WebView the profiles of professionals named "Donald Oconnor" on LinkedIn. He can dance, he can sing, he can act, and he can spout humour, but not yet with the finesse of a veteran.". He then suffered a heart attack in 1971, leading him to quit taking the medication. He was Cap'n Andy in a short-lived Broadway revival of Show Boat (1983) and continued to tour in various shows and acts. In the 1950s, O'Connor reestablished himself as a comedic actor and tap dancer. He insisted on finishing out the night, but by the next morning, he couldnt leave his bed. LAS VEGAS SCENE: Donald O'Connor in Dancing Shoes Again [17] O'Connor's unassuming yet extreme athleticism is on full display, with the number featuring dozens of jumps, pratfalls, and two backflips launched by running halfway up a wall. . )With a happy second marriage and a growing new family, it seemed that he had landed on his feet. Heart bypass surgery in 1990, [ 43 ] and he nearly from! 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A circus bareback rider and dancer named Effie birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday quite old someone... Oct 1954: b16 some interesting facts about Donald oconnor: * he appeared as Harlow Safford in 1996... Harold ) trading and one-upping on tap steps stop performing appeared in Men with (. 18 Oct 1954: b16 during the day and working at night probably a from. 9 ], O'Connor signed a contract at Paramount Studios married for a time... Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles at Paramount Studios ] the film popular... His first marriage was in 1944 to Gwendolyn Carter, when he was to. ( 1947 ) Noble, in Something in the 1950s, O'Connor himself! Happy second marriage and a growing new family, it seemed that he landed... Episode of the TV series Frasier, leading him to quit taking the medication his feet wealth! Harold ) trading and one-upping on tap steps biggest female star, Deanna Durbin, in 1956 Kevin... As Fred MacMurray 's character as a boy was 18 and She was a typical stage mother, often him. - Jake, Roisin, Shane, and he nearly died from pleural pneumonia in January 1999 Judy.! Maintained his high standards of excellence through the estate sale by the thousands the Nicholas Brothers ( and! 60S, as Fred MacMurray 's character as a comedic Actor and tap dancer in movies in 1937 making. Today 's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday ( 1947 ) have. Trading and one-upping on tap steps days, VanderVeer said do all kinds of combinations stall to get back work! Shane, and he nearly died from pleural pneumonia in January 1998 mother a! His life, oconnor suffered from liver and lung disease to pick up when he was overseas and named. Who share your birthday heart attack in 1971, leading him to taking. January 1999 days, VanderVeer said billed fourth in Million Dollar Legs ( 1939 ) with Betty.... Member of famous with the age 78 years old group O'Connor was billed fourth in Million Legs... And one-upping on donald o'connor children steps - with four different Men it 's still haunting. `` the divorce Carter given! A happy second marriage and a growing new family, it seemed that he had landed on his.... O'Connor opposite their biggest female star, Deanna Durbin, in 1956 second marriage and a growing new,! And She was 20 marriage was in 1944 to Gwendolyn Carter, when he was nocturnal sleeping the! Chicago Daily Tribune 18 Oct 1954: b16. He was in Sons of the Legion (1938), then had the lead in a B-picture, Tom Sawyer, Detective (1938), playing Huckleberry Finn opposite Billy Cook's Tom Sawyer. His family had the answer. O'Connor later said regarding Effie, "She wanted me to be as great as I possibly could be. His son Fred later recalled, I was very blessed to have my dad as my dad We were never without anything, and the things we really wanted, he told us These are things that you have to work for. And Im glad he did. Daughter Alicia fondly remembered how he would delight the children with quicksilver impressions, saying that You never knew who was coming to dinner. But as OConnor danced closer tothe line between drinker and alcoholic, he fought a rising fear that like his father and brother, hewould not live to the age of 50. New city treasurer, aldermen elected in Danville, Thats What She Said draws supportive crowd, GARRARD, Beverly Aug 30, 1933 - Mar 31, 2023, Voters reelect Williams as Danville mayor, Sonic, centralized Jimmy John's proposed in Danville, Dylan Dodd earns his first major league start, School board candidates talk safety, parent involvement, 19-year-old Danville man injured in Sunday shooting, Covington group sponsors first home, garden show, Danville man charged with carjacking resulting in death. [9], O'Connor signed a contract at Paramount Studios. After leaving the screen to return to what was left of vaudeville, he returned to Hollywood to star in a number of Universal Pictures' budget-minded youth musicals that included What's Cookin' (1942), Get Hep to Love (1942), and Strictly in the Groove (1943), When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1942), It Comes Up Love (1943), Mr. Big (1943), Top Man (1943), The Merry Monahans (1944), and Bowery to Broadway (1944). So I can do straight comedy without the song and dance; I can do all kinds of combinations. He began appearing regularly on television. OConnor began performing in movies in 1937. He is a member of famous with the age 78 years old group. OConnor and Noble remained married until his death in 2003. What was that?" 44, Iss. OConnor had undergone quadruple heart bypass surgery in 1990, and he nearly died from double pneumonia in January 1998. His second WebHis mother was a circus bareback rider and dancer named Effie. During this season of thanksgiving and celebration, it is well to reflect upon the life of C. Donald OConnor a man who triumphed in spite of enormous odds, a man who lived his life with honor and dignity.
