Edmond O'Brien
American actor who won an Academy Award for The Barefoot Contessa.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Edmond O'Brien, born Eamon Joseph O'Brien in Brooklyn, New York, was the youngest of seven children. His parents, both Irish immigrants from County Waterford, had come from Tallow; his father died when O'Brien was four. As a child, he performed magic shows for neighborhood kids under the stage name "Neirbo the Great"—his surname spelled backward. An aunt who taught English and speech introduced him to theater, sparking an interest in acting that he pursued in school plays. After six months at Fordham University, he studied on scholarship at the Neighborhood Playhouse for two years under teachers like Sanford Meisner, alongside classmates such as Betty Garrett. He also trained with the Columbia Laboratory Players, which focused on Shakespeare.
O'Brien began his professional career in summer stock in Yonkers. He made his Broadway debut at 21 in *Daughters of Atreus*, later played a gravedigger in *Hamlet*, toured in *Parnell*, and appeared in Maxwell Anderson's *The Star-Wagon* with Lillian Gish and Burgess Meredith. In 1940, he performed with Ruth Chatterton in John Van Druten's *Leave Her to Heaven* on Broadway, and twelve years later returned for Van Druten's *I've Got Sixpence*.
His theater work caught the eye of RKO producer Pandro Berman, who cast him as a romantic lead in *The Hunchback of Notre Dame* (1939). O'Brien then returned to Broadway to play Mercutio opposite Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh in *Romeo and Juliet*. RKO offered him a long-term contract. He co-starred with Lucille Ball and George Murphy in Harold Lloyd's *A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob* (1941), and with Nancy Kelly—whom he later married—in *Parachute Battalion* (1941). He also appeared in the farce *Obliging Young Lady* (1942). In May 1942, Universal bought out his RKO contract to star him opposite Deanna Durbin in *The Amazing Mrs. Holliday* (1943). Soon after, he joined the armed services.
During World War II, O'Brien served in the U.S. Army Air Forces and appeared in the Air Forces' Broadway play *Winged Victory*, produced by Moss Hart, alongside Red Buttons, Karl Malden, Kevin McCarthy, Gary Merrill, Barry Nelson, and Martin Ritt. The play was filmed in 1944 with O'Brien reprising his role and Judy Holliday co-starring. He toured in the stage production for two years, performing with a young Mario Lanza.
Returning to film at Universal, O'Brien played insurance investigator Jim
- born
- September 10, 1915, Brooklyn, New York
- died
- May 8, 1985
- field
- Actor, film director
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- The Barefoot Contessa, Seven Days in May, The Killers, White Heat, D.O.A., The Wild Bunch
Lore & Background
O'Brien was born in Brooklyn, New York, the seventh and youngest child of Agnes and James O'Brien, both natives of Tallow, County Waterford, Ireland. His father died when he was four. He performed magic shows for children, spelling his last name backwards and billing himself as 'Neirbo the Great'. An aunt who taught high school English and speech took him to the theatre from an early age, and he developed an interest in acting. After attending Fordham University for six months, he studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre on a scholarship for two years under teachers including Sanford Meisner. He also took classes with the Columbia Laboratory Players group, which emphasized training in Shakespeare.
Reader's Guide
O'Brien's career included notable films such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), The Killers (1946), A Double Life (1947), White Heat (1949), D.O.A. (1950), The Hitch-Hiker (1953), Julius Caesar (1953), 1984 (1956), The Girl Can't Help It (1956), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Fantastic Voyage (1966), The Wild Bunch (1969), and The Other Side of the Wind (2018). He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and appeared in the Broadway play Winged Victory. His radio work included the title role in Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar for 31 months. Despite career ups and downs, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Barefoot Contessa. His legacy includes a wide range of film noir and character roles, and he remains recognized for his versatility across genres.
Did You Know?
- O'Brien performed magic shows as a child, billing himself as 'Neirbo the Great' by spelling his last name backwards.
- He was voted by the Young Women's League of America in 1949 as having more 'male magnetism' than any other man in America.
- He played the title role in the radio drama Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar for 103 episodes from 1950 to 1952.
- O'Brien's film The Other Side of the Wind was released in 2018, decades after his death.
More in Screen Legends 1-24
Elsewhere in the Screen Legends universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record