James O'Neill (actor)
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James O'Neill (born November 15, 1849, Kilkenny, Ireland; died August 10, 1920, New London, Connecticut, United States) was an actor and the father of the American playwright Eugene O'Neill.
During his day, he was considered a promising actor, quickly working his way up the ranks to become a matinee idol. Early in his career he played the title role in a stage adaptation of Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, a role he played some 4000 times to great commercial success. However, his choice to play only one role was seen by some (including his son) as selling out, neglecting his dynamic talents for the sake of money.
James O'Neill later became the model for James Tyrone, the frugal, mercurial, unseeing father character in Eugene O'Neill's posthumous autobiographical play Long Day's Journey Into Night, which tells the story of the Tyrone family, which closely resembles the O'Neill family.
He died, aged 70, at the family home in Connecticut.
