Donald oconnor biography films authors
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Donald O'Connor
Actor, Director, Producer, Writer
Born 28 August 1925 in Chicago, Illinois, USA
Born into a vaudeville family, O'Connor was the youthful figure cutting a rug in several Universal musicals of the 1940s. His best-known musical work is probably Singin' in the Rain (1952), in which he did an impressive dance that culminated in a series of backflips off the wall. O'Connor was also effective in comedic lead roles, particularly as the companion to Francis the Talking Mule in that film series.
Born into a vaudeville family, O'Connor was the youthful figure cutting a rug in several Universal musicals of the 1940s. His best-known musical work is probably Singin' in the Rain (1952), in which he did an impressive dance that culminated in a series of backflips off the wall. O'Connor was also effective in comedic lead roles, particularly as the companion to Francis the Talking Mule in that film series.
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Donald O'Connor
American film actor (1925–2003)
Donald O'Connor | |
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O'Connor in 1952 | |
| Born | Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (1925-08-28)August 28, 1925 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | September 27, 2003(2003-09-27) (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1932–1999 |
| Spouses | Gwen Carter (m. 1944; div. 1954)Gloria Noble (m. 1956) |
| Children | 4 |
Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred, in succession, with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule.
O'Connor was born into a vaudeville family, where he learned to dance, sing, play comedy, and perform slapstick. The most distinctive characteristic of his dancing style was its athleticism, for which he had few rivals. Yet it w
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From the Archives: Donald O’Connor, 78; Entertainer Immortalized by ‘Singin’ in the Rain’
Donald O’Connor, the breezy song-and-dance comedian who created movie magic with his spirited rendition of “Make ‘em Laugh” in the Hollywood musical “Singin’ in the Rain” and also played lovable straight man to a talking mule named Francis, died Saturday. He was 78.
O’Connor died of heart failure at the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital in Woodland Hills, surrounded by his family, said his daughter, Alicia O’Connor.
In 1999, O’Connor suffered a severe bout of viral pneumonia with heart and lung complications, requiring nine months’ recuperation, but eventually he returned to limited performing.
“Even when he was in pain,” his daughter said of his brief recent illness, “he was still ansträngande to make people laugh. Only two nights ago he told us, ‘I’d just like to thank the academy for my lifetime achievement award that inom will eventually get.’
“He was a jokester, so we just laughed,” she