Michael O'Hare

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Michael O'Hare
O'Hare as Jeffrey Sinclair in Babylon 5
Born
Robert Michael O'Hare Jr.

(1952-05-06)May 6, 1952
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedSeptember 28, 2012(2012-09-28) (aged 60)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Education
OccupationActor
Years active1972–2000
Spouse
Ruth O'Hare
​
(m. 1998)​
[citation needed]

Robert Michael O'Hare Jr. (May 6, 1952 – September 28, 2012) was an American actor who performed on stage and television. He was best known for playing the lead role of space station Commander Jeffrey Sinclair in the science fiction television series Babylon 5, a role he left after the first season due to serious mental health issues.

Early life and education[edit]

Robert Michael O'Hare Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in Chicago Heights. His father, Robert Michael O’Hare Sr., was of Irish descent while his mother, Sally O’Hare (née Crisanti) was of Italian descent. He attended Chicago's Mendel Catholic Preparatory High School,[1][2] where he played football, to defy his doctor who told him he would never be in athletics because of his asthma.[3][4][5] He received several awards and scholarship offers based on his football ability and scholastic performance.[6][7][8][9][10]

Coming from a career military family,[11] he considered joining the US Navy or having a career in professional football but attended Harvard University, where he studied English literature[6] and played on the Harvard Crimson football team.[12][13][14] He joined the university's drama groups[15] and was a performer in “The Wrongway Inn”,[16][17] the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ production for 1972.[18][19] That same year, he went for an “acting tryout” to the New York area, and was cast as Beef Saunders in Good News! at Goodspeed Musicals.[20] He was a member of the Harvard Glee Club during its 1973 World Tour.[21][22] He left Harvard in 1974 to study at the Juilliard School of Drama. He later took lessons from Sanford Meisner in the mid-1980s.[23][24]

Career[edit]

O'Hare appeared in a number of theatrical productions on Broadway and in regional theaters, including an acclaimed revival of Shaw's Man and Superman[25] with Philip Bosco; in the role of Col. Jessup in the original stage version of A Few Good Men;[26] as Captain Solyony in Chekhov’s Three Sisters.[27] Other notable roles included Alfred in a 1986 stage revival of Little Murders;[23][28] Jake in A Lie of the Mind[29][30] and John in Lips Together, Teeth Apart.[31][32]

He was the first white actor nominated by the African-American theater community of New York for the AUDELCO Award for Best Actor, for his performance as Captain Jaap van Tonder[33] in Michael Picardie's play Shades of Brown, about apartheid in South Africa.[34][35]

He co-starred in the biographical TV movie Marciano[36] and an unsold TV pilot Keefer with William Conrad in the late 1970s. In the 1980s, he appeared mainly as guest on a range of television shows, including Trapper John, M.D.; T.J. Hooker; Kate & Allie; The Equalizer; Tales from the Darkside; and Rage of Angels: The Story Continues.[37]

He was the lead character in Michael Lengsfield's CINE-award-winning short film Short Term Bonds in 1988,[38][39][40] screened at the 1989 Sundance festival.

In 1992, he was cast in the lead role of Commander Jeffrey Sinclair in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. He appeared in the pilot and throughout the show's first season in 1994. He left the cast for mental health reasons that were not disclosed at the time, but made guest appearances in the second and third seasons.

Subsequently, he had one guest role on The Cosby Mysteries and appeared twice on Law & Order, the last time in 2000. He did some voiceover work for commercials and read a radio adaptation of the science fiction novella Think Like a Dinosaur for Seeing Ear Theater.[41][42]

After 2000, he retired from acting and rarely made public appearances.

