Denis O'Dea

Denis O'Dea (26 April 1905 – 5 November 1978) was an Irish stage and film actor.

He was born in Dublin and attended Synge Street CBS. When very young he and his mother Kathleen (from County Kerry) moved in with her sister, who kept a boarding house at 54 South Richmond Street. He worked in insurance until taking up acting. O'Dea was a leading member of Dublin's Abbey Theatre where he had a great acting career from 1929 to 1953; a list of his performances can be found in the Abbey archives. He also appeared in numerous plays by Irish playwright Teresa Deevy, some of which toured New York and England. His work led to a number of notable film roles, including two mid-1930s John Ford films, The Informer and The Plough and the Stars (1936), and the part of the police inspector in pursuit of IRA man James Mason in Carol Reed's Odd Man Out (1947).

Denis O'Dea is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 25 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959), I Captured the King of the Leprechauns (1959), The Rising of the Moon (1957), Captain Lightfoot (1955), Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951), Under Capricorn (1949), Guests of The Nation (1935), Treasure Island (1950). The recorded credits span 1935 to 1960, including 25 movies and 0 TV shows.

The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.