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IMDbPro

Michael O'Shea(1906-1973)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Michael O'Shea in Fixed Bayonets! (1951)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:41
It Should Happen to You (1954)
2 Videos
26 Photos
His five brothers all became policemen, encouraged on by their father, but Irish-American Michael O'Shea defied family tradition and turned to acting. Michael dropped out of school at age 12 and went the vaudeville route, touring with his boxing idol Jack Johnson's show. He tried everything. During the Prohibition years, he became a comedian and emcee at speakeasies. He put together his own dance band, "Michael O'Shea and His Stationary Gypsies", and later broke into radio.

His career advanced with the legit stage, where he was billed for a time as "Eddie O'Shea". His noticeable performance in "The Eve of St. Mark" in 1942 led to a string of '40s films, notably as Barbara Stanwyck's boyfriend comic in Lady of Burlesque (1943). He also managed great reviews repeating his stage role in the film The Eve of St. Mark (1944). Other WWII-era films included the leading role opposite Anne Shirley in the romantic drama Man from Frisco (1944); a military man lead in the musical Something for the Boys (1944) in which he managed to show off a little of his Irish tenor in the song "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" with Vivian Blaine, Phil Silvers and Carmen Miranda; the male co-star in the Sonja Henie skating vehicle It's a Pleasure (1945); and lead and support roles in a string of crime dramas including Circumstantial Evidence (1945), Mr. District Attorney (1947), Violence (1947), Parole, Inc. (1948) and The Underworld Story (1950).

The father of two, Michael met his second wife, the beautiful actress Virginia Mayo, during the time he was filming the title role of Jack London (1943). They married four years later and had one daughter. The couple subsequently appeared on the stock stage together in such productions as "George Washington Slept Here", "Tunnel of Love" and :Fiorello!". One of those fine talents who did not make a big name for himself, Michael was out of films by 1952, but revitalized on TV and starred in the mild TV sitcom It's a Great Life (1954) also starring James Dunn, William Bishop, Frances Bavier and Barbara Bates playing a former GI trying to find a civilian job.

Interestingly, Michael became a plainclothes operative for the CIA after retiring from show business in the 1960s. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 1973.
BornMarch 17, 1906
DiedDecember 4, 1973(67)
BornMarch 17, 1906
DiedDecember 4, 1973(67)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 1 win & 1 nomination total

Photos26

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Known for

Barbara Stanwyck and Michael O'Shea in Lady of Burlesque (1943)
Lady of Burlesque
6.2
  • Biff Brannigan
  • 1943
Jack Nicholson, Mickey Rooney, and John Ireland in The Big Wheel (1949)
The Big Wheel
5.6
  • Vic Sullivan
  • 1949
Virginia Grey, Charles McGraw, and Michael O'Shea in The Threat (1949)
The Threat
6.7
  • Detective Ray Williams
  • 1949
Turhan Bey, Evelyn Ankers, and Michael O'Shea in Parole, Inc. (1948)
Parole, Inc.
5.7
  • Richard Hendricks
  • 1948

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor



  • Kent McCord and Martin Milner in Adam-12 (1968)
    Adam-12
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Johnnie Delaney
    • 1971
  • Daktari (1966)
    Daktari
    7.0
    TV Series
    • Albie Potter
    • 1967
  • Gardner McKay in Adventures in Paradise (1959)
    Adventures in Paradise
    8.1
    TV Series
    • Ding-Dong Kinsella
    • 1961
  • McGarry and His Mouse
    TV Movie
    • Officer Dan McGarry
    • 1960
  • Strange Stories
    7.8
    TV Series
    • 1960
  • Ethel Barrymore Theater
    7.7
    TV Series
    • 1956
  • Frances Bavier, William Bishop, and Michael O'Shea in It's a Great Life (1954)
    It's a Great Life
    7.6
    TV Series
    • Denny Davis
    • Denny David
    • Denny
    • 1954–1956
  • John Bromfield and Maxie Rosenbloom in Damon Runyon Theater (1955)
    Damon Runyon Theater
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Bookie Bob Harris
    • 1955
  • Hal Baylor, Hans Conried, and Chuck Hicks in Schlitz Playhouse (1951)
    Schlitz Playhouse
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Tim Leary
    • 1954
  • Jack Lemmon, Judy Holliday, and Peter Lawford in It Should Happen to You (1954)
    It Should Happen to You
    7.2
    • Brod Clinton
    • 1954
  • The Revlon Mirror Theater (1953)
    The Revlon Mirror Theater
    3.7
    TV Series
    • Lt. Higgins
    • 1953
  • Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952)
    Bloodhounds of Broadway
    6.0
    • Inspector McNamara
    • 1952
  • The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951)
    The Model and the Marriage Broker
    7.0
    • Doberman
    • 1951
  • Fixed Bayonets! (1951)
    Fixed Bayonets!
    6.8
    • Sgt. Lonergan
    • 1951
  • Tommy Dorsey, Tom Drake, Jane Nigh, Michael O'Shea, and Ginny Simms in Disc Jockey (1951)
    Disc Jockey
    • Mike Richards
    • 1951

Soundtrack



  • Carmen Miranda, Vivian Blaine, Michael O'Shea, and Phil Silvers in Something for the Boys (1944)
    Something for the Boys
    5.9
    • performer: "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" ("Wouldn't It Be Nice?")
    • 1944

Videos2

Trailer
Trailer 2:33
Trailer
It Should Happen to You
Trailer 2:41
It Should Happen to You
It Should Happen to You
Trailer 2:41
It Should Happen to You

Personal details

Edit
  • Born
    • March 17, 1906
    • Hartford, Connecticut, USA
  • Died
    • December 4, 1973
    • Dallas, Texas, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouses
      Virginia MayoJuly 5, 1947 - December 4, 1973 (his death, 1 child)
  • Children
      Catherine Mary O'Shea
  • Other works
    (5/52) Stage: Appeared in "Christ on Trial", Hollywood First Presbyterian Church, Hollywood, CA.
  • Publicity listings
    • 8 Articles
    • 2 Pictorials

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Daughter, with Virginia Mayo: Catherine Mary O'Shea (born in 1953). Children with first wife, Edward & Barbara.
  • Nickname
    • Mike

FAQ12

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