Illness and death[edit]

Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski revealed after O'Hare's death that the actor had had severe mental illness.[43][44][45] During the filming of the first season of Babylon 5, O'Hare began having paranoid delusions, and halfway through, his hallucinations worsened. It became increasingly difficult for O'Hare to continue working, his behavior was becoming increasingly erratic, and he was often at odds with his colleagues. Straczynski offered to suspend production for several months to accommodate treatment; however, O'Hare feared that such a hiatus would put the series at risk, and he did not want to jeopardize others' jobs. Straczynski agreed to keep O'Hare's condition secret to protect his career, and O'Hare agreed to complete the first season, but would be written out of the second season so that he could seek treatment. His departure from the cast was announced without explanation, except that it was mutual and amicable.[46][47]

His treatments were only partially successful. He reappeared in a cameo appearance early in season two ("The Coming of Shadows") and returned in season three for a two-part episode ("War Without End") which closed his character's story arc. At that time, Straczynski promised O'Hare to keep his condition secret "to my grave". O'Hare told him to instead "keep the secret to my grave", arguing that fans deserved to eventually learn the real reason for his departure, and that his experience could raise awareness and understanding for people with mental illness. He made no further appearances on Babylon 5, but continued to support the show and appeared at conventions and signing events until his retirement from public appearances in 2000.

On September 28, 2012, Straczynski posted that O'Hare had had a heart attack in New York City five days earlier, and had remained in a coma until his death that day.[48] Eight months later, Straczynski revealed the circumstances of O'Hare's departure from Babylon 5 at a presentation about the series at the Phoenix Comicon.[43][45]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1979 The Promise Ben Avery
1981 The Pursuit of DB Cooper Car Owner
1982 C.H.U.D. Fuller
1989 Last Exit to Brooklyn Riot Police Officer
1990 The Ambulance Hal

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1981 McClain's Law Robert Mellie 1 episode
1981 Jessica Novak Eddie Danova 1 episode
1982 TJ Hooker Cal Jastrow 1 episode
1982 Trapper John M.D. Jensen 1 episode
1982 Kate & Allie Richard Curtis 1 episode
1986 The Equalizer Alex 1 episode
1986 Tales from the Darkside Jimmy 1 episode
1987 One Life to Live George Vasquez 1 episode
1985–1990 Another World Fire Captain/Pilot 3 episodes
1991 LA Law Dr. Michael Lattimer 1 episode
1993–1996 Babylon 5 Jeffrey Sinclair
1997–2000 Law and Order Mr. Tobin / Roy Lawlor 2 episodes

