Malachy McCourt explained

Malachy McCourt
Birth Name:Malachy Gerard McCourt
Birth Date:20 September 1931
Birth Place:New York City, New York, U.S.
Death Place:New York City, New York, U.S.
Children:4
Relatives:
Party:Green Party of New York

Malachy Gerard McCourt (September 20, 1931 – March 11, 2024) was an American actor, writer and politician. Born in Brooklyn, McCourt appeared in several films and soap operas, including The Molly Maguires, Brewster's Millions (1985), and Another World. He also wrote three memoirs, describing his life in Ireland and in the United States. McCourt was the 2006 Green Party candidate for governor of New York, losing to the Democratic candidate Eliot Spitzer. He was the younger brother of author Frank McCourt.

Early life

Malachy Gerard McCourt was born in Brooklyn on September 20, 1931, the son of Irish parents Angela (née Sheehan) and Malachy Gerard McCourt Sr.[1] [2] By the time of his death in 2024, he was the longest-lived of their seven offspring, following the death of his younger brother Alphonsus in 2016.[3] McCourt was raised in Limerick, Ireland, and returned to the United States in 1952.[1]

Career

McCourt acted on stage, on television and in several movies, including The Molly Maguires (1970), The Brink's Job (1978), Q (1982), Brewster's Millions (1985), Tales from the Darkside (1985), The January Man (1989), Beyond the Pale (2000), and Ash Wednesday (2002).[4] [5] He appeared on several New York City-based soap operas: Another World, Ryan's Hope, Search for Tomorrow, and One Life to Live.[6] He is also known for his annual Christmas-time appearances on All My Children as Father Clarence, a priest who shows up to give inspirational advice to Pine Valley citizens.[7]

In 1970, McCourt released a spoken word album on vinyl, And the Children Toll the Passing of the Day, which was produced by David Hess.[8]

In the 1970s, he hosted a talk show on WMCA.[9]

McCourt occasionally appeared on various programs on New York City's political radio station, WBAI, as late as 2023.[10] Among the shows on which he appeared were Radio Free Éireann.[11] He was also a regular guest artist at Scranton Public Theatre in Scranton, Pennsylvania, having performed in Inherit the Wind, Love Letters, and A Couple of Blaguards, which he co-wrote with brother Frank McCourt.[12] He hosted a Sunday morning call-in radio forum on WBAI. He also had a short-lived role as a Catholic priest on the HBO prison drama Oz.[13] McCourt played Francis Preston Blair in Gods and Generals (2003).[14]

McCourt was the owner of Malachy's, a bar on Third Avenue in New York City.[1] One of his frequent patrons was his friend the actor Richard Harris, who worked for a short time behind the bar for McCourt.[15]

Writing

McCourt wrote three memoirs, A Monk Swimming, Death Need Not be Fatal, and Singing My Him Song, all of which detail respectively his life in Ireland and his later return to the United States. He also authored a book on the history of the ballad "Danny Boy", and put together a collection of Irish writings, called Voices of Ireland.[16]

Politics

In April 2006, McCourt announced that he would seek to become governor of New York in the November 2006 election as a Green Party candidate. Running under the slogan "Don't waste your vote, give it to me", McCourt promised to recall the New York National Guard from Iraq, to make public education free through college, and to institute a statewide comprehensive "sickness care" system. McCourt polled at 5% in an October 10 Zogby poll, versus 25% for Republican John Faso and 63% for Democrat Eliot Spitzer.[17] McCourt was endorsed by Cindy Sheehan, mother of a fallen soldier in the Iraq War.[18] [19] The League of Women Voters excluded him from the gubernatorial debate because he had less than 10% of support in a public opinion poll.[20] He placed third in the general election, receiving 40,000 votes, or nearly 1%, losing to Democrat Eliot Spitzer.[21]

