Jack O'Halloran

Summary

Jack O'Halloran (born April 8, 1943) is an American actor and former boxer. O'Halloran fought in 57 professional boxing matches (including fights with future heavyweight champions George Foreman and Ken Norton), but he is best known for acting in such films as Farewell, My Lovely, the 1976 Dino De Laurentiis-produced remake of King Kong, Superman, Superman II, Hero and the Terror and the 1987 Dan Aykroyd/Tom Hanks spoof Dragnet.[1]

Jack O'Halloran
O'Halloran in 2018
Born
John O'Halloran

(1943-04-08) April 8, 1943 (age 81)
Occupation(s)Boxer, actor
Years active
  • 1966–1974 (boxing)
  • 1975–present (acting)
Height1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
SpouseCiara O’Leary

Early life and boxing edit

O'Halloran was born in Philadelphia, and was raised by his mother, Mary, and stepfather, Peter Paul Patrick O'Halloran;[2] in his book Family Legacy, he claimed to be the illegitimate son of mafia hitman and crime boss Albert Anastasia.[3] He lived in Runnemede, New Jersey where he attended Triton Regional High School (New Jersey).[4] Fighting as "Irish" Jack O'Halloran from Boston, he was a heavyweight boxing contender active from 1966 to 1974. The 6'6" O'Halloran was undefeated in his first 16 professional fights, with a career record of 34 wins, 21 losses and 2 draws. See below for a list of O'Halloran's boxing matches.

During his boxing career, O'Halloran defeated former title contenders Cleveland Williams and Manuel Ramos. He also defeated Danny McAlinden, who won a bronze medal in boxing at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica and later became the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion. O'Halloran's losses included defeats to Joe Roman (twice), Joe Bugner, Ron Lyle, and future heavyweight champions George Foreman and Ken Norton.[citation needed]

In 1973, O'Halloran was close to attaining a match against Muhammad Ali when he was knocked out by Jimmy Summerville.[5] This ended his chances to fight Ali. Although O'Halloran went on to defeat Summerville by K.O. in a rematch, with only three more wins and five losses he was never again a serious heavyweight contender.[citation needed]

The California Boxing Hall of Fame has listed O'Halloran as one of its inductees of the 2009 HOF class.[6]

Acting career edit

Retiring from boxing in 1974 with a record of 34-21-2 (17 knockout victories),[6] O'Halloran turned to a career as an actor. He first won the role of ex-convict Moose Malloy in the 1975 film Farewell, My Lovely, featuring Robert Mitchum as private eye Philip Marlowe.

After Farewell, My Lovely O'Halloran was offered other roles, some of which he turned down, including the role of Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me which went to Richard Kiel.[7]

Superman film series edit

He acquired other roles as tough henchmen which culminated in the role he is best known for, Non, the menacing but mute member of the trio of Kryptonian supervillains banished to the Phantom Zone by Jor-El (Marlon Brando) in Superman (1978) and inadvertently released by Superman in Superman II (1980).

O'Halloran once stated in an interview that it was his idea to make Non a childlike character, having difficulty adjusting to his newfound powers and making sounds in the absence of voice. O'Halloran criticized Alexander and Ilya Salkind, the producers of the Superman films, for their mishandling of the franchise, believing that their firing of director Donner was a huge blow to the series and the cause of its downturn in quality, a sentiment that was shared by Gene Hackman, who refused to reprise his Lex Luthor role in the third film, and by Margot Kidder who played Lois Lane.[citation needed]

In an interview with Starlog Magazine in 2006, O'Halloran stated that he and Christopher Reeve did not get along during the making of Superman II. On one occasion, he had Reeve against a wall, but Richard Donner intervened and dissuaded him from hitting Reeve.[8] He later discussed this incident on the How Did This Get Made? podcast's Episode 24.1.[9] Despite the clash between them, O'Halloran stated that his heart went out to Reeve after his 1995 accident, and commended him for helping others with spinal cord injuries.[10]

Other acting roles edit

O'Halloran has also played supporting roles in King Kong (1976), March or Die (1977), The Baltimore Bullet (1980), Dragnet (1987), Hero and the Terror (1988), Mob Boss (1990), The Flintstones (1994) and Dagon Troll World Chronicles (2019).

