Cause of death Respiratory failure Height 1.85 m | Years active 1952–1993 | |
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Full Name Patrick Wisdom O'Neal Education Riverside Military AcademyOcala High School Parent(s) Coke Wisdom O'NealMartha O'Neal Spouse Cynthia O'Neal (m. 1956–1994) Children Maximilian O'Neal, Fitzjohn O'Neal Movies Under Siege, The Way We Were, In Harm's Way, The Kremlin Letter, King Rat Similar Cynthia O'Neal, Bradford Dillman, Andrew Davis, Larry Cohen, Hy Averback | ||
Patrick Wisdom O'Neal (September 26, 1927 – September 9, 1994) was an American television, stage and film actor and New York restaurateur.
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Early life
O'Neal was born in Ocala, Florida, to Martha and Coke Wisdom O'Neal. He attended the Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia, and Ocala High School. Upon graduation, he enrolled at the University of Florida in Gainesville where he majored in drama. During college, O'Neal joined the Florida Players, a theatre troupe. He was also a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and was the editor of the University yearbook. After earning a bachelor's degree, O'Neal enlisted in the US Army Air Forces and served during the Korean War. During the war, he directed short training films. After his military stint, he moved to New York and studied at the Actors Studio and Neighborhood Playhouse.
Career
O'Neal was seen mostly as a guest star on US television throughout four decades, beginning in the 1950s. In the early 1960s he received critical praise for his leading role on Broadway in Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana but lost the starring role for the 1964 film version to Richard Burton. O'Neal appeared in several films of the mid-1960s. In 1969 he had a leading role in John Huston's The Kremlin Letter, and a supporting role in the western "El Condor", starring Jim Brown and Lee Van Cleef. He appeared in the 1973 hit The Way We Were. In 1972 he portrayed a murderous architect in the Columbo episode "Blueprint For Murder."
With his wife and his brother Michael, O'Neal co-owned a number of successful restaurants, including the Ginger Man (later O'Neal's Restaurant) and the Landmark Tavern, both in Manhattan.
Personal life
O'Neal married actress Cynthia Baxter in 1956. They had two sons, Maximilian and Fitzjohn, and remained married until O'Neal's death.
Death
O'Neal died on September 9, 1994, of respiratory failure at Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center in Manhattan, seventeen days short of his 67th birthday. At the time of his death, O'Neal was also suffering from cancer and tuberculosis.