Donal Donnelly
| Donal Donnelly | |
|---|---|
Drawing by Reginald Gray. Dublin. 1956.
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| Born |
6 July 1931 Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK |
| Died | 4 January 2010 (aged 78) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1957–1999 |
Donal Donnelly (6 July 1931 – 4 January 2010) was an English-born Irish theatre and film actor. Perhaps best known for his work in the plays of Brian Friel, he had a long and varied career in film, on television and in the theatre. His travels - he lived in Ireland, the U.K. and the U.S. at various times - led to him describing himself as " ... an itinerant Irish actor ...".
He was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, but brought up in Dublin, Ireland. His father James was a doctor from County Tyrone, and his mother Nora O'Connor was a teacher from Kerry.
Donal Donnelly attended school at Synge Street Christian Brothers School in Dublin where he acted in school plays with Milo O'Shea, Eamonn Andrews, Jack McGowran, Bernard Frawley (Seattle Repertory Co.) and Jimmy Fitzsimons (brother of Maureen O'Hara), under the direction of famous elocution teacher, Ena Burke.
Donnelly toured with Anew McMaster's Irish repertory company before moving to England where he starred with Rita Tushingham in the film The Knack …and How to Get It.
His breakthrough role came when he was cast as Gar Private in the world premiere of Brian Friel’s Philadelphia, Here I Come! directed by Hilton Edwards for the Gate Theatre at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 1964. The production subsequently transferred to Broadway where it played for over 300 performances and established Donnelly and Patrick Bedford – who played his alter-ego Gar Public – as formidable new talents to be reckoned with. They were jointly nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play in 1966.
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