John Carroll O’Connor was best known for playing Archie Bunker on All in the Family and its sequel series Archie Bunker’s Place. While he was ranked as one of TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time (#38!), he didn’t even start acting until he was in his 30s and got the iconic role of Archie when he was in his 40s. In honor of what would have been his 100th birthday (he was born on August 2, 1924), let’s learn some interesting facts about the late star. Sadly, he died at the age of 76 in 2001 of a heart attack brought on by complications of diabetes.
He adopted a son while filming in Rome
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In 1962, while filming the movie Cleopatra in Rome, O’Connor and his wife Nancy Fields O’Connor adopted a baby and named him Hugh after O’Connor’s late brother. When he was 17 years old, he worked on the set of Archie Bunker’s Place as a courier and later appeared on the show In the Heat of the Night with his father. Sadly, he died in 1995 by suicide from dealing with a drug addiction. O’Connor funneled his grief into being a spokesperson for the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and helped pass the Drug Dealers Civil Liability Act in California.
He personally answered his fan mail
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In his later years, it is said that he answered all of his fan mail personally because he felt grateful for all of his fans and felt it was the least he could do for them.
He was late to the acting world
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Before he became an actor, O’Connor enrolled in a university but dropped out to serve during World War II. He enrolled in the United States Merchant Marine Academy for a while after being rejected by the United States Navy. Eventually, he attended the University of Montana and worked on the student newspaper as well as acted in student theater productions there. It was at the school where he met his future wife, Nancy. O’Connor left to go to Ireland to help his brother get into medical school, and he studied at the University College Dublin. Nancy followed and they wed in Dublin in 1951. After deciding to become an actor, he worked as a substitute teacher to pay the bills while he auditioned for parts.
O’Connor and his wife donated $1 million to their alma mater
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O’Connor eventually returned to the University of Montana and got his master’s degree in speech. In 1997, the couple donated $1 million to the University of Montana’s Center for the Rocky Mountain West and it was renamed Carroll and Nancy Fields O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West.
He was nothing like Archie Bunker
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In fact, it was said that he was the complete opposite, proving that he was a great actor. While Bunker was very conservative, arrogant and loud, O’Connor was reportedly quite quiet, very well-educated and cultured and a liberal.
He wrote a book
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If you’re interested in learning more about his life including his days in Ireland, his son, how he got into acting and more, he wrote a memoir called I Think I’m Outta Here: A Memoir of All My Families which has pretty good reviews.
He almost had two other big roles
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He reportedly auditioned for the role of Skipper Jonah Grumby on Gilligan’s Island as well as Dr. Zachary Smith on Lost in Space but ultimately lost out on both of them.
He appeared on Party of Five
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One of his final roles was playing Jake Gordon, the grandfather of the Salinger kids on the ’90s show Party of Five. Bonus: one of his other final roles was in Mad About You, playing Jamie’s (Helen Hunt) father. Carol Burnett played his wife!
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If you know any other interesting facts about O’Connor, let us know in the comments!
