Una O'Connor was the stage name of Agnes Teresa McGlade, born 23 October 1880 (birth date source) in Belfast. She built a lengthy career as a stage performer in Ireland and England before becoming a widely recognized character actress in films. Her death on 4 February 1959 is recorded in contemporary sources (death date); she died in New York City of complications attributed to heart disease.

Overview

O'Connor is remembered for her energetic supporting parts and a distinctive, often comic screen presence. Though she began and sustained much of her work in the theatre, she later translated her stage skills into character roles on film and in international productions (Irish background, stage activity in Britain and Ireland). She became known for portraying eccentric, nervous, or outspoken women whose reactions contributed both tension and humor to dramatic scenes.

Early life and stage career

Trained and active on the stage for many years, O'Connor performed in a variety of plays ranging from light comedy to more serious drama. Her theatrical résumé included parts in popular stage entertainments such as The Starlight Express, and she toured and worked with numerous companies across Ireland and England. Those formative years honed her timing, vocal projection and expressive face—qualities that later defined her film persona.

Transition to film and screen persona

In the late 1920s and early 1930s O'Connor began to appear in motion pictures, taking on character roles that leveraged her theatrical instincts. One early film credit was the 1930 mystery Murder!, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Over time she became sought after for small but memorable parts in both British and American cinema (film work), where directors valued her ability to register strong emotion in brief scenes and to provide comic relief without diminishing dramatic stakes.

Later years and legacy

Later in life O'Connor continued to work on stage and screen and became a familiar supporting presence to filmgoers. Critics and historians often cite her example when discussing the importance of the character actress: performers whose work supports leads and whose idiosyncratic portrayals enrich stories. Her career illustrates a common early-20th-century path from repertory theatre to cinema and, ultimately, transatlantic work.

Selected stage and screen credits

  • The Starlight Express — stage production (not to be confused with later works of the same name)
  • Murder! (1930) — early film appearance directed by Alfred Hitchcock
  • Numerous British and American productions — stage and screen roles spanning many years (British/Irish stage, film work)

For biographical notes and archival references see contemporary records of her birth and death (birth, death) and coverage of her career in theatre histories (Irish theatrical context). Her life story links a long stage apprenticeship to a successful run as a character actor on screen, and she remains a useful example of how theatrical technique informed early film acting.