Other ventures edit

In 2008, O'Halloran announced plans to enter into a partnership with veteran Hollywood executive Jay Samit to create Long Beach Studios, a chain of film studio facilities throughout the United States.[11][12]

In 2010, O'Halloran released Family Legacy. The book also outlines O'Halloran's relationship with his alleged father, a former boss of the Gambino crime family, Albert Anastasia.[13]

Filmography edit

Professional boxing record edit

34 Wins (17 knockouts, 17 decisions), 21 Losses (8 knockouts, 13 decisions), 2 Draws [1] Archived November 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Loss 34-21-2   Howard "KO" Smith KO 6 August 16, 1974   San Diego Coliseum, San Diego California Heavyweight Title. O'Halloran knocked out at 2:36 of the sixth round.
Win 34-20-2   Koroseta Kid TKO 9 July 12, 1974   San Diego Coliseum, San Diego Referee stopped the bout at 1:28 of the ninth round.
Win 33-20-2   Danny Lee PTS 10 June 6, 1974   Bronco Bowl, Dallas
Loss 32-20-2   Larry Middleton KO 9 December 5, 1973   Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore
Loss 32-19-2   Koli Vailea PTS 10 October 31, 1973   Las Vegas
Loss 32-18-2   Boone Kirkman UD 10 July 12, 1973   Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle 94-97, 95-97, 97-98.
Loss 32-17-2   Howard "KO" Smith PTS 10 June 8, 1973   San Diego
Win 32-16-2   Charlie Reno UD 12 May 16, 1973   Stockton, California California Heavyweight Title. 9-1, 12-1, 10-0.
Win 31-16-2   Jimmy Summerville TKO 7 April 24, 1973   Miami Beach, Florida
Loss 30-16-2   Jimmy Summerville KO 9 March 20, 1973   Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
Win 30-15-2   Alvin Lewis PTS 10 March 1, 1973   Detroit
Win 29-15-2   Big Roby Harris KO 5 November 8, 1972   San Diego Coliseum, San Diego California Heavyweight Title.
Win 28-14-2   Rico Brooks KO 6 October 28, 1972   Denver
Win 27-15-2   Rahaman Ali KO 8 September 13, 1972   San Diego
Win 26-15-2   Henry Clark PTS 12 August 9, 1972   San Diego Coliseum, San Diego California Heavyweight Title.
Win 25-15-2   Vic Scott TKO 3 July 14, 1972   San Diego
Loss 24-15-2   Henry Clark UD 10 June 16, 1972   San Diego Coliseum, San Diego 2-5, 3-4, 3-4.
Win 24-14-2   Fred "Airman" Lewis PTS 10 May 25, 1972   San Diego Coliseum, San Diego
Win 23-14-2   Steve Grant KO 3 April 12, 1972   San Diego
Loss 22-14-2   Ken Norton UD 10 March 17, 1972   San Diego Coliseum, San Diego
Win 22-13-2   Charlie "Emperor" Harris PTS 10 February 1, 1972   Houston
Loss 21-13-2   Ron Lyle KO 4 November 26, 1971   Denver
Win 21-12-2   Cleveland Williams SD 10 September 21, 1971   Houston
Win 20-12-2   Terry Daniels TKO 4 August 24, 1971   Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston
Loss 19-12-2   Ron Stander UD 10 July 29, 1971   Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska 95-100, 94-99, 95-98.
Loss 19-11-2   Johnny "70's" Griffin UD 10 June 29, 1971   Cleveland Arena, Cleveland
Loss 19-10-2   Jack Bodell KO 4 February 24, 1971   Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, West Midlands
Loss 19-9-2   Dave Matthews UD 10 September 14, 1970   Akron Armory, Akron, Ohio
Win 19-8-2   Danny McAlinden PTS 8 July 6, 1970   Mayfair Sporting Club, Mayfair, London
Loss 18-8-2   José Roman PTS 10 May 25, 1970   Tampa, Florida
Loss 18-7-2   Mac Foster KO 1 April 9, 1970   Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles O'Halloran knocked out at 2:58 of the first round.
Loss 18-6-2   George Foreman KO 5 January 26, 1970   Madison Square Garden, New York City O'Halloran knocked out at 1:10 of the fifth round.
Win 18-5-2   Manuel "Pulgarcito" Ramos KO 7 October 17, 1969   Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California
Draw 17-5-2   Jimmy Richards PTS 8 October 4, 1969   Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng
Loss 17-5-1   Al "Goulds Terror" Jones TKO 3 August 19, 1969   Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
Win 17-4-1   Carl Gizzi PTS 10 July 7, 1969   Mayfair Sporting Club, Mayfair, London 49.5-48.5.
Loss 16-4-1   "Irish" Tony Doyle PTS 10 May 28, 1969   Las Vegas
Loss 16-3-1   Joe Bugner PTS 8 April 15, 1969   Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London 39.25-39.5.
Win 16-2-1   Bobby Lee Hines TKO 2 March 27, 1969   Roseland Ballroom, Taunton, Massachusetts 49.5-48.5.
Loss 15-2-1   José Roman PTS 10 March 15, 1969   San Juan, Puerto Rico
Loss 15-1-1   Charlie "Emperor" Harris PTS 8 September 6, 1968   Scranton, Pennsylvania
Win 15-0-1   Mike Bruce KO 7 April 23, 1968   Walpole, Massachusetts
Win 14-0-1   Charley Polite TKO 7 March 26, 1968   Four Seasons Arena, Walpole, Massachusetts
Win 13-0-1   Buddy Moore KO 3 November 15, 1967   Scranton, Pennsylvania
Win 12-0-1   Richard Benjamin PTS 6 October 2, 1967   Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia
Win 11-0-1   Bobby Lee Hines KO 4 August 31, 1967   Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia Not to be confused with Robert Hines
Win 10-0-1   Bobby Lee Hines KO 6 July 24, 1967   Four Seasons Arena, Walpole, Massachusetts
Win 9-0-1   Tommy Sheehan PTS 4 July 19, 1967   Madison Square Garden, New York City
Win 8-0-1   Mike Bruce PTS 6 June 5, 1967   Four Seasons Arena, Walpole, Massachusetts
Win 7-0-1   Tommy Clark UD 6 May 15, 1967   Boston Arena, Boston
Draw 6-0-1   Roosevelt Eddie PTS 4 May 9, 1967   Boston Arena, Boston
Win 6-0   Danny Swears PTS 4 May 2, 1967   Boston Arena, Boston
Win 5-0   Hal Moffett UD 4 April 18, 1967   Boston Arena, Boston
Win 4-0   Woody Goss PTS 4 March 6, 1967   Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia
Win 3-0   Woody Goss PTS 4 November 22, 1966   Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia
Win 2-0   Bob Hazelton TKO 1 October 10, 1966   Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia
Win 1-0 Joe Pinto TKO 1 September 22, 1966   Reading Municipal Stadium, Reading, Pennsylvania Referee stopped the bout at 1:17 of the first round.

