Norman Whitten.
After working in plays by Shaw for a few years he rejoined McDonagh in
revues, the first of which, Dublin To-Night, was produced at the
Queen's Theatre in 1924. In 1927 he took to the stage full-time. In
1928, this company's first production Here We Are won international
acclaim, and in December of the same year it produced its first
Christmas Pantomime, Sinbad the Sailor.O'Dea formed a partnership with
Harry O'Donovan (died 3 November 1973) whom he first met in a
production of You Never Can Tell in 1924. Their first show was Look
Who's Here at Queen's. For more than two decades beginning in 1929 the
duo produced two shows a year in Dublin, first in the Olympia Theatre,
then in the Gaiety. They created O'Dea's most famous character, "Mrs.
Biddy Mulligan". The role drew on Jimmy's previous manifestations as
"Dames" in Variety performances and pantomimes. Biddy Mulligan was the
representation (caricature, parody and stereotype) of a Dublin
street-seller, with all the working-class repartee, wisdom and
failings implicit. He made a number of recordings of sketches starring
Mrs. Mulligan. Biddy Mulligan is referenced in many Dublin music hall
songs such as "Biddy Mulligan the Pride of the Coombe", "Daffy the
Belle of the Coombe" and "The Charladies' Ball".
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