Agnes Teresa McGlade, better known as Una O’Connor, was born in Dublin on this day in 1880. She was an actor who appeared on stage, screen and television.
O’Connor had some early success in the theater, but was struggling to find work when Noel Coward cast her in his play Cavalcade, which was a big success for her. She travelled to Hollywood to be in the film version of the play and stayed on to play supporting roles in many classic movies, often as a comedy relief character. Her resume includes performances in The Adventures of Robin Hood, both the stage and screen productions of Witness For the Prosecution, and, appropriately enough for spooky season, The Invisible Man and The Bride of Frankenstein.
O’Connor became an American citizen in 1952. In 1959, after years of struggling with heart disease, she passed away at the age of 78. She is remembered as a versatile actor and one of filmdom’s first scream queens.