T. P. McKenna
Encyclopedia
Thomas Patrick McKenna (7 September 1929 – 13 February 2011), known professionally as T. P. McKenna, was an Irish
actor who worked on stage, in film and television in Ireland and the UK
from the 1950s.
(1964, 1965, 1968), Danger Man
(1965), The Saint
(1966, 1968), Adam Adamant Lives!
(1967), Jason King
(1972), The Sweeney
(1975), Blake's 7
(1978), Minder
(1984) and in the Doctor Who
serial The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
.
He played Richmond in the Thames Television
series Callan
(1972) and made ten appearances in Crown Court
(1974–1982), mainly as barrister Patrick Canty, while also appearing in the popular ATV anthology drama series Love Story (1965-1968).
He also featured prominently in other television dramas including The Duchess of Malfi
(1972), The Changeling (1974), Napoleon and Love
(1974), Holocaust (1978), The Manions of America (1981), To The Lighthouse
(1982), Bleak House
(1985), Strong Medicine
(1986), Jack the Ripper
(1988), Shoot to Kill
(1990), Scarlet and Black
(1993) and the final episode of Inspector Morse
(2000).
He also had prominent film roles in Ulysses (1967), Sam Peckinpah
's film Straw Dogs (1971) where he appeared alongside Dustin Hoffman
and A Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man
(1977). Other film credis include The Charge of the Light Brigade (1967), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), Perfect Friday (1970), Villain (1971), All Creatures Great and Small (1975), Mehmed My Hawk (1988), Pascali's Island (1988), The American (1998), Monarch (2000) and The Libertine (2004).
He was considered one of Ireland's finest Joycean
actors and narrated the Emmy-winning documentary Is There One Who Understands Me (RTE, 1982).
, Dublin, the Royal Shakespeare Company
and the Royal National Theatre
Company.
He was a member of the Abbey Theatre company from 1953 to 1962 performing in over seventy roles. In 1969 he was made an honorary life member of the company along with Cyril Cusack, Siobhan McKenna and Jack McGowran.
His West End debut was as Cranly in Stephen D at the St Martin's Theatre
in 1963.
He joined Stuart Burge's company at the Nottingham Playhouse in 1968 playing Trigorin in The Seagull and Sir Joseph Surface in Sheridan's School For Scandal, both directed by Jonathan Miller.
In 1969 he created the role of Fitzpatrick in David Storey's 'The Contractor' directed by Lindsay Anderson at the Royal Court Theatre, London. The production later transferred to the Fortune Theatre and ran for over a year.
In 1973 to took on the role of Andrew Wyke opposite his friend Donally Donnelly in the Irish premiere of Peter Shaffer's 'Sleuth'. The production played to acclaim in both Dublin and Cork and it broke the box office record for the Olympia Theatre.
Later that year he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and took over the role of Roberts Hands in James Joyce's only play, 'Exiles' directed by Harold Pinter. In the same season he also appeared in a rare staging of Jean Genet's 'The Balcony' directed by Terry Hands.
He returned to the RSC in 1976 for Shaw's 'The Devil's Disciple' directed by Jack Gold in a production to mark the American bicentennial celebrations as the revolutionary pastor Revd. Anderson.
In the late 1980s and 1990s he had the opportunity of making a return to the Dublin stage when he was invited by director Michael Colgan to join the Gate Theatre on a number of occasions including admired productions of Uncle Vanya
and No Mans Land. It was there that he also created the role of Dr. Rice in Brian Friel's drama, Molly Sweeney
, and again at London's Almeida Theatre. Other Friel productions he appeared in were The Communication Cord (Hampstead Theatre, 1984) and The Aristocrats (2004) at the RNT in his final stage appearance.
He also directed on occasion, and had productions of J. M. Synge
's The Playboy of the Western World
(Nottingham Playhouse
, 1968), Thomas Kilroy
's The Death and Resurrection of Mr. Roche (Abbey Theatre, 1973) and Seán O'Casey
's The Shadow of A Gunman
(Crucible Theatre
, Sheffield, 1980) to his credit.
McKenna was also a distinguished and instantly recognisable voice on countless radio dramas for BBC Radio and the World Service. He took the role of Phonsie Doherty in Christopher Fitz-simon's Radio 4 comedy series, Ballylennon and also appeared opposite David Threlfall
in the radio drama Baldi
.
He died at the Royal Free Hospital
in London and is laid to rest alongside his wife, May, at Teampall Cheallaigh by the shores of Mullagh Lake in Co.Cavan.
In his native Cavan he is commemorated by the TP McKenna Drama Scholarships (VEC) and the TP McKenna Perpetual Trophy presented as part of the Millrace Annual Drama Festival.
