Biography
J. M. Kerrigan (also credited as J.M. Kerrigan and Joseph M. Kerrigan) was an Irish character actor. Born Joseph Michael Kerrigan in Dublin on 16 December 1884, he worked as a newspaper reporter before joining the Abbey Players in 1907. He appeared in numerous productions by Lady Gregory, W. B. Yeats and J. M. Synge, and later performed in 35 Broadway shows, including works by Shakespeare, Ibsen and Sheridan.
Kerrigan made his screen debut in the 1916 silent film Food of Love and settled in Hollywood in 1935 after being recruited by John Ford for The Informer, in which he played Terry. He appeared in over 100 films, with notable roles including Johnny Gallagher in Gone with the Wind (1939), Eli Matson in The Sea Hawk (1940), Charles Conliffe in The Wolf Man (1941) and Billy in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). He also worked in television from the 1950s and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Kerrigan died in Hollywood on 29 April 1964.
