Pat O'Brien
Biography
Pat O'Brien was an American actor who accumulated more than 100 screen credits. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was of Irish descent and often played Irish and Irish-American characters. After spending a decade in Broadway and New York stage productions, he made his film debut in the 1930 short The Nightingale and first starred as reporter Hildy Johnson in The Front Page (1931). Signed to Warner Bros., he remained there until 1940 and became known for playing priests, cops, military figures, pilots, and reporters. Among his best-remembered roles were the priest in Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), coach Knute Rockne in Knute Rockne All American (1940), and a police detective in Some Like It Hot (1959). He later worked in television, including the sitcom Harrigan and Son, and appeared in The End (1978). His final filmed performance came on Happy Days in 1982.
83years old at death
- Born Milwaukee
- Died Santa Monica
- Star sign: ScorpioThe sign runs October 23 to November 21
- William Joseph Patrick O'Brien (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 22
- Career span
- 50 years1931 to 1981
First and latest
Share
Did you know?!
Early training
O'Brien and Spencer Tracy attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York after moving there together while O'Brien was still at college.
A role that slipped away
At the height of his career, O'Brien was considered for the part of Alvin York in the film Sergeant York.
Behind the camera
O'Brien and his agent Phil Ryan started their own company, Teneen Productions. The company signed with Columbia to make Secret Command (1944), a film starring O'Brien.
A first
Doc Severinsen played trumpet while O'Brien spoke the Star Spangled Banner for the National Anthem at the opening of Super Bowl IV in 1970. His role as Knute Rockne led to the invitation.
Pat O'Brien movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Lloyd Bacon directed three of these films. Frank McHugh appears in five of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Frank McHugh's page
James Cagney's page
Barton MacLane's page
Henry O'Neill's page
Humphrey Bogart's page
Robert Ryan's page
All films by Lloyd Bacon
Also two films together15 more actors
- John LitelKnute Rockne All American (1940) and The Fighting 69th (1940)
- Spencer TracyThe Last Hurrah (1958) and The People Against O'Hara (1951)
- Donald CrispThe Last Hurrah (1958) and Knute Rockne All American (1940)
- Wallace FordThe Last Hurrah (1958) and Crack-Up (1946)
- Robert BarratGambling Lady (1934) and Here Comes the Navy (1934)
- Ray CollinsCrack-Up (1946) and The Navy Comes Through (1942)
- George E. StoneSome Like It Hot (1959) and The Front Page (1931)
- Willard RobertsonGambling Lady (1934) and Here Comes the Navy (1934)
- Guinn 'Big Boy' WilliamsThe Fighting 69th (1940) and Here Comes the Navy (1934)
- Berton ChurchillPage Miss Glory (1935) and American Madness (1932)
- Charley GrapewinAmerican Madness (1932) and Hell's House (1932)
- Ann SheridanAngels with Dirty Faces (1938) and San Quentin (1937)
- Gavin GordonPage Miss Glory (1935) and American Madness (1932)
- Walter CatlettThe Boy with Green Hair (1948) and The Front Page (1931)
- Dorothy TreeKnute Rockne All American (1940) and Here Comes the Navy (1934)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Awards
Two awards and honors, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| Daytime Emmy Award | Won | ||
| Other honors | |||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.