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IMDbPro

Patrick O'Neal(1927-1994)

  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Patrick O'Neal
U.S. entertainer Eddie Sparks wants to bring some fun to the soldiers during World War II and contacts singer/dancer Dixie Leonard for help. They become the perfect team and tour from North Africa to the Pacific to perform for "the boys." They continue their work after the war, but when Eddie fires author Silver for getting involved in McCarthy's campaign, Dixie also turns away from him.
Play trailer2:29
For the Boys (1991)
12 Videos
39 Photos
Dark, dashing and coldly handsome with intense, penetrating eyes, Patrick O'Neal was known for walking a fine line between elegant heroics and equally elegant villainy during a five-decade career. Born in 1927 in Ocala, Florida, and of Irish descent, he served toward the end of WWII with the United States Army Air Force and, in his late teens, was assigned to direct training shorts for the Signal Corps. A graduate of the University of Florida at Gainesville, O'Neal subsequently moved to New York City and continued his dramatic studies at the Actors Studio and Neighborhood Playhouse.

O'Neal made an initial impact in the early 1950s when he replaced Tony Randall in the hit comedy "Oh, Men! Oh, Women!" Following a strong role in the Broadway play "The Far Country" (1961), he gave a superlative stage portrayal of the defrocked Reverend Shannon opposite Bette Davis in "The Night of the Iguana." He also appeared in a number of anthology TV series in the 1950's including "Robert Montgomery Presents," "Kraft Theatre," "Chevron Theatre," "Schlitz Playhouse," "Studio One in Hollywood," "Pepsi-Cola Playhouse" and "Goodyear Playhouse." He made his film debut as a lieutenant in the horror film The Mad Magician (1954) starring Vincent Price but appeared in only one other film that decade -- the costumed drama The Black Shield of Falworth (1954).

O'Neal earned more attention in the next decade with both lead and supporting roles. A capable player used regularly in 1960s films, he was usually cast as rugged trooper types in action-adventures such as King Rat (1965) and Assignment to Kill (1968), serious-minded personnel in war pictures like In Harm's Way (1965), or flashy murderers in gruesome yarns like Chamber of Horrors (1966), the latter being his best-remembered film. Subsequent films included featured roles in Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972), The Way We Were (1973), The Stepford Wives (1975), The Stuff (1985), Like Father Like Son (1987), Q&A (1990), Alice (1990), For the Boys (1991) and Under Siege (1992).

Portraying a pathologist in his own short-lived medical series Diagnosis: Unknown (1960), he proved a much steadier player on the smaller screen. Typically the cultivated lover or slick, shady villain on TV, he guest-starred on such popular shows as "The Naked City," "Dr. Kildare," "The Twilight Zone," "Route 66," "The Outer Limits," "Coronet Blue," "Alias Smith & Jones," "Cannon," "McCloud," "The F.B.I.," "The Doris Day Show," "The Streets of San Francisco," "Columbo" and "Murder, She Wrote." He also appeared regularly with the cast of the crime drama series Kaz (1978) and had a recurring part on Emerald Point N.A.S. (1983).

His wife, actress Cynthia O'Neal (née Baxter), and brother owned several restaurants with him. He died in 1994 from respiratory failure as a complication of tuberculosis.
BornSeptember 26, 1927
DiedSeptember 9, 1994(66)
BornSeptember 26, 1927
DiedSeptember 9, 1994(66)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos39

Patrick O'Neal in To Kill a Cop (1978)
Murray Matheson, Patrick O'Neal, and Dennis Weaver in McCloud (1970)
Jean Allison, Randolph Mantooth, and Patrick O'Neal in McCloud (1970)
Murray Matheson, David Mauro, Diana Muldaur, Patrick O'Neal, and Dennis Weaver in McCloud (1970)
Patrick O'Neal, Lew Palter, and Dennis Weaver in McCloud (1970)
David Mauro, Diana Muldaur, Patrick O'Neal, and Dennis Weaver in McCloud (1970)
Donald Pleasence, Patrick O'Neal, and Ira von Fürstenberg in Matchless (1967)
Patrick O'Neal and Jo Ann Pflug in McCloud (1970)
Patrick O'Neal in McCloud (1970)
Patrick O'Neal in King Rat (1965)
George Segal, Wright King, and Patrick O'Neal in King Rat (1965)
George Segal, Wright King, and Patrick O'Neal in King Rat (1965)