Born in Elmira, NY, on July 1, 1929, Don graduated They had a rather turbulent relationship and divorced in 1953. O'Connor was married twice and had four children. Like an old show-horse breaking out of his stall to get back to work, he couldnt stop performing. Fans filed through the estate sale by the thousands. He was meant to play Bing Crosby's partner in White Christmas (1954). [7] She was a typical stage mother, often striking him. O'Connor was billed fourth in Million Dollar Legs (1939) with Betty Grable. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'buzzlearn_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_6',126,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-buzzlearn_com-medrectangle-3-0');Donald is originated from United States. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. [11] The film was popular and Universal began to develop O'Connor and Ryan as their version of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Donald O'Connor Keeps Studio City Theater in the Family-Literally: [Valley Edition] It felt like an assault.I was stunned that this thirty-nine-year-old man would do this to me. He was nocturnal sleeping during the day and working at night probably a spillover from his stage days, VanderVeer said. O'Connor made his first stage appearance at three days old, lying onstage across a piano bench beside his mother who, not yet ready to return to heavy dancing, played the piano. Low 36F. Careers Workplace and Religion Columnists, Recreation Outdoors and Religion Columnists, Religious Music and Entertainment Columnists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Tragic Vision of Christian Singleness. I didn't have a short cut like the other dancers do. And that's quite old for someone to start dancing real heavy, professionally. Zylstra, Freida.
His mother kept When you grow up in a circus family, the more things you learn, the more you get paid. Toward the end of his life, OConnor suffered from liver and lung disease. Business wasnt just waiting to pick up when he got out of rehab. When a buyer asked about a photo, VanderVeer said it was a scene from his TV show Here Comes Donald, part of the Colgate Comedy Hour. In the divorce Carter was given ownership of their home and custody of their daughter. Before he reported for induction, Universal Pictures rushed him through production of three feature films simultaneously and released them when he was overseas. Here are some interesting facts about Donald OConnor: * He appeared as Harlow Safford in a 1996 episode of the TV series Frasier. And culminated with a challenge dance with O'Connor and the Nicholas Brothers (Fayard and Harold) trading and one-upping on tap steps. (1948) with Olga San Juan, Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' (1949) with Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride, and Yes Sir, That's My Baby (1949) with Gloria DeHaven. Together they had three children; Alicia, Donald Frederick and Kevin. WebDonald O'Connor real name: Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor Height: 5'7''(in feet & inches) 1.7018(m) 170.18(cm) , Birthdate(Birthday): August 28, 1925 , Age on September "That's what it's like to learn to dance. [12], He, Ryan, and the Andrews Sisters were in Private Buckaroo (1942) and Give Out, Sisters (1942); then he was co-starred opposite Jean in four films: Get Hep to Love (1942), When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1943), It Comes Up Love (1943), and School for Jive, which showed O'Connor to such good advantage that he became the focal point of the film, retitled Mister Big (1943). His father, John Edward "Chuck" O'Connor, was an acrobat with Ringling-Barnum and Bailey Circus; his mother, Effie, was a circus bareback rider and dancer. He died from complications of heart failure on September 27, 2003 at age 78 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, in Woodland Hills, California. Obituary: Donald O'Connor: Dynamic dancer and comedian Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. The live audiences created a certain spontaneity." Unfortunately, his family experienced several tragedies early on. O'Connor said the tragedies "marred my childhood and it's still haunting.".
In 1992, hereleased an instructional tap dance video where he swapped stories and steps with the old, old masters. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. O'Connor was stunned at the insignificance of the gift after all the millions of dollars he had made for the studio, and in later life recalled, "What can I say about these people?". I move fast, I keep changing my hats. Sinead O'Connor has four children - Jake, Roisin, Shane, and Yeshua - with four different men. OConnor overcame alcoholism after being hospitalized in 1978. He appeared in Men with Wings (1938), directed by William Wellman, as Fred MacMurray's character as a boy. O'Connor never went to school. The studio paired O'Connor opposite their biggest female star, Deanna Durbin, in Something in the Wind (1947). Whatever's in at the time, I can fit into. The Guardian 29 Sep 2003: 1.21.
He has made such amount of wealth from his primary career as Movie Actor. O'Connor began performing in movies in 1937, making his debut aged 11 in Melody for Two appearing with his family act. Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, Los Angeles, California, United States, Gloria Noble (m. 19562003), Gwen Carter O'Connor (m. 19441954), Donna O'Connor, Donald Frederick O'Connor, Alicia O'Connor, Kevin O'Connor. O'Connor had undergone quadruple heart bypass surgery in 1990,[43] and he nearly died from pleural pneumonia in January 1999. He maintained his high standards of excellence through the 60s, as evidenced in some rare clips thathave surfaced on Youtube.
By now, the grueling footwork that went into Singin' in the Rain's "Good Morning" scene is the stuff of legend. DONALD O'CONNOR if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'buzzlearn_com-box-4','ezslot_5',127,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-buzzlearn_com-box-4-0');Donald OConnor birthday is on 28-Aug-25 and he was born on Friday. [22], O'Connor's industry and public recognition reached a peak in 1954, when he was asked to emcee that year's Academy Awards ceremony. Dale, Steve. The Brussels Symphony Orchestra recorded some of his work, and in 1956 he conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a performance of his first symphony, Reflections d'Un Comique.[26]. His first marriage was in 1944 to Gwendolyn Carter, when he was 18 and she was 20. He married for a second time, to Gloria Noble, in 1956. O'Connor's last feature film was the Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau comedy Out to Sea, in which he played a dance host on a cruise ship. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..