Personal life

McCourt married Linda Wachsman, and had two children with her: daughter Siobhán and son Malachy III; he had two more children by his second wife, Diana Galin: sons Conor and Cormac.[22] He also has a stepdaughter, Nina Galin.[23] [24]

In 1960, he was one of the four founding members of the Manhattan Rugby Football Club.[25] Malachy appears in his older brother Frank McCourt's memoirs. He was portrayed by Peter Halpin in the film version of his brother's memoir Angela's Ashes.[26]

In 2023, McCourt told The New York Times that he was ill with a number of health problems, including a heart condition, skin cancer, prostate cancer and a form of muscular degeneration.[10] He died at Lenox Hill Hospital on March 11, 2024, at the age of 92.[1] [27] [28]

Books

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Malachy McCourt, Actor, Memoirist and Gadabout, Dies at 92. Roberts. Sam. Sam Roberts (journalist). March 11, 2024. March 11, 2024. The New York Times. limited. March 11, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240311151130/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/books/malachy-mccourt-dead.html. live.
  2. News: Another Angle on the Family McCourt. Dunleavey. M. P.. August 24, 1997. The New York Times. January 29, 2018. 0362-4331. April 24, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190424030022/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/24/movies/another-angle-on-the-family-mccourt.html. live.
  3. News: Alphie McCourt, brother of Frank McCourt, dies aged 75 . The Irish Times . July 3, 2016 . February 20, 2024 . Hayes . Kathryn . February 21, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240221044822/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/alphie-mccourt-brother-of-frank-mccourt-dies-aged-75-1.2708882 . live .
  4. Web site: Malachy McCourt . March 18, 2024 . . en . March 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240311170851/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/malachy_mccourt . live .
  5. Web site: The January Man . March 18, 2024 . . en.
  6. Web site: Evans . Greg . March 11, 2024 . Malachy McCourt Dies: 'Ryan's Hope' Actor, Brother Of 'Angela's Ashes' Author Frank McCourt Was 92 . March 18, 2024 . . en-US . March 18, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240318031111/https://deadline.com/2024/03/malachy-mccourt-dead-1235855123/ . live .
  7. Web site: Strauss . Tracy L. . September 22, 2010 . Malachy McCourt to hold court at the Somerville News Writers Festival Nov. 13, 2010 . March 18, 2024 . The Somerville Times . en-US.
  8. Web site: November 1970 . Stereo Review . March 18, 2024 . worldhistoryradio.com . February 15, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240215223310/https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-HiFI-Stereo/70s/HiFi-Stereo-Review-1970-11.pdf . live .
  9. News: Up Next From McCourt Inc.: Brother Malachy's Memoirs . March 30, 1998 . Dylan . Foley . Observer . January 29, 2018 . March 12, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180312144410/https://observer.com/1998/03/up-next-from-mccourt-inc-brother-malachys-memoirs/ . live .
  10. News: Malachy McCourt Still Has a Few Stories Left to Tell. Shapiro. Laurie Gwen. March 12, 2023. March 11, 2024. The New York Times. MB1. limited. January 10, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240110210741/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/nyregion/malachy-mccourt.html. live.
  11. Web site: April 11, 2020 . Radio Free Eireann . March 18, 2024 . The Irish Gazette . en-US . May 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230528135915/https://theirishgazette.com/2020/04/11/radio-free-eireann/ . live .
  12. Web site: Smith . Sherri E. . March 11, 2024 . Malachy McCourt Died: The Search For Tomorrow & Ryan's Hope Alum Passed After A Long Illness . March 18, 2024 . . en-US . March 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240311222508/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/search-tomorrow-ryan-hope-alum-213252346.html . live .
  13. News: March 14, 2024 . Malachy McCourt, brother of the Angela's Ashes author and a well-known New York hellraiser – obituary . March 18, 2024 . . en-GB . 0307-1235 . March 17, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240317074511/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2024/03/14/malachy-mccourt-frank-angelas-ashes-new-york-actor/ . live .
