Personal Info
Birth date
1884-12-16 (140 Years)
Day of death
1964-04-29
Gender
Male
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Dublin, Ireland
Also known as
Joseph M. Kerrigan
J. M. Kerrigan
J.M. Kerrigan
Biography
Joseph Michael Kerrigan (16 December 1884 – 29 April 1964), better known as J.M. Kerrigan, was an Irish character actor. Kerrigan was born in Dublin, Ireland. He worked as a newspaper reporter until 1907 when he joined the famous Abbey Players. There he became a stalwart, appearing in plays by Lady Gregory, William Butler Yeats and John Millington Synge (for whom he played the role of Shawn Keogh in The Playboy of the Western World. His first screen appearance was in the silent film Food of Love in 1916. By the 1920s he was appearing on Broadway, often in plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Sheridan. He settled permanently in Hollywood in 1935, having been recruited along with several other Abbey performers, to appear in John Ford's The Informer. In that film and in Ford's The Long Voyage Home, he plays similar roles, that of a leech who attaches himself to men until they run out of money. Perhaps his best known role was in The General Died at Dawn, where he plays a character actually named Leach, in which he steals scenes from Gary Cooper, Madeleine Carroll and William Frawley. In it he plays a sinister little petty thief who, holding a gun on Cooper, says, "I may be fat, but I'm agile." He had little screen time in films which he starred as minor roles, such as the "First Drayman" in Merely Mary Ann (1931) with Janet Gaynor. One of his most recognizable minor roles was in Gone with the Wind (1939), in which he played John Gallegher, the seemly jovial mill owner who whips his convict labour in to "co-operation". He appeared in Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), the famous film version of Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea in a minor role at the beginning of the film. In 1946, he tried breaking into Broadway shows, playing the discombobulated leprechaun Jackeen J. O'Malley in the show "Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley", based on the Crockett Johnson comic strip. J. M. Kerrigan died in Hollywood on 29 April 1964, aged 79. Kerrigan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6621 Hollywood Blvd.
Filmography
Matinee Theater
5
Overview:
Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series Cameo Theatre which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets. Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse recalled: When Al McCleery got back to the States, he originated a most ambitious theatrical TV series for NBC called Matinee Theater: to televise five different stage plays per week live, airing around noon in order to promote color TV to the American housewife as she labored over her ironing. Al was the producer. He hired five directors and five art directors. Richard Bennett, one of our first early presidents of the Pewter Plough Corporation, was one of the directors and I was one of the art directors and, as soon as we were through televising one play, we had lunch and then met to plan next week’s show. That was over 50 years ago, and I’m trying to think; I believe the TV art director is his own set decorator —yes, of course! It had to be, since one of McCleery’s chief claims to favor with the producers was his elimination of the setting per se and simply decorating the scene with a minimum of props. It took a bit of ingenuity.Studio One
5
Overview:
An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. Studio One, presented by Westinghouse, was one of the first of the anthology TV programs. The episodes were often abridged remakes of movies from years gone by and many future well-known television and movie actors appeared in the productions.Shirley Temple's Storybook
6.2
Overview:
Shirley Temple's Storybook is an American children's anthology series hosted and narrated by actress Shirley Temple. The series features adaptations of fairy tales like Mother Goose and other family-oriented stories performed by well-known actors, although one episode, an adaptation of The House of the Seven Gables, was meant for older youngsters. Temple's three children made their acting debuts in the last episode of the first season, "Mother Goose".Lux Video Theatre
