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James O'Neill (actor)
Encyclopedia
James O'Neill was an actor
and the father of the American playwright
Eugene O'Neill
.
During his day, he was considered a promising actor, quickly working his way up the ranks to become a matinee idol. He shared stages with such renowned actors as Charlotte Cushman, Edwin Forrest
, Edwin Booth
, and Adelaide Neilson
who said he was the best Romeo she ever had. As early as 1875, while a stock star at Hooley's Theatre in Chicago, O'Neill played the title role in a stage adaptation of Dumas
' The Count of Monte Cristo
. To great commercial success, he went on to play this role about 6000 times. Some, including Eugene
, saw O'Neill's willingness to play the role so many times as selling-out; squandering the potential of his art in order to make money.
James O'Neill later became the model for James Tyrone, the frugal, mercurial, unseeing father character in Eugene O'Neill's posthumous autobiographical play Long Day's Journey Into Night
, which tells the story of the Tyrone family, which closely resembles the O'Neill family.
Married to Ellen Quinlan
on June 14, 1877, daughter of Thomas Quinlan and wife Bridget, both also of Irish
ancestry, he had three sons: James (b. 1878), Edmond (b. 1883) and Eugene O'Neill
.
He died, aged 72, at the family summer home in Connecticut
, the Monte Cristo Cottage
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and the father of the American playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
.
During his day, he was considered a promising actor, quickly working his way up the ranks to become a matinee idol. He shared stages with such renowned actors as Charlotte Cushman, Edwin Forrest
Edwin Forrest
Edwin Forrest was an American actor.-Early life:Forrest was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Scottish and German descent. His father died and he was brought up by his mother, a German woman of humble origins. He was educated at the common schools in Philadelphia, and early evinced a taste...
, Edwin Booth
Edwin Booth
Edwin Thomas Booth was a famous 19th century American actor who toured throughout America and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869 he founded Booth's Theatre in New York, a spectacular theatre that was quite modern for its time...
, and Adelaide Neilson
Adelaide Neilson
Lilian Adelaide Neilson , born Elizabeth Ann Brown, was an English stage actress.-Early life:Neilson was the daughter of a strolling actress, named Brown, and was born, out of wedlock, at 35 St Peters Square Leeds in the West Riding of Yorkshire...
who said he was the best Romeo she ever had. As early as 1875, while a stock star at Hooley's Theatre in Chicago, O'Neill played the title role in a stage adaptation of Dumas
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
' The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is often considered to be, along with The Three Musketeers, Dumas's most popular work. He completed the work in 1844...
. To great commercial success, he went on to play this role about 6000 times. Some, including Eugene
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
, saw O'Neill's willingness to play the role so many times as selling-out; squandering the potential of his art in order to make money.
James O'Neill later became the model for James Tyrone, the frugal, mercurial, unseeing father character in Eugene O'Neill's posthumous autobiographical play Long Day's Journey Into Night
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Long Day's Journey Into Night is a 1956 drama in four acts written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play is widely considered to be his masterwork...
, which tells the story of the Tyrone family, which closely resembles the O'Neill family.
Married to Ellen Quinlan
Ella O'Neill
Ella O'Neill was the mother of playwright Eugene O'Neill and wife of actor James O'Neill....
on June 14, 1877, daughter of Thomas Quinlan and wife Bridget, both also of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
ancestry, he had three sons: James (b. 1878), Edmond (b. 1883) and Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
.
He died, aged 72, at the family summer home in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, the Monte Cristo Cottage
Monte Cristo Cottage
Monte Cristo Cottage, also known as Eugene O'Neill Summer House, was the summer home of acclaimed American actor James O'Neill, and of his family, notably his son , Nobel prize-winning American playwright, Eugene O'Neill....
.