Biography
Denis O'Dea (26 April 1905 – 5 November 1978) was an Irish stage and film actor. Born in Dublin, he trained at the Abbey School of Acting and became a leading member of the Abbey Theatre company from 1929 to 1953, appearing in numerous productions including plays by Teresa Deevy.
His film career began in the mid-1930s with roles in two John Ford pictures, The Informer (1935) and The Plough and the Stars (1936). He is noted for playing police inspectors in Carol Reed films, including the part in pursuit of James Mason in Odd Man Out (1947) and Inspector Crowe in The Fallen Idol (1948). Other screen credits include Under Capricorn (1949), Treasure Island (1950), Mogambo (1953), Niagara (1953) and Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959).
O'Dea married actress Siobhán McKenna in 1946; they had one son.
