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Donald O'Connor

Donald O'Connor

Highest Rated: 100% Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Lowest Rated: 29% Toys (1992)

Birthday: Aug 28, 1925

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA

The exuberant singer-dancer-actor Donald O'Connor honed his skills from a young age on the vaudeville circuit as part of a long running family act. His amazing acrobatics, winning personality and incredible comedic timing were quickly noticed by Hollywood and he was featured in a series of B-pictures from the late 1930s through the 1940s, including "Sing, You Sinners" (1938) with Bing Crosby and Fred MacMurray, and the popular talking mule comedy "Francis" (1949). However, it was the MGM masterpiece "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) that finally gave O'Connor a first class vehicle for his skills. Even decades after its release, the performer's instantly famous "Make 'em Laugh!" song and dance number remained a knockout. Further assignments in major musicals like "Call Me Madam" (1953) and "There's No Business Like Show Business" (1954), as well as numerous turns on television variety programs and in stage shows gained him a well deserved following. His abilities were so well known that when gigs in movies or on television were not available to O'Connor, he could easily find work on stage or as a top flight Las Vegas performer. Although O'Connor's career in later years was temporarily derailed by health issues, his incredible smile, winning personality and seemingly boundless energy stayed with him throughout the decades and his best work ranked among the most exhilarating to be found in the golden age of Hollywood musicals.

Highest rated movies

100% 95% Singin' in the Rain
92% 84% Beau Geste
84% 76% Ragtime
80% 69% Call Me Madam
73% 58% There's No Business Like Show Business
36% 52% Out to Sea
29% 39% Toys

Filmography

Movies

Credit
36% 52% Out to Sea Jonathan Devereaux (Character) $28.0M 1997
No Score Yet 23% Bandit: Bandit's Silver Angel Uncle Cyrus (Character) - 1994
29% 39% Toys Kenneth Zevo (Character) $21.3M 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet A Time to Remember Father Walsh (Character) - 1988
No Score Yet 84% Alice in Wonderland The Lory Bird (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet 45% Pandemonium Glenn's Dad (Character) - 1982
84% 76% Ragtime Evelyn's Dance Instructor (Character) - 1981
100% 85% That's Entertainment! Self - 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet Just One More Time Self - 1974
No Score Yet 70% That Funny Feeling Harvey Granson (Character) - 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet Brilliant Benjamin Boggs Benjamin Boggs (Character) - 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cry for Happy Murray Prince (Character) - 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Wonders of Aladdin Aladdin (Character) - 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Buster Keaton Story Buster Keaton (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet 44% Anything Goes Ted Adams (Character) - 1956
No Score Yet 47% Francis in the Navy Lt. Peter Stirling/Bosun's Mate Slicker Donovan (Character) - 1955
73% 58% There's No Business Like Show Business Tim Donahue (Character) - 1954
No Score Yet 40% Francis Joins the WACS Peter Stirling (Character) - 1954
No Score Yet 55% I Love Melvin Melvin Hoover (Character) - 1953
80% 69% Call Me Madam Kenneth Gibson (Character) - 1953
No Score Yet No Score Yet Walking My Baby Back Home Clarence "Jigger" Millard (Character) - 1953
No Score Yet 0% Francis Covers the Big Town Peter Stirling (Character) - 1953
No Score Yet 11% Francis Goes to West Point Peter Stirling (Character) - 1952
100% 95% Singin' in the Rain Cosmo Brown (Character) $23.9K 1952
No Score Yet No Score Yet Double Crossbones Davey Crandall (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 78% Francis Goes to the Races Peter Stirling (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Milkman Roger Bradley (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet No Score Yet Curtain Call at Cactus Creek Edward Timmons (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet 67% Francis Peter Stirling (Character) - 1949
No Score Yet 50% Yes Sir, That's My Baby William Waldo Winfield (Character) - 1949
No Score Yet No Score Yet Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' Wilbur McMurty (Character) - 1948
No Score Yet No Score Yet Are You With It? Milton Haskins (Character) - 1948
No Score Yet 56% Something in the Wind Charlie Read (Character) - 1947
No Score Yet No Score Yet Patrick the Great Pat Donahue Jr. (Character) - 1945
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Merry Monahans Jimmy Monahan (Character) - 1944
No Score Yet No Score Yet Chip Off the Old Block Donald Corrigan (Character) - 1944
No Score Yet No Score Yet This Is the Life Jimmy Plum (Character) - 1944
No Score Yet No Score Yet Top Man Don Warren (Character) - 1943
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mister Big Donald J. O'Connor, Esq. (Character) - 1943
No Score Yet 31% Private Buckaroo Donny (Character) - 1942
No Score Yet No Score Yet It Comes Up Love Ricky Ives (Character) - 1942
No Score Yet No Score Yet Get Hep to Love Jimmy Arnold (Character) - 1942
92% 84% Beau Geste Beau (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet Boy Trouble Butch (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet Death of a Champion Small Fry (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet Night Work Butch Smiley (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet Unmarried Ted Streaver (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet Million Dollar Legs Sticky Boone (Character) - 1939
No Score Yet No Score Yet Sons of the Legion Butch Baker (Character) - 1938
No Score Yet 50% Sing You Sinners! Mike Beebe (Character) - 1938
No Score Yet No Score Yet Tom Sawyer, Detective Huckleberry Finn (Character) - 1938

TV

Credit
No Score Yet 72% The Nanny Unknown (Guest Star) 1996
95% 94% Frasier Harlow Safford (Guest Star) 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Building Unknown (Guest Star) 1993
82% 90% Tales From the Crypt Unknown (Character) 1992
No Score Yet 89% Murder, She Wrote Barry Barnes (Guest Star) 1990
No Score Yet 64% Highway to Heaven Jackie Clark (Guest Star) 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hotel Unknown (Guest Star) 1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet Simon & Simon George Decova/Barnaby the Great (Guest Star) 1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet Fantasy Island Unknown (Guest Star) 1982
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Littlest Hobo Unknown (Guest Star) 1982
No Score Yet No Score Yet Alice Unknown (Guest Star) 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bionic Woman Harry Anderson (Guest Star) 1976
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Girl With Something Extra Unknown (Guest Star) 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Bobby Darin Show Guest 1973
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Carol Burnett Show Guest 1969-1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet Vacation Playhouse Donald Dugan (Character) 1966
No Score Yet No Score Yet Petticoat Junction Director 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Judy Garland Show Unknown (Guest Star) 1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet I've Got a Secret Guest 1961