March 15 - J. Pat O'Malley

Image courtesy behindthevoiceactors.com

On this day, in 1904, James Patrick Francis O'Malley was born in Burnley, Lancashire, England. His professional career began in 1925 as a singer going by the name of Pat O'Malley. In 1930 he joined Jack Hylton and his orchestra, eventually recording more than 400 songs that were popular at the time. In 1935, Hylton crossed the pond to America bringing Pat with him. The move didn't pan out for the orchestra, but Pat stayed in the States and began a long acting career, changing his name to J. Pat O'Malley to avoid confusion with another actor.

Over the next four decades, Pat became a prolific character staple in Hollywood. From his first role as a fish peddler in 1940's Captain Caution to his last as the landlord in 1981's Cheaper to Keep Her, he made a comfortable living admirably filling in the little gaps of dozens of films and television shows. Some of his notable film roles include Hynes in Lassie Come Home, Ratliff in The Long, Hot Summer with Paul Newman, and Muldoon in A House Is Not a Home with Shelly Winters. On television he guest starred on everything from The Adventures of Kit Carson to The Dick Van Dyke Show to a memorable turn on The Twilight Zone to playing Carol Brady's father on The Brady Bunch.

Image copyright Disney

Pat is a venerated member of the Disney family. His first roles for the studio came in 1949 for the package film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. He played Cyril Proudbottom, Mr. Winkie, a Policeman and the Paper Boy. Two years later he gave voice to Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, the Walrus, the Carpenter and Mother Oyster in Alice in Wonderland. For 1961's One Hundred and One Dalmatians he was Jasper Badun and the Colonel. He provided the voice for several of the cockney characters in the Jolly Holiday section of Mary Poppins including the Master of the Hounds and the Pearly Drummer. Unfortunately, he is also credited with being Dick Van Dykes dialect coach, so that awful accent of Bert's is at least partially Pat's fault. His final credited voice roles for Disney were as the vulture Buzzie and stuffy old Colonel Hathi in The Jungle Book (he did manage to sneak in an uncredited turn as the blacksmith dog in Robin Hood).

Image copyright Disney

Pat played a big part in the Spin and Marty serial that was shown as part of The Mickey Mouse Club. For three years, he played Perkins, Marty's butler and the Triple R Ranch's assistant cook. You can also catch a glimpse of Pat in the 1963 comedy Son of Flubber as a sign painter.

Throughout the Seventies, Pat continued popping up on television series like Emergency!, Three's Company and Barney Miller, with his last appearances on both big and small screens occurring in 1981. On February 27, 1985, just two weeks before his 81st birthday, Pat passed away from cardiovascular disease at his home in San Juan Capistrano, California.