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...
actor who worked on stage, in film and television in Ireland and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from the 1950s.
Film and television
McKenna was born in Mullagh, County Cavan. During the 1960s and 1970s he appeared regularly in popular television dramas, including The AvengersThe Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
(1964, 1965, 1968), Danger Man
Danger Man
Danger Man is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the program and wrote many of the scripts...
(1965), The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
(1966, 1968), Adam Adamant Lives!
Adam Adamant Lives!
Adam Adamant Lives! is a British television series which ran from 1966 to 1967 on the BBC. Proposing that an adventurer born in 1867 had been revived from hibernation in 1966, the show was a comedy adventure that took a satirical look at life in the 1960s through the eyes of an Edwardian .- Character...
(1967), Jason King
Jason King (TV series)
Jason King was a British television series produced from 1971 to 1972. Each episode was one hour in duration , and the series had a run of one season of 26 episodes. As well as its native UK, the series was also screened in countries as far afield as Australia, Norway, Argentina and Peru...
(1972), The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
(1975), Blake's 7
Blake's 7
Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for its BBC1 channel. The series was created by Terry Nation, a prolific television writer and creator of the Daleks for the television series Doctor Who. Four series of Blake's 7 were produced and broadcast between 1978...
(1978), Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
(1984) and in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
serial The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 14 December 1988 to 4 January 1989.-Plot:...
.
He played Richmond in the Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
series Callan
Callan (TV series)
Callan is the title of a British television series set in the murky world of espionage. Originally produced by ABC Weekend Television and later Thames Television, it was aired on the ITV network over four seasons spread out between 1967 and 1972...
(1972) and made ten appearances in Crown Court
Crown Court (TV series)
Crown Court was an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984....
(1974–1982), mainly as barrister Patrick Canty, while also appearing in the popular ATV anthology drama series Love Story (1965-1968).
He also featured prominently in other television dramas including The Duchess of Malfi
The Duchess of Malfi
The Duchess of Malfi is a macabre, tragic play written by the English dramatist John Webster in 1612–13. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, then before a more general audience at The Globe, in 1613-14...
(1972), The Changeling (1974), Napoleon and Love
Napoleon and Love
Napoleon and Love was a 1974 British television series originally aired on ITV and lasting for 9 episodes from 5 March to 30 April 1974. The series starred Ian Holm in the title role as Napoleon I and depicts his relationships with the woman who featured in his life as a backdrop to his rise and...
(1974), Holocaust (1978), The Manions of America (1981), To The Lighthouse
To the Lighthouse
To the Lighthouse is a novel by Virginia Woolf. A novel set on the Ramsays and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland between 1910 and 1920, it skilfully manipulates temporal and psychological elements....
(1982), Bleak House
Bleak House (1985 TV serial)
Bleak House was the second adaptation by the BBC of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name. The novel was adapted by Arthur Hopcraft....
(1985), Strong Medicine
Strong Medicine
Strong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict. The television series aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The series was created and produced in part by comedienne and...
(1986), Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
(1988), Shoot to Kill
Shoot to Kill (1990 TV drama)
Shoot to Kill is a four-hour drama documentary reconstruction of the events that led to the 1984–86 Stalker Inquiry into the shooting of six terrorist suspects in Northern Ireland in 1982 by a specialist unit of the Royal Ulster Constabulary , allegedly without warning ; the organised fabrication...
(1990), Scarlet and Black
Scarlet and Black (TV series)
This article is about the 1993 BBC TV miniseries and should not be confused with the 1983 film The Scarlet and the Black starring Christopher Plummer. For the novel by Stendhal see The Red and the Black....
(1993) and the final episode of Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name, in which the character was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID officer with the Thames Valley...
(2000).
He also had prominent film roles in Ulysses (1967), Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
's film Straw Dogs (1971) where he appeared alongside Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
and A Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a semi-autobiographical novel by James Joyce, first serialised in the magazine The Egoist from 1914 to 1915, and published first in book format in 1916 by B. W. Huebsch, New York. The first English edition was published by the Egoist Press in February 1917...
(1977). Other film credis include The Charge of the Light Brigade (1967), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), Perfect Friday (1970), Villain (1971), All Creatures Great and Small (1975), Mehmed My Hawk (1988), Pascali's Island (1988), The American (1998), Monarch (2000) and The Libertine (2004).
He was considered one of Ireland's finest Joycean
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
actors and narrated the Emmy-winning documentary Is There One Who Understands Me (RTE, 1982).
Theatre
On stage he appeared with leading theatre companies, including the Abbey TheatreAbbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
, Dublin, the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
and the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
Company.