Known for

Under Siege (1992)
Under Siege
6.5
  • Captain Adams
  • 1992
The Stepford Wives (1975)
The Stepford Wives
6.9
  • Dale Coba
  • 1975
The Way We Were (1973)
The Way We Were
7.0
  • George Bissinger
  • 1973
In Harm's Way (1965)
In Harm's Way
7.2
  • Commander Neal Owynn
  • 1965

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Perry Mason: The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal (1993)
    Perry Mason: The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal
    • Arthur Westbrook
    • TV Movie
    • 1993
  • Under Siege (1992)
    Under Siege
    • Captain Adams
    • 1992
  • Bette Midler and James Caan in For the Boys (1991)
    For the Boys
    • Shephard
    • 1991
  • Mia Farrow in Alice (1990)
    Alice
    • Alice's Father
    • 1990
  • Timothy Hutton, Nick Nolte, and Armand Assante in Q&A (1990)
    Q&A
    • Kevin Quinn
    • 1990
  • A Man Called Hawk (1989)
    A Man Called Hawk
    • Mr. Thorpe
    • TV Series
    • 1989
  • New York Stories (1989)
    New York Stories
    • Phillip Fowler (segment "Life Lessons")
    • 1989
  • Richard Harris in Maigret (1988)
    Maigret
    • Kevin Portman
    • TV Movie
    • 1988
  • Dale Robertson and Ben Vereen in J.J. Starbuck (1987)
    J.J. Starbuck
    • Don Chadway
    • TV Series
    • 1987
  • Like Father Like Son (1987)
    Like Father Like Son
    • Dr. Armbruster
    • 1987
  • Brian Benben, Patricia Kalember, Priscilla Lopez, Jan Rubes, Lane Smith, and Keone Young in Kay O'Brien (1986)
    Kay O'Brien
    • Frederick Holcomb
    • TV Series
    • 1986
  • Hal Linden and Harry Morgan in Blacke's Magic (1986)
    Blacke's Magic
    • TV Series
    • 1986
  • Perry Mason Returns (1985)
    Perry Mason Returns
    • Arthur Gordon
    • TV Movie
    • 1985
  • The Stuff (1985)
    The Stuff
    • Fletcher
    • 1985
  • Anne Baxter, James Brolin, and Connie Sellecca in Hotel (1983)
    Hotel
    • Randall Travers
    • TV Series
    • 1985

Videos12

For the Boys
Clip 1:58
For the Boys
Trailer
Trailer 1:14
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:29
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 3:15
Official Trailer
Castle Keep
Trailer 3:25
Castle Keep
Alvarez Kelly
Trailer 3:05
Alvarez Kelly
A Fine Madness
Trailer 3:27
A Fine Madness
From The Terrace
Trailer 3:13
From The Terrace
Q & A
Trailer 1:38
Q & A
War Chronicles
Trailer 0:48
War Chronicles
War Chronicles Volume 6
Trailer 0:46
War Chronicles Volume 6
War Chronicles Volume 5
Trailer 0:51
War Chronicles Volume 5

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Theater_org
  • Alternative name
    • Pat O'Neal
  • Height
    • 6′ 0¾″ (1.85 m)
  • Born
    • September 26, 1927
    • Ocala, Florida, USA
  • Died
    • September 9, 1994
    • New York City, New York, USA(respiratory failure due to tuberculosis and cancer.)
  • Spouse
    • Cynthia O'NealJanuary 12, 1957 - September 9, 1994 (his death, 2 children)
  • Other works
    He starred as Reverend Shannon in the original Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' "The Night of the Iguana".
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 1 Interview

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Credited Gregory Peck with steering him in the right direction to effectively realize his ambition to be a successful paid actor; O'Neal asked Peck for career advice while working as a grip on one of Peck's movies.
  • Quotes
    [on working with Otto Preminger]: Sure, I was nervous and scared - so Otto started out on me. But I stood my ground. I would not take it from him. Afterwards, he gave me a lift back to Hollywood in his limousine, and we drove around in the hills and ended up talking till dawn.

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