← Movies
Denis O'Dea

🎬 Movies Mates PEOPLE

Denis O'Dea

Acting

πŸŽ‚ April 26, 1905πŸ“ Dublin, IrelandπŸ•―οΈ November 5, 1978 Β· Age 73

Biography

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…

Read full biography

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).

Biography expanded

BODY OF WORK

Denis O'Dea's Filmography

Select any movie to open its full Movies Mates details page.

Esther and the King
View Movie β†’

Esther and the King

1960⭐ 5.5

as Mordecai

Cradle of Genius
View Movie β†’

Cradle of Genius

1960⭐ 10.0

as Self

Darby O'Gill and the Little People
View Movie β†’

Darby O'Gill and the Little People

1959⭐ 6.7

as Father Murphy

I Captured the King of the Leprechauns
View Movie β†’

I Captured the King of the Leprechauns

1959⭐ 9.0

as Father Murphy

The Story of Esther Costello
View Movie β†’

The Story of Esther Costello

1957⭐ 7.0

as Father Devlin

The Rising of the Moon
View Movie β†’

The Rising of the Moon

1957⭐ 6.8

as Police Sergeant Tom O'Hara (segment '1921')

Captain Lightfoot
View Movie β†’

Captain Lightfoot

1955⭐ 6.4

as Regis Donnell

Mogambo
View Movie β†’

Mogambo

1953⭐ 6.4

as Father Josef

Sea Devils
View Movie β†’

Sea Devils

1953⭐ 5.8

as Lethierry

Niagara
View Movie β†’

Niagara

1953⭐ 6.8

as Inspector Starkey

Never Take No for an Answer
View Movie β†’

Never Take No for an Answer

1951⭐ 6.2

as Father Damico

Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.
View Movie β†’

Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.

1951⭐ 7.0

as RAdm. Sir Rodney Leighton

The Long Dark Hall
View Movie β†’

The Long Dark Hall

1951⭐ 6.7

as Sir Charles Morton

Treasure Island
View Movie β†’

Treasure Island

1950⭐ 6.5

as Dr. Livesy

Under Capricorn
View Movie β†’

Under Capricorn

1949⭐ 6.0

as Mr. Corrigan

Landfall
View Movie β†’

Landfall

1949⭐ 7.6

as Captain Burnaby

Marry Me
View Movie β†’

Marry Me

1949⭐ 5.8

as George Saunders

🎬

No Poster

View Movie β†’

The Bad Lord Byron

1949⭐ 6.1

as Prosecuting Counsel

The Fallen Idol
View Movie β†’

The Fallen Idol

1948⭐ 7.2

as Inspector Crowe

The Mark of Cain
View Movie β†’

The Mark of Cain

1947⭐ 6.2

as Sir William Godgrey

Odd Man Out
View Movie β†’

Odd Man Out

1947⭐ 7.3

as Inspector

The Plough and the Stars
View Movie β†’

The Plough and the Stars

1936⭐ 5.7

as The Covey

Beloved Enemy
View Movie β†’

Beloved Enemy

1936⭐ 6.3

as Sean's I.R.A. Friend (Uncredited)

The Informer
View Movie β†’

The Informer

1935⭐ 6.8

as Street Singer

Guests of The Nation
View Movie β†’

Guests of The Nation

1935⭐ 5.0
Β© 2026 Movies Mates β€” What are you in the mood for?