6.333
Overview:
Lux Video Theatre is an American anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays.Frontier
5
Overview:
Frontier is an American Western anthology series that aired on NBC from September 1955, to September 1956. The series de-emphasizes gunplay and focuses on the hazards of the settlement of the American West. It was only the second anthology Western series in television history, having been preceded by Death Valley Days. Frontier aired premiered on September 25, 1955, and ran sporadically in its last five months. Walter Coy narrated the series and starred in occasional episodes, which are dramatizations based on actual events. The program was produced by Worthington Miner.Letter to Loretta
6.5
Overview:
Letter to Loretta is an American anthology drama series telecast on NBC from September 1953 to June 1961 for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show was hosted by Loretta Young who also played the lead in various episodes. Letter to Loretta was sponsored by Procter & Gamble from 1953 through 1960. The final season's sponsor was Warner-Lambert's Listerine.Gone with the Wind
7.9
Overview:
The spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner conducts a tumultuous romance with a cynical profiteer during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era.General Electric Theater
6.25
Overview:
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
7.039
Overview:
A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.The Wolf Man
7.007
Overview:
After his brother's death, Larry Talbot returns home to his father and the family estate. Events soon take a turn for the worse when Larry is bitten by a werewolf.The Silver Whip
6.4
Overview:
Frustrated with the lack of opportunities in his hometown, young Jess Harker plans to leave, but sympathetic stagecoach armed guard Race Crim persuades his boss to give Jess the stage driver job.The Sea Hawk
7.093
Overview:
Dashing pirate Geoffrey Thorpe plunders Spanish ships for Queen Elizabeth I and falls in love with Dona Maria, a beautiful Spanish royal he captures.Action in the North Atlantic
7.074
Overview:
Merchant Marine sailors Joe Rossi (Humphrey Bogart) and Steve Jarvis (Raymond Massey) are charged with getting a supply vessel to Russian allies as part of a sea convoy. When the group of ships comes under attack from a German U-boat, Rossi and Jarvis navigate through dangerous waters to evade Nazi naval forces. Though their mission across the Atlantic is extremely treacherous, they are motivated by the opportunity to strike back at the Germans, who sank one of their earlier ships.Union Pacific
6.5
Overview:
One of the last bills signed by President Lincoln authorizes pushing the Union Pacific Railroad across the wilderness to California. But financial opportunist Asa Barrows hopes to profit from obstructing it. Chief troubleshooter Jeff Butler has his hands full fighting Barrows' agent, gambler Sid Campeau; Campeau's partner Dick Allen is Jeff's war buddy and rival suitor for engineer's daughter Molly Monahan. Who will survive the effort to push the railroad through at any cost?The Lost Patrol
6.478
Overview:
A World War I British Army patrol is crossing the Mesopotamian desert when their commanding officer, the only one who knows their destination, is killed by the bullet of unseen bandits. The patrol's sergeant keeps them heading north on the assumption that they will hit their brigade. They stop for the night at an oasis and awaken the next morning to find their horses stolen, their sentry dead, the oasis surrounded and survival difficult.The Prisoner of Shark Island
6.8
Overview:
After healing the leg of the murderer John Wilkes Booth, responsible for the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, perpetrated on April 14, 1865, during a performance at Ford's Theatre in Washington; Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, considered part of the atrocious conspiracy, is sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to the sinister Shark Island Prison.The Fastest Gun Alive
6.9
Overview:
