- Born
- Died
- Birth nameEdward Francis Michael Patrick Joseph O'Shea
- Nickname
- Mike
- His five brothers all became policemen, encouraged on by their father, but Irish-American Michael O'Shea defied family tradition and turned to acting. Michael dropped out of school at age 12 and went the vaudeville route, touring with his boxing idol Jack Johnson's show. He tried everything. During the Prohibition years, he became a comedian and emcee at speakeasies. He put together his own dance band, "Michael O'Shea and His Stationary Gypsies", and later broke into radio.
His career advanced with the legit stage, where he was billed for a time as "Eddie O'Shea". His noticeable performance in "The Eve of St. Mark" in 1942 led to a string of '40s films, notably as Barbara Stanwyck's boyfriend comic in Lady of Burlesque (1943). He also managed great reviews repeating his stage role in the film The Eve of St. Mark (1944). Other WWII-era films included the leading role opposite Anne Shirley in the romantic drama Man from Frisco (1944); a military man lead in the musical Something for the Boys (1944) in which he managed to show off a little of his Irish tenor in the song "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" with Vivian Blaine, Phil Silvers and Carmen Miranda; the male co-star in the Sonja Henie skating vehicle It's a Pleasure (1945); and lead and support roles in a string of crime dramas including Circumstantial Evidence (1945), Mr. District Attorney (1947), Violence (1947), Parole, Inc. (1948) and The Underworld Story (1950).
The father of two, Michael met his second wife, the beautiful actress Virginia Mayo, during the time he was filming the title role of Jack London (1943). They married four years later and had one daughter. The couple subsequently appeared on the stock stage together in such productions as "George Washington Slept Here", "Tunnel of Love" and :Fiorello!". One of those fine talents who did not make a big name for himself, Michael was out of films by 1952, but revitalized on TV and starred in the mild TV sitcom It's a Great Life (1954) also starring James Dunn, William Bishop, Frances Bavier and Barbara Bates playing a former GI trying to find a civilian job.
Interestingly, Michael became a plainclothes operative for the CIA after retiring from show business in the 1960s. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 1973.
- IMDb mini biography by: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net
- SpousesVirginia Mayo(July 5, 1947 - December 4, 1973) (his death, 1 child)Grace Watts(October 23, 1926 - June 5, 1947) (divorced, 2 children)
- ChildrenCatherine Mary O'SheaEdward O'SheaBarbara O'Shea
- Was an FBI spy at Los Angeles' Friar's Club where he was charged with keeping an eye on gangster Johnny Rosselli.
- Daughter, with Virginia Mayo: Catherine Mary O'Shea (born in 1953). Children with first wife, Edward & Barbara.
- In the late 1960s, he was doing detective work for the sheriff's office in Ventura County, California.
- He was nominated for an Emmy for his performance in the TV series "It's a Great Life" (1955-57) in 1955.
- He had a musical background, played the drums and the banjo, and led his own band. He and his wife Virginia Mayo appeared in a revival for the musical "No, No Nanette." He only sang in one movie musical, "Something for the Boys," perhaps because he sang tenor and the trend in the 1940s was for baritones like Frank Sinatra and Perry Como (with whom he co-starred in "Something for the Boys").
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
