Things You Didn't Know About Carroll O'Connor

There wasn't a lot of controversy in his personal life.

Headstone for Carroll O'Connor and familyPhoto byCreative Commons: Wildhartlivie

I’ve done a lot of short pieces about actors and celebrities. Generally, I find a lot of unsavory information about them. Much of it I didn’t include. However, in Carroll’s case, there really wasn’t much there. Often there were numerous spouses and kids to sort out, plus affairs and children produced as a result of those affairs. You really needed a scorecard to sort it out in some cases.

In Carroll’s case, it was a pretty clean scorecard. One wife, and one adopted son, Hugh.

Of course, Carroll is most known for his portrayal of Archie Bunker, but he had a good run as Bill Gillespie in The Heat of the Night. Beyond that, here are some things you didn’t know about the Carroll O’Connor.”

1:Carroll was considered for the role of the Skipper in “Gilligan’s Island.”

I really don’t think Carroll would have won an Emmy as the Skipper.

2: Mickey Rooney was Norman Lear’s first choice to play Archie Bunker.

Lear wanted a big name to play the role, but nobody flushed a toilet like Carroll O’Connor.

3: Carroll began his undergraduate studies at the University of Montana and finished at the University of Dublin.

There he studied Irish history and English literature. Why not just major in Unemployment?

4: Ultimately, Carroll returned to the University of Montana and got his masters in speech.

Whenever I heard Archie talk, I often thought, “There’s somebody who has a master’s in speech!”

5: In addition to getting his master's at the University of Montana, he also met Nancy Fields, who became his wife for almost 50 years.

I guess she was another one of his Fields of study.

6: Rob Reiner had an interesting take on Carroll’s portray of Archie Bunker. Rob said, speaking of Archie, “even though he had these abhorrent views. He’s still a feeling, human being.” He went on to say, I don’t think anybody’s all good or all bad.”

I believe that’s the opinion of most people. Unless the other person has different political views.

7: Like Archie Bunker, Carroll O’Connor was from Queens.

I wonder why there is no Kings, New York?

8: Carroll had two brothers, both of whom were doctors.

But in defense of Carroll, I’m sure he could do a really good job playing a doctor.

9: Archie Bunker was ranked number 24 in the 20 June 2004 issue of TV Guides list of the 50 Greatest TV Dads.

I believe Al Bundy was number 23.

10: Carroll attended the same high school as Don Rickles.

Wow, Archie Bunker and Don Rickles from the same high school. That wasn’t exactly a charm school.