Occupation Actress | Spouse(s) John O'Dea | |
Born 21 July 1907 ( 1907-07-21 ) Dublin, Ireland Died 19 June 1997, Dublin, Republic of Ireland | ||
Cathleen Delany (21 July 1907 – 19 June 1997) was an accomplished and versatile Irish actor of stage and screen.
Life
Born Kathleen Mary Delany to journalist Alfred Delany and his wife, Kathleen Mary Kilgannon of 98 Marlboro Rd. in Dublin. She was professionally known as Cathleen Delany.
She was one of the principal players of the first decade of the Gate Theatre's existence. Considered a talented singer she began in local theatre with the Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society. From there she auditioned for the Gate. She debuted on the Gate stage in The Agamemnon of Aeschylus in 1933.
Delany worked with Hilton Edwards and Micheál Mac Liammóir during their London season in 1934 and in 1936 she went with them on their first tour of Egypt. When they returned she began touring Ireland with Longford Productions. She moved to the screen and performed in a wide variety of roles. Her last stage performance was in May, 1988 in the Gate in Brian Friel's adaptation of Fathers and Sons.
Delany married John O'Dea, and raised her niece Hazel Roost from infancy.