J. M. Kerrigan
Encyclopedia
Joseph Michael Kerrigan (16 December 1884 – 29 April 1964), better known as J. M. Kerrigan, born in Dublin, Ireland, was an Irish
character actor.
. There he became a stalwart, appearing in plays by Lady Gregory, John Millington Synge
, William Butler Yeats
, and Sean O'Casey
(for whom he played the role of Jimmy Farrell in The Playboy of the Western World
.
His first screen appearance was in the silent film Food of Love
in 1916. By the 1920s he was appearing on Broadway
, often in plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Sheridan
.
He settled permanently in Hollywood in 1935, having been recruited along with several other Abbey performers, to appear in John Ford
's The Informer. In that film and in Ford's The Long Voyage Home
, he plays similar roles, that of a leech
who attaches himself to men until they run out of money. Perhaps his best known role was in The General Died at Dawn
, where he plays a character actually named Leach, in which he steals scenes from Gary Cooper
, Madeleine Carroll
, and William Frawley
. In it he plays a sinister little petty thief who, holding a gun on Cooper, says, "I may be fat, but I'm agile." Regrettably, in the forties and fifties he rarely got good parts and eventually became little more than a bit player.
He had very little screen time in films which he starred as minor roles, such as the "First Drayman" in Merely Mary Ann
(1931) with Janet Gaynor
. One of his most recognizable minor roles in Gone with the Wind
(1939), when he played John Gallegher, the seemly jovial mill owner who whips his convict labour in to "co-operation". He also appeared in Walt Disney
's 1954 famous film version
of Jules Verne
's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
in a minor role at the beginning of the film.
In 1946 Kerrigan tried breaking into Broadway shows, playing the discombobulated leprechaun
Jackeen J. O'Malley in the show "Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley", based on the Crockett Johnson
comic strip
.
Despite having small roles, Kerrigan has a "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6621 Hollywood Blvd.
He died in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
on April 29, 1964. He is buried in Culver City's Holy Cross Cemetery
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
character actor.
Life
Kerrigan worked as a newspaper reporter until 1907 when he joined the famous Abbey PlayersAbbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
. There he became a stalwart, appearing in plays by Lady Gregory, John Millington Synge
John Millington Synge
Edmund John Millington Synge was an Irish playwright, poet, prose writer, and collector of folklore. He was a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival and was one of the cofounders of the Abbey Theatre...
, William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
, and Sean O'Casey
Seán O'Casey
Seán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.- Early life:...
(for whom he played the role of Jimmy Farrell in The Playboy of the Western World
The Playboy of the Western World
The Playboy of the Western World is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge and first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on January 26, 1907. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo during the early 1900s...
.
His first screen appearance was in the silent film Food of Love
Food of Love
Food of Love is a 2002 Spanish/German film based on the 1998 novel The Page Turner by David Leavitt. The screenplay was written by Ventura Pons who also directed the feature....
in 1916. By the 1920s he was appearing on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, often in plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan was an Irish-born playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford , Westminster and Ilchester...
.
He settled permanently in Hollywood in 1935, having been recruited along with several other Abbey performers, to appear in John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
's The Informer. In that film and in Ford's The Long Voyage Home
The Long Voyage Home
The Long Voyage Home is an American drama film and directed by John Ford. It features John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Barry Fitzgerald, Wilfrid Lawson, John Qualen, Mildred Natwick, Ward Bond, among others....
, he plays similar roles, that of a leech
Leech (disambiguation)
Leech may refer to:* Leech, common name for the annelids comprising the subclass Hirudinea** Leeching, a form of bloodletting in medieval and early-modern medicine which used leeches* Leech, an old term for a doctor of medicine...
who attaches himself to men until they run out of money. Perhaps his best known role was in The General Died at Dawn
The General Died at Dawn
The General Died at Dawn is a 1936 film that tells the story of a mercenary who meets a beautiful girl while trying to keep arms from getting to a vicious warlord in war-torn China. The movie was written by Charles G. Booth and Clifford Odets, and directed by Lewis Milestone.It stars Gary Cooper,...
, where he plays a character actually named Leach, in which he steals scenes from Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
, Madeleine Carroll
Madeleine Carroll
Edith Madeleine Carroll was an English actress, popular in the 1930s and 1940s.-Early life:Carroll was born at 32 Herbert Street in West Bromwich, England. She graduated from the University of Birmingham, England with a B.A. degree...
, and William Frawley
William Frawley
William Clement "Bill" Frawley was an American stage entertainer, screen and television actor. Although Frawley acted in over 100 films, he achieved his greatest fame playing landlord Fred Mertz for the situation comedy I Love Lucy.-Early life:William was born to Michael A. Frawley and Mary E....
. In it he plays a sinister little petty thief who, holding a gun on Cooper, says, "I may be fat, but I'm agile." Regrettably, in the forties and fifties he rarely got good parts and eventually became little more than a bit player.
He had very little screen time in films which he starred as minor roles, such as the "First Drayman" in Merely Mary Ann
Merely Mary Ann
Merely Mary Ann is a romantic comedy drama film starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. Gaynor and Farrell made almost a dozen films together, including Frank Borzage's classics Seventh Heaven , Street Angel , and Lucky Star ; Gaynor won the first Academy Award for Best Actress for the first...
(1931) with Janet Gaynor
Janet Gaynor
Janet Gaynor was an American actress and painter.One of the most popular actresses of the silent film era, in 1928 Gaynor became the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in three films: Seventh Heaven , Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Street Angel...
. One of his most recognizable minor roles in Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
(1939), when he played John Gallegher, the seemly jovial mill owner who whips his convict labour in to "co-operation". He also appeared in Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's 1954 famous film version
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 adventure film starring Kirk Douglas as Ned Land, James Mason as Captain Nemo, Paul Lukas as Professor Pierre Aronnax, and Peter Lorre as Conseil. It was the first science fiction film produced by Walt Disney Productions, as well as the only science-fiction...
of Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne published in 1870. It tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus as seen from the perspective of Professor Pierre Aronnax...
in a minor role at the beginning of the film.
In 1946 Kerrigan tried breaking into Broadway shows, playing the discombobulated leprechaun
Leprechaun
A leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. Like other fairy creatures, leprechauns have been linked to the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythology...
Jackeen J. O'Malley in the show "Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley", based on the Crockett Johnson
Crockett Johnson
Crockett Johnson was the pen name of cartoonist and children's book illustrator David Johnson Leisk...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
.
Despite having small roles, Kerrigan has a "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6621 Hollywood Blvd.
He died in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
on April 29, 1964. He is buried in Culver City's Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Holy Cross Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery at 5835 West Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles....
.