top of page

His gray hair got him roles


Henry O'Neill photo
Henry O'Neill

Henry O'Neill (August 10, 1891 – May 18, 1961).

Henry O'Neill was an American film actor known for playing gray-haired fathers, lawyers, and similarly dignified roles during the 1930s and 1940s.


His list of films includes The Big Shakedown (1934), the Western Santa Fe Trail (1940), the musical Anchors Aweigh (1945),[3] The Green Years (1946), and The Reckless Moment (1949). His last film was The Wings of Eagles (1957), starring John Wayne.


O'Neill appears with Donna Reed in The Getaway (1941) and The Bugle Sounds (1942).

bottom of page