Donal "Donald" O'Brien (born 15 September 1930) is an Irish film and
television actor. In his near 40-year career, O'Brien appeared in
dozens of stage performances and in more than 60 film and television
productions.O'Brien made his feature film debut in 1953 with Anatole
Litvak's war drama Act of Love. He studied acting in Dublin and
initially joined the Gate Theatre at age 19 before making the
transition to film several years later. O'Brien's performance in The
Train (1964), in which he played a Wehrmacht Feldwebel, led to his
first break-out role in Grand Prix (1966) starring alongside James
Garner and Eva Marie Saint.He was particularly known for his
performances in the Spaghetti Western genre of the late-1960s and
'70s, with memorable roles in Run, Man, Run (1968), Four of the
Apocalypse (1975), Keoma (1976), Mannaja (1977) and Silver Saddle
(1978), as well as later appearances in Italian horror,
post-apocalyptic, and zombie films. In 1980, O'Brien suffered a head
injury which left him in a coma for three days and partially
paralysed. Though eventually recovering from his injuries, his
mobility was significantly limited for the rest of his life. In spite
of this, O'Brien continued to work for another decade in the Italian
film industry, almost exclusively for directors Lucio Fulci and Joe
D'Amato. His last years included supporting roles in The Name of the
Rose (1986) and The Devil's Daughter (1991).
television actor. In his near 40-year career, O'Brien appeared in
dozens of stage performances and in more than 60 film and television
productions.O'Brien made his feature film debut in 1953 with Anatole
Litvak's war drama Act of Love. He studied acting in Dublin and
initially joined the Gate Theatre at age 19 before making the
transition to film several years later. O'Brien's performance in The
Train (1964), in which he played a Wehrmacht Feldwebel, led to his
first break-out role in Grand Prix (1966) starring alongside James
Garner and Eva Marie Saint.He was particularly known for his
performances in the Spaghetti Western genre of the late-1960s and
'70s, with memorable roles in Run, Man, Run (1968), Four of the
Apocalypse (1975), Keoma (1976), Mannaja (1977) and Silver Saddle
(1978), as well as later appearances in Italian horror,
post-apocalyptic, and zombie films. In 1980, O'Brien suffered a head
injury which left him in a coma for three days and partially
paralysed. Though eventually recovering from his injuries, his
mobility was significantly limited for the rest of his life. In spite
of this, O'Brien continued to work for another decade in the Italian
film industry, almost exclusively for directors Lucio Fulci and Joe
D'Amato. His last years included supporting roles in The Name of the
Rose (1986) and The Devil's Daughter (1991).
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.