Broadway[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mendel CHS of Chicago, Illinois - News". www.mendelchs.com. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "Mendel Catholic Prep High School Alumni Home Page". December 17, 2009. Archived from the original on December 17, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  3. ^ "Hope Star from Hope, Arkansas on November 30, 1973 · Page 4". Newspapers.com. November 30, 1973. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  4. ^ "The Robesonian from Lumberton, North Carolina on September 5, 1973 · Page 3". Newspapers.com. September 5, 1973. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  5. ^ "Chicago South End Reporter Archives, Dec 14, 1969, p. 9". NewspaperArchive.com. December 14, 1969. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  6. ^ a b All Hands. Bureau of Naval Personnel. 1995.
  7. ^ "Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois on July 2, 1970 · 92". Newspapers.com. July 2, 1970. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  8. ^ "Chicago South End Reporter Archives, Nov 9, 1969, p. 1". NewspaperArchive.com. November 9, 1969. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  9. ^ "Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois on February 5, 1970 · 88". Newspapers.com. February 5, 1970. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  10. ^ "Park Forest Star Newspaper Archives, Dec 5, 1971, p. 89". NewspaperArchive.com. December 5, 1971. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  11. ^ "VMH: RAYMOND E. O'HARE, LCDR, USN". usnamemorialhall.org. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  12. ^ "The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts on November 21, 1972 · 28". Newspapers.com. November 21, 1972. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  13. ^ "Harvard". Harvard. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  14. ^ "Media Center: Harvard Crimson Football All-Time Letterwinners". Harvard. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  15. ^ ""Beware of O'Hare" - Interview, 1973".
  16. ^ The Wrongway Inn - 1972 Original Cast, retrieved May 5, 2020
  17. ^ "Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770 | Hasty Pudding Songs". hastypudding.org. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  18. ^ "The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts on March 9, 1972 · 39". Newspapers.com. March 9, 1972. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  19. ^ "The Wrongway Inn | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  20. ^ "Chicago South End Reporter Archives, Aug 16, 1972, p. 11". NewspaperArchive.com. August 16, 1972. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  21. ^ "Toledo Blade - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  22. ^ "Daily Press from Newport News, Virginia on October 7, 1973 · Page 35". Newspapers.com. October 7, 1973. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  23. ^ a b "The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey on November 22, 1986 · Page 27". Newspapers.com. November 22, 1986. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  24. ^ babylon5 1995 an audience with the commander (Michael O'Hare), archived from the original on December 12, 2021, retrieved June 2, 2020; Mentioning Sandy Meisner 24:51-25:15.
  25. ^ "Search results - "man and superman 1978" - NYPL Digital Collections". digitalcollections.nypl.org. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  26. ^ Klein, Alvin (August 18, 1991). "THEATER; 'A Few Good Men' on Westport Stage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  27. ^ "Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut on April 15, 1984 · 135". Newspapers.com. April 15, 1984. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  28. ^ "Town Topics 15 October 1986 — Princeton Periodicals". papersofprinceton.princeton.edu. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  29. ^ "The Star-Democrat from Easton, Maryland on March 17, 1989 · Page 45". Newspapers.com. March 17, 1989. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  30. ^ "The Evening Sun from Baltimore, Maryland on March 15, 1989 · 23". Newspapers.com. March 15, 1989. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  31. ^ Sun-Sentinel, BILL VON MAURER, Special to the (January 29, 1993). "'LIPS TOGETHER' ONSTAGE AT GROVE". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved May 5, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ Writer, JACK ZINK, Theater (January 22, 1993). "FINE ART OF SHUFFLING AROUND STARTS THEATER SEASON". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved May 5, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ Freedman, Samuel G. (October 28, 1983). "A SOUTH AFRICAN DASH OF HOPE (Published 1983)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  34. ^ Communications, Emmis (October 1984). Cincinnati Magazine. Emmis Communications.
  35. ^ Gussow, Mel (October 21, 1983). "Stage: Two-Man 'Shades of Brown'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  36. ^ "Courier express. (Buffalo, N.Y.) 1964-1982, October 20, 1979, Image 11" (1979/10/20). October 20, 1979: 11. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  37. ^ "Michael O'Hare". IMDb. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  38. ^ Columbia University; Short the Film Company (1988), Short-term bonds, Short the Film Company, OCLC 24539605
  39. ^ "Michael Lengsfield - Research Database, The University of East Anglia". people.uea.ac.uk. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  40. ^ Short-Term Bonds, retrieved May 5, 2020
  41. ^ "Seeing Ear Theatre – SFFaudio". May 13, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  42. ^ SETheater, retrieved May 6, 2020
  43. ^ a b J. Michael Straczynski Panel at Phoenix ComicCon 2013 on YouTube (explanation begins at 10:50)
  44. ^ "J. Michael Straczynski on Michael O'Hare's battle with mental illness". YouTube. February 25, 2014. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  45. ^ a b Roth, Dan (May 28, 2013). "Straczynski reveals moving story of why Michael O'Hare left Babylon 5". Blastr. Archived from the original on June 1, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  46. ^ Straczynski, J. Michael (May 1994). "About Michael O'Hare's Departure". The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. As a result of these discussions, it has been agreed that we will have a separation, in the role of the commander. Let me emphasize this very clearly, so there is no chance of miscommunication: this is a mutual, amicable, and friendly separation.
  47. ^ Original GEnie post Message 560 by Straczynski on Fri May 20, 1994[permanent dead link]
  48. ^ Glenn Hauman (September 28, 2012). "Michael O'Hare: 1952–2012". ComicMix. Retrieved September 29, 2012.

External links[edit]

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