Carroll O'Connor

Biography

O'Connor was born in The Bronx, New York and he lived during much of his youth in Forest Hills, New York in the borough of Queens, where his character Archie Bunker would later live. He served in the Merchant Marine during World War II and began his acting career shortly afterwards. O'Connor's many film roles include Lonely Are The Brave (1962), Cleopatra (1963), In Harm's Way (1965), Hawaii (1966), The Devil's Brigade (1968) and Kelly's Heroes (1970). O'Connor also appeared on episodes of many popular television series such as Gunsmoke, I Spy, The Fugitive, and The Wild Wild West.

Related Topics:
The Bronx - New York - Forest Hills, New York - Queens - Merchant Marine - World War II - Lonely Are The Brave - (1962) - Cleopatra - (1963) - In Harm's Way - (1965) - Hawaii - (1966) - The Devil's Brigade - (1968) - Kelly's Heroes - (1970) - Gunsmoke - I Spy - The Fugitive - The Wild Wild West

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O'Connor was living in Italy in 1970 when producer Norman Lear asked him to star as Archie Bunker in a new sitcom called All in the Family. O'Connor did not expect the show to be a success, and believed that he would be able to move back to Europe. Instead, the show became the highest-rated television program on American television for five years, until 1976.

Related Topics:
Italy - Norman Lear

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O'Connor's own politics were left-wing, but he understood Archie Bunker and played him not only with bombast and humor but with touches of vulnerability. The writing on the show was consistently left of center but O'Connor often deftly skewered the liberal pieties of the day. The result is widely considered to be an absorbing, entertaining television show. All in the Family was based on the BBC show Til Death Us Do Part, with Archie Bunker based on Alf Garnett, but somewhat less abrasive.

Related Topics:
Left-wing - BBC - Til Death Us Do Part - Alf Garnett

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Although Archie Bunker was famous for murdering the English language by malapropism, O'Connor was highly educated and cultured. In fact, he was an English teacher before turning to acting.

Related Topics:
English language - Malapropism - Teacher

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He married his wife Nancy in Dublin, Ireland (and she later converted to Roman Catholicism for him) in 1951, and their only child, adopted son Hugh O'Connor, committed suicide in 1995 after a long battle with drug addiction. He left a widow and small child behind.

Related Topics:
Hugh O'Connor - Suicide - 1995 - Drug addiction

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Carroll O'Connor died on June 21, 2001, at the age of 76 from a heart attack brought on by complications from diabetes.

Related Topics:
June 21 - 2001

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