Henry O'Neill (August 10, 1891 – May 18, 1961)[1] was an American actor known for playing gray-haired fathers, lawyers, and similarly dignified roles on film during the 1930s and 1940s.

Henry O'Neill was born in Orange, New Jersey on August 10, 1891[2] where he grew up before moving to Los Angeles, California.

[citation needed] O'Neill began his acting career on the stage, after dropping out of college to join a traveling theater company.

[3] He served in the Navy in World War I, after which he worked at several jobs, including being an usher in a funeral home.

[4] In the early 1930s he began appearing in films, including The Big Shakedown (1934), the Western Santa Fe Trail (1940), the musical Anchors Aweigh (1945),[3] The Green Years (1946), and The Reckless Moment (1949).