Whenever it becomes known how good he is with guns, ex-gunman George and his wife Dora have to flee the town, in fear of all the gunmen who might want to challenge him. Unfortunately he again spills his secret when he's drunk. All citizens swear to keep his secret and support him to give up his guns forever -- but a boy tells the story to a gang of wanted criminals. Their leader threatens to burn down the whole town, if he doesn't duel him.Call Northside 777
6.6
Overview:
In 1932, a cop is killed and Frank Wiecek sentenced to life. Eleven years later, a newspaper ad by Frank's mother leads Chicago reporter P.J. O'Neal to look into the case. For some time, O'Neal continues to believe Frank guilty. But when he starts to change his mind, he meets increased resistance from authorities unwilling to be proved wrong.Mr. Lucky
6.976
Overview:
A conman poses as a war relief fundraiser, but when he falls for a charity worker, his conscience begins to trouble him.The Fighting Seabees
6.2
Overview:
Construction workers in World War II in the Pacific are needed to build military sites, but the work is dangerous and they doubt the ability of the Navy to protect them. After a series of attacks by the Japanese, something new is tried, Construction Battalions (CBs=Seabees). The new CBs have to both build and be ready to fight.A Study in Scarlet
5.5
Overview:
In London, a secret society led by lawyer Thaddeus Merrydew collects the assets of any of its deceased members and divides them among the remaining members. Society members start dropping like flies. Sherlock Holmes is approached by member James Murphy's widow, who is miffed at being left penniless by her husband. When Captain Pyke is shot, Holmes keys in on his mysterious Chinese widow as well as the shady Merrydew. Other members keep dying: Malcom Dearing first, then Mr. Baker. There is also an attempt on the life of young Eileen Forrester, who became a reluctant society member upon the death of her father. Holmes' uncanny observations and insights are put to the test.The Long Voyage Home
6.622
Overview:
The crew of the merchant ship Glencairn hope to survive a transatlantic crossing during World War II. Adapted from four Eugene O'Neill one-act plays.The Informer
6.743
Overview:
Gypo Nolan is a former Irish Republican Army man who drowns his sorrows in the bottle. He's desperate to escape his bleak Dublin life and start over in America with his girlfriend. So when British authorities advertise a reward for information about his best friend, current IRA member Frankie, Gypo cooperates. Now Gypo can buy two tickets on a boat bound for the States, but can he escape the overwhelming guilt he feels for betraying his buddy?The Spanish Main
6.3
Overview:
Laurent van Horn is the leader of a band of Dutch refugees on a ship seeking freedom in the Carolinas, when the ship is wrecked on the coast of Cartagene, governed by Don Juan Alvardo, a Spanish ruler. Alvarado has Laurent thrown in prison, but the latter escapes, and five-years later is a pirate leader. He poses as the navigator on a ship in which Contessa Francesca, daughter of a Mexican noble, is traveling on her way to marry Alvarado, whom she has never seen. Laurent's pirates capture the ship and Francesca, in order to save another ship, gives her hand-in-marriage to Laurent, who sails her to the pirate hideout. This irks his jealous pirate comrades Anne Bonney and Captain Benjamin Black. They overpower Laurent and send Francesca to Alvarado, and then Mario du Billar, a trusted right-hand man, makes a deal to deliver Laurent to Alvarado.Barbary Coast
6.6
Overview:
Mary Rutledge arrives from the east, finds her fiancé dead, and goes to work at the roulette wheel of Luis Chamalis' Bella Donna, a rowdy gambling house in San Francisco in the 1850s. She falls in love with miner Jim Carmichael and takes his gold dust at the wheel. She goes after him, Chamalis goes after her with intent to harm Carmichael.Tarzan and the Amazons
6.331
Overview:
A group of archaeologists asks Tarzan to help them find an ancient city in a hidden valley of women. He refuses, but Boy is tricked into doing the job. The queen of the women asks Tarzan to help them.Captains of the Clouds
6.411
Overview:
