Remembering Movie and TV Actor Tim O’ Connor (1927 – 2018)
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By “Bad” Brad Berkwitt
Last night as I have done now for several months, I break out my two bowls. One has my salted sunflower seeds in the shell and the other, is for the shells. Next to the bowls is my bottle of black cherry Propel. As I grab the TV remote, I tune into Cannon starring William Conrad who played the PI brilliantly, compassionately and very funny. The 70’s TV show staple airs on ME TV here in Merrillville Indiana and I DVR it Monday – Friday. In an episode titled “Scream Of Silence”, O’Connor was part of the cast. As my better half Debbie will tell you, I’m a sponge for knowledge, especially entertainment stuff. You know the kind, where your friends tell you, “you need to go on Jeopardy!”
When you grow up with a dad who was 40 years your senior, you are exposed to all of his tastes and if you were blessed, as I was to have my dad, his taste ran the rails from great movies, TV shows and lots of great music to include, Frank Sinatra, Edith Piaf, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald and the list goes on and on…
Dad, was the type who could tell you the actor, the producer, the director and roles said name actors always played. Guess what? Alvin Frank Berkwitt’s only child a son, (of course that is me) does the same thing. Just ask my Debbie…
Back to the late actor Tim O’ Connor… My favorite TV show of all time is Rod Serling’s brilliant TV series, The Twilight Zone. O’Connor played in a very memorable episode of the hit show titled “On Thursday We Leave For Home”, where he played Colonel Sloane. It was a memorable episode because as I usually do to maybe not Deb’s pleasure always, I quizzed her by asking did she remember the episode and O’Connor? This time around, she sure did and broke the episode down. Full disclosure here… Two years ago, I had Debbie watch every episode of The Twilight Zone she bought for me a few years earlier, on my 46 birthday. Deb also loves the show…
Alright, back to the episode of Cannon… I will pause an episode and look up an actor or actress because they are so good in their roles and many, were on The Twilight Zone, back in the day to boot.
O’Connor, in this episode of Cannon, played a character who was running for Governor and his son was kidnapped by two thugs, who were played by actors Gregg Palmer (1927-2015) and Charles Dierkop. I paused the DVR and looked up O’Connor to find out that he passed away this past April 5th, in Nevada City California.
O’ Connor had a long list of film and TV credits to his name in his 62 year career on the big and small screen. He was amongst a cavalcade of actors who played so many memorable roles with acting chops that you just don’t see in today’s group of movie actors, for the most part. I don’t know what changed, but it’s kind of like the sport of boxing which I also love, where the hunger for ones craft is often missing.
But when you do see a star today that really brings it, you probably as I do, light up!
Rest in peace MR O’Connor. You may have gone in the physical sense, but your many roles you played for our amusement, will last a lifetime.
For that Sir, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
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