He was a member of the Abbey Theatre company from 1953 to 1962 performing in over seventy roles. In 1969 he was made an honorary life member of the company along with Cyril Cusack, Siobhan McKenna and Jack McGowran.
His West End debut was as Cranly in Stephen D at the St Martin's Theatre
St Martin's Theatre
St Martin's Theatre is a West End theatre, located in West Street, near Charing Cross Road, in the London Borough of Camden. It was designed as one of a pair of theatres with the Ambassadors Theatre by W.G.R...
in 1963.
He joined Stuart Burge's company at the Nottingham Playhouse in 1968 playing Trigorin in The Seagull and Sir Joseph Surface in Sheridan's School For Scandal, both directed by Jonathan Miller.
In 1969 he created the role of Fitzpatrick in David Storey's 'The Contractor' directed by Lindsay Anderson at the Royal Court Theatre, London. The production later transferred to the Fortune Theatre and ran for over a year.
In 1973 to took on the role of Andrew Wyke opposite his friend Donally Donnelly in the Irish premiere of Peter Shaffer's 'Sleuth'. The production played to acclaim in both Dublin and Cork and it broke the box office record for the Olympia Theatre.
Later that year he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and took over the role of Roberts Hands in James Joyce's only play, 'Exiles' directed by Harold Pinter. In the same season he also appeared in a rare staging of Jean Genet's 'The Balcony' directed by Terry Hands.
He returned to the RSC in 1976 for Shaw's 'The Devil's Disciple' directed by Jack Gold in a production to mark the American bicentennial celebrations as the revolutionary pastor Revd. Anderson.
In the late 1980s and 1990s he had the opportunity of making a return to the Dublin stage when he was invited by director Michael Colgan to join the Gate Theatre on a number of occasions including admired productions of Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
and No Mans Land. It was there that he also created the role of Dr. Rice in Brian Friel's drama, Molly Sweeney
Molly Sweeney
Molly Sweeney is a two-act play by Brian Friel. It tells the story of its title character, Molly, a woman blind since infancy, who undergoes an operation to try to restore her sight. Like Friel's Faith Healer, the play tells Molly's story through monologues by three characters, in this case Molly,...
, and again at London's Almeida Theatre. Other Friel productions he appeared in were The Communication Cord (Hampstead Theatre, 1984) and The Aristocrats (2004) at the RNT in his final stage appearance.
He also directed on occasion, and had productions of J. M. Synge
John Millington Synge
Edmund John Millington Synge was an Irish playwright, poet, prose writer, and collector of folklore. He was a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival and was one of the cofounders of the Abbey Theatre...
's The Playboy of the Western World
The Playboy of the Western World
The Playboy of the Western World is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge and first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on January 26, 1907. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo during the early 1900s...
(Nottingham Playhouse
Nottingham Playhouse
The Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in the 1950s when it operated from a former cinema. Directors during this period included Val May and Frank Dunlop.-The building:...
, 1968), Thomas Kilroy
Thomas Kilroy
Thomas F. Kilroy is an Irish playwright and novelist.He was born in Green Street, Callan, County Kilkenny and studied at University College, Dublin. In his early career he was play editor at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin...
's The Death and Resurrection of Mr. Roche (Abbey Theatre, 1973) and Seán O'Casey
Seán O'Casey
Seán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.- Early life:...
's The Shadow of A Gunman
The Shadow of a Gunman
The Shadow of a Gunman is a 1923 play by Seán O'Casey. It centers on the mistaken identity of a building tenant who is thought to be an IRA assassin....
(Crucible Theatre
Crucible Theatre
The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....
, Sheffield, 1980) to his credit.
McKenna was also a distinguished and instantly recognisable voice on countless radio dramas for BBC Radio and the World Service. He took the role of Phonsie Doherty in Christopher Fitz-simon's Radio 4 comedy series, Ballylennon and also appeared opposite David Threlfall
David Threlfall
David Threlfall is an English stage, film and television actor and director best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless. He has also directed several episodes of the show.-Early life:...
in the radio drama Baldi
Baldi (radio)
Baldi is a BBC Radio 4 murder mystery series whose central character is Paolo Baldi , a Franciscan priest on sabbatical, lecturing on semiotics at a university in contemporary Dublin. After helping the police as a translator for an Italian witness, he turns sleuth...
.
He died at the Royal Free Hospital
Royal Free Hospital
The Royal Free Hospital is a major teaching hospital in Hampstead, London, England and part of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust....
in London and is laid to rest alongside his wife, May, at Teampall Cheallaigh by the shores of Mullagh Lake in Co.Cavan.
