Biography
Arthur O'Connell (29 March 1908 – 18 May 1981) was an American stage and film actor. Born in New York City, he began his career in vaudeville and made his legitimate stage debut in the late 1920s. He appeared in small film roles from the late 1930s, including an uncredited part as a reporter in Citizen Kane (1941).
O'Connell achieved recognition on Broadway in the 1953 production of Picnic, a role he reprised in the 1955 film adaptation, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He received a second nomination for his performance as a boozy lawyer in Anatomy of a Murder (1959). His other notable film credits include Bus Stop (1956), Man of the West (1958), Operation Petticoat (1959), Cimarron (1960) as Tom Wyatt, The Great Race (1965), Fantastic Voyage (1966) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972). He also made numerous television guest appearances.