  14. Lenker . Mauren Lee . March 12, 2024 . Malachy McCourt, memoirist and actor on soap opera "Ryan's Hope", dies at 92 . March 18, 2024 . . en-CA . . March 18, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240318023559/https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/malachy-mccourt-memoirist-actor-soap-003528100.html . live .
  15. News: Sweeney . Tanya . August 18, 2019 . Malachy McCourt: 'Frank wouldn't be happy unless he was miserable' . March 18, 2024 . . en . October 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231028044733/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/stage/malachy-mccourt-frank-wouldn-t-be-happy-unless-he-was-miserable-1.3980743 . live .
  16. Web site: Goldsmith . Margie . November 17, 2022 . 91-Year-Old Irish American, Malachy McCourt, Going Stronger Than Ever . March 18, 2024 . . en . March 18, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240318023600/https://www.forbes.com/sites/margiegoldsmith/2022/11/17/91-year-old-irish-american-malachy-mccourtgoing-stronger-than-ever/ . live .
  17. Web site: Zogby Poll: Dems on Top in Major New York Races. Zogby International. October 10, 2006. November 1, 2006. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070103153113/http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1180. January 3, 2007.
  18. News: Peace Mom For McCourt . November 5, 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061126000127/http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/?p=2323 . Benjamin . Elizabeth . October 3, 2006 . . Albany, New York . November 26, 2006 .
  19. http://gpnys.dreamhosters.com/?p=312{{dead link|date=June 2013}}
  20. Web site: Green Party Candidates McCourt and Duncan Tour State, Debate Exclusion Fires Resolve to Reach Voters . October 3, 2006 . June 30, 2013 . Green Party of the United States . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130618233819/http://www.gp.org/press/states/ny/ny_2006_10_03.shtml . June 18, 2013 .
  21. Web site: Greene . Leonard . March 11, 2024 . Malachy McCourt, Irish-American actor and author, dead at 92 . March 18, 2024 . . en-US . March 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240311182231/https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/03/11/malachy-mccourt-irish-american-actor-and-author-dead-at-92/ . live .
  22. News: Kicked Out of Hospice, Malachy McCourt Wants One Last St. Patrick's Day . March 10, 2023 . Laurie Gwen . Shapiro . The New York Times . February 20, 2024 . January 10, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240110210741/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/nyregion/malachy-mccourt.html . live .
  23. News: AT LUNCH WITH: Malachy McCourt – How a Rogue Turns Himself Into a Saint; The Blarney Fails to Hide an Emotional Directness . The New York Times . Alex . Witchel . July 29, 1998 . February 20, 2024 . February 21, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240221051305/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/29/books/lunch-with-malachy-mccourt-rogue-turns-himself-into-saint-blarney-fails-hide.html . live .
  24. News: Recalling a Victory for the Disabled . The New York Times . May 3, 2000 . Shaila K. . Dewan . February 21, 2024 . February 21, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240221061009/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/03/nyregion/recalling-a-victory-for-the-disabled.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare . live .
  25. Web site: Down Memory Lane – New York City Rugby 1975. Freeman. Allyn. October 19, 2017. Rugby Today. January 29, 2018. January 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180130091223/http://www.rugbytoday.com/columns/down-memory-lane-new-york-city-rugby-1975. dead.
  26. Web site: August 4, 2021 . Malachy McCourt Book is Reissued . March 18, 2024 . The Irish Examiner . en-US . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207040001/https://theirishgazette.com/2021/08/04/malachy-mccourt-book-is-reissued/ . live .
  27. News: Irish-American actor raised in Limerick has died . March 11, 2024 . Live95 FM . March 11, 2024 . March 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240311151313/https://www.live95fm.ie/news/live95-news/irish-american-actor-raised-in-limerick-has-died/ . live .
  28. Web site: Humm . Andy . Malachy McCourt, staunch, passionate, and colorful LGBTQ ally, dies at 92 . Gay City News . March 19, 2024 . March 29, 2024.

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