Tributes
Following his passing tributes were payed by President Mary McAleese, HRH Prince Charles - the Prince of Wales and Ireland’s Culture Minister Mary Hanafin who said: “TP was one of a great generation whose talents on the screen and stage both at home and abroad gave us all great pride in his accomplishments.”In his native Cavan he is commemorated by the TP McKenna Drama Scholarships (VEC) and the TP McKenna Perpetual Trophy presented as part of the Millrace Annual Drama Festival.
Selected filmography
- Broth of a BoyBroth of a BoyBroth of a Boy is a 1959 Irish comedy film directed by George Pollock and starring Barry Fitzgerald, Harry Brogan and June Thorburn. A television reporter sets out on a quest to find a very elderly man.-Cast:* Barry Fitzgerald ... Patrick Farrell...
(1959) - Home Is the HeroHome Is the HeroHome Is the Hero is a 1959 Irish drama film directed by Fielder Cook. It was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Walter Macken - Paddo O'Reilly* Eileen Crowe - Daylia O'Reilly* Arthur Kennedy - Willie O'Reilly...
(1959) - Shake Hands with the DevilShake Hands with the Devil (1959 film)Shake Hands with the Devil is a 1959 film directed by the English director Michael Anderson.It is set in 1921 Dublin, where the Irish Republican Army battles the "Black and Tans," the ex-British soldiers sent to suppress the IRA with excessively harsh measures.The film stars James Cagney as Sean...
(1959) - A Terrible BeautyA Terrible Beauty (film)A Terrible Beauty is a 1960 drama film, directed by Tay Garnett and starring Robert Mitchum and Richard Harris. It was adapted from a novel of the same name, written by Arthur Roth.-Plot:...
(1960) - The Siege of Sidney StreetThe Siege of Sidney StreetThe Siege of Sidney Street is a 1960 British historical drama film co-directed by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman. It starred Donald Sinden, Nicole Berger and Kieron Moore....
(1960) - Girl with Green EyesGirl with Green EyesGirl with Green Eyes is a 1964 British drama film, which Edna O'Brien adapted from her novel The Lonely Girl. It was directed by Desmond Davis, and stars Peter Finch, Rita Tushingham, Lynn Redgrave and Julian Glover.- Plot :...
(1964) - Ulysses (1967)
- The Beast in the CellarThe Beast in the CellarThe Beast in the Cellar is a 1970 British horror film written and directed by James Kelley. The film was produced by Leander Films and Tigon British Film Productions. Filming took place at Pinewood Studios. The film was released in the UK on DVD by Anchor Bay as part of The Tigon Collection...
(1970) - Perfect FridayPerfect FridayPerfect Friday is a British bank-heist film released in 1970, directed by Peter Hall. It stars Ursula Andress as Lady Britt Dorset, Stanley Baker as Mr Graham, David Warner as Lord Nicholas Dorset and T. P. McKenna as Smith.-Plot:...
(1970) - Straw Dogs (1971)
- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1977)
- Exposure (1978)
- Silver Dream RacerSilver Dream RacerSilver Dream Racer is a film starring David Essex and Beau Bridges. Essex stars as Nick Freeman, a motorcycle racer who, following the death of his brother, inherits a revolutionary prototype motorcycle, and is determined to race it at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.The opening title scenes...
(1980) - The Outsider (1980)
- Britannia HospitalBritannia HospitalBritannia Hospital is a 1982 black comedy film by British director Lindsay Anderson which targets the National Health Service and contemporary British society...
(1982) - Memed My Hawk (1984)
- Pascali's IslandPascali's Island (film)Pascali's Island is a 1988 British drama film, based on the novel by Barry Unsworth. It was written and directed by James Dearden. It stars Ben Kingsley, Charles Dance and Helen Mirren...
(1988) - Jack the RipperJack the Ripper (1988 TV series)Jack the Ripper is a 1988 four-part television movie/mini-series portraying a fictionalized account of the hunt for Jack the Ripper, the unidentified serial killer responsible for the Whitechapel murders of 1888...
(1988) - Red ScorpionRed ScorpionRed Scorpion is a 1989 film directed by Joseph Zito starring Dolph Lundgren.-Plot:The plot centers on Lundgren's character Nikolai, a Soviet Spetsnaz-trained KGB agent who is sent to an African country where Soviet, Czechoslovakian and Cuban forces are helping the government fight an anti-communist...
(1989) - ValmontValmont (film)Valmont is a 1989 drama film directed by Miloš Forman, based on the French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos. It was adapted for the screen with a screenplay by Jean-Claude Carrière...
(1989) - The Chief (1991–1994)
- The Boys & Girl from County Clare (2003)
- The Libertine (2004)