References edit

  1. ^ "Jack O'Halloran". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 21, 2012.
  2. ^ "SOCALshowbiz - Jack O'Halloran". socalshowbiz.com.
  3. ^ O'Halloran, Jack (2011). Family Legacy. MP Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84982-106-3.
  4. ^ Macnow, Glen; and Graham, Big Daddy. The Great Book of Philadelphia Sports Lists, p. 64. Running Press, 2007. ISBN 9780762432745; accessed February 26, 2015.
    "Jack O'Halloran. Back in the 1960s, Irish Jack was a six-foot-six heavyweight contender from Runnemede, N.J.,who battled future heavyweight champs George Foreman and Ken Norton."
  5. ^ "Jack O'Halloran". IMDb.
  6. ^ a b "Jack O'Halloran". BoxRec.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2003. Retrieved March 16, 2007.
  7. ^ Yagoda, Ben (July 2, 1987). "He's Been Big, Bad And Now, Beautiful Jack O'halloran, Last Seen As A Nasty In 'Dragnet,' Is Changing His Image". Philadelphia Daily News.
  8. ^ Starlog, July 2006, p. 34
  9. ^ "Superman III Live: Bonus!, episode #24.1 of How Did This Get Made? on Earwolf". earwolf.com.
  10. ^ "Superman Homepage". SupermanHomepage.com.
  11. ^ "Long Beach movie studio at old Boeing plant in jeopardy". signonsandiego.com. Associated Press. March 10, 2009.
  12. ^ "Former Long Beach factory to be movie studio". sfgate.com. Associated Press. October 11, 2009.
  13. ^ O'Halloran, Jack (2011). Family Legacy. MP Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84982-106-3.

External links edit