Inspired by Churchill's Dunkirk speech, brash, undisciplined Canadian bush pilot Brian MacLean and three friends enlist in the RCAF.The Black Camel
6
Overview:
Movie star Shelah Fane is seeing wealthy Alan Jaynes while filming in Honolulu, Hawaii, but won't marry him without consulting famed psychic Tarneverro first. Enter inspector Charlie Chan of the Honolulu Police, investigating the unsolved murder, three years earlier, of a Hollywood actor.Acting
1958Shirley Temple's Storybook (1 Episode) as Mr Pickles
1956The Fastest Gun Alive as Kevin McGovern
1955It's a Dog's Life as Paddy Corbin
1955Matinee Theater (1 Episode) as Unknown
1955Frontier (1 Episode) as Unknown
195420,000 Leagues Under the Sea as Billy
1953Letter to Loretta (1 Episode) as Mr. Thomas J. Flaherty
1953The Silver Whip as Riley
1953General Electric Theater (1, 1 Episode) as Jimmy, Dennis Malloy
1952My Cousin Rachel as Reverend Pascoe
1952Park Row as Dan O'Rourke
1952The Wild North as Callahan
1951Two of a Kind as Unknown
1951Sealed Cargo as Skipper Ben
1950Lux Video Theatre (1 Episode) as Dr. Makery
1949Mrs. Mike as Uncle John
1949The Fighting O'Flynn as Timothy
1948Studio One (1 Episode) as Pether Flynn
1948The Luck of the Irish as Tatie the Innkeeper
1948Call Northside 777 as Sullivan - Court Bailiff (uncredited)
1946Abie's Irish Rose as Patrick Murphy
1946Black Beauty as John
1945She Went to the Races as Jeff Habbard
1945The Spanish Main as Pillery Gow
1945The Crime Doctor's Warning as Robert MacPherson (uncredited)
1945The Great John L. as Father O'Malley
1945Tarzan and the Amazons as Splivens
1944The Big Bonanza as 'Judge' Jasper Kincaid
1944Wilson as Edward Sullivan
1944The Fighting Seabees as Sawyer Collins
1943Mr. Lucky as Mr. McDougal (uncredited)
1943Action in the North Atlantic as Caviar Jinks (uncredited)
1942Captains of the Clouds as Foster (storekeeper / Emily's father)
1942The Vanishing Virginian as John Phelps
1941The Wolf Man as Charles Conliffe
1941Appointment for Love as Timothy
1940The Long Voyage Home as Crimp
1940No Time for Comedy as Jim
1940The Sea Hawk as Eli Matson
1940One Crowded Night as Brother 'Doc' Joseph
1940Untamed as Mr. Angus McGavity
1940Curtain Call as Mr. Middleton
1940Young Tom Edison as Mr. McCarney
1940Congo Maisie as Captain Finch
1939Gone with the Wind as Johnny Gallagher
1939Two Thoroughbreds as Jack Lenihan
1939Sabotage as Mel
1939The Witness Vanishes as Flinters
1939Two Bright Boys as Mike Casey
19396,000 Enemies as Dan Barrett
1939The Zero Hour as Timothy
1939Sorority House as Lew Fisher
1939Union Pacific as Monahan
1939Undercover Agent as Tom 'Pop' Madison
1939The Kid From Texas as Farr
1939The Flying Irishman as Mr. Clyde Corrigan Sr.
1939The Great Man Votes as Hot Shot Gillings
1938Ride a Crooked Mile as Sgt. Flynn
1938Little Orphan Annie as Tom Jennings
1938Spring Madness as Mr. Maloney (uncredited)
1938Vacation from Love as Danny Dolan, Hansom Cabbie
1937London by Night as Tims
1936The Plough and the Stars as Uncle Peter
1936Lloyd's of London as Brook Watson
1936The General Died at Dawn as Leach
1936Let's Make a Million as Sam Smith
1936Spendthrift as Pop O'Connell
1936Special Investigator as Judge Plumgate
1936Colleen as Pop Reilly
1936Laughing Irish Eyes as Tim
1936The Prisoner of Shark Island as Judge Maiben
1936Timothy's Quest as Dr. Cudd
1935A Feather in Her Hat as Pobjoy
1935Barbary Coast as Judge Harper
1935Hot Tip as Matt
1935Werewolf of London as Hawkins
1935The Informer as Terry
1935Vanessa: Her Love Story as Perkins (uncredited)
1935The Mystery of Edwin Drood as Chief Verger Tope
1934The Fountain as Shordley
1934The Key as O'Duffy
1934A Modern Hero as Mr. Ryan
1934The Lost Patrol as Quincannon
1933Lone Cowboy as Mr. Curran
1933Paddy the Next Best Thing as Collins
1933A Study in Scarlet as Jabez Wilson
1933Air Hostess as Pop Kearny
1932Rockabye as Fagin
1932Vanity Street as Dan - Irish Cop (uncredited)
1932Careless Lady as Trowbridge
1932The Rainbow Trail as Paddy Harrigan
1931Merely Mary Ann as First Drayman
1931The Black Camel as Thomas MacMasters
1931Don't Bet on Women as Chipley Duff
1930Under Suspicion as Doyle
1930Lightnin' as Judge Lemuel Townsend
1930New Movietone Follies of 1930 as Gateman in Show
1930Song o' My Heart as Peter
1929Lucky In Love as Unknown
1923Little Old New York as John O'Day