William Joseph Patrick O'Brien was an American film actor with more than 100 screen credits. Of Irish descent, he often played Irish and Irish-American characters and was referred to as "Hollywood's Irishman in Residence" in the press. One of the best known screen actors of the 1930s and 1940s, he played priests, cops, military figures, pilots, and reporters. He is especially well remembered for his roles in Knute Rockne, All American (1940), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), and Some Like It Hot (1959). He was frequently paired onscreen with Hollywood star and close friend James Cagney. O'Brien also appeared on stage and television.
Known For
Credits
Cast Credits
WKRP in Cincinnati (1978)
Guest starring as Col. H. Buchanan
- Episode 4x08: Jennifer and the Will (Dec 2, 1981) [Special Guest Star]
Happy Days (1974)
Guest starring as Uncle Joe
(2 episodes)
- Episode 9x14: Grandma Nussbaum (Jan 19, 1982)
- Episode 7x24: The Roaring Twenties (Mar 25, 1980)
Alias Smith and Jones (1971)
Guest starring as Hayfoot Stockton
- Episode 2x11: Shootout at Diablo Station (Dec 2, 1971) [Special Guest Star]
McCloud (1970)
Guest starring as Mac Ferguson
- Episode 4x01: Butch Cassidy Rides Again (Oct 14, 1973)
Branded (1965)
Guest starring as Phineas T. Barnum
- Episode 2x11: The Greastest Coward on Earth (Nov 21, 1965)
Merv Griffin Show (1962)
Guest starring as Pat O'Brien
- Episode 1962-10-16: Mitch Miller, Pat O'Brien, Hermione Gingold, Stanley Myron Handelman, Sammy Kaye (Oct 16, 1962)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)
Guest starring as Pat O'Brien
(2 episodes)
- Episode 1965-06-21: Jun 21, 1965 (Jun 21, 1965)
- Episode 1963-07-30: Jul 30, 1963 (Jul 30, 1963)
The Virginian (1962)
Guest starring as J. Jimerson Jones
- Episode 2x17: The Fortunes of J. Jimerson Jones (Jan 15, 1964)
Guest starring as Doc Ernest Bigelow
- Episode 5x17: Yesterday's Timepiece (Jan 18, 1967) [Special Guest Star]
The Mike Douglas Show (1961)
Guest starring as Co-Host
(3 episodes)
- Episode 13x182: May 14, 1974 (May 14, 1974)
- Episode 2x193: May 29, 1963 (May 29, 1963)
- Episode 2x192: May 28, 1963 (May 28, 1963)
Guest starring as Pat O'Brien
- Episode 1x138: Jun 27, 1962 (Jun 27, 1962)
Harrigan and Son (1960)
Starring as James Harrigan, Sr.
(2 episodes)
- Episode 1x07: Miss Claridge Finds Romance (Dec 2, 1960)
- Episode 1x05: Pay the Two Dollars (Nov 11, 1960)
Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (1956)
Guest starring as Pat O'Brien
- Episode 1x26: Apr 4, 1957 (Apr 4, 1957)