Denis O'Dea

Denis ODea 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 ODea was a leading member of Dublins 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 mid1930s 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 Reeds Odd Man Out 1947