{{short description|American actor}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Spec O'Donnell | image = The Country Kid (1923) lobby card.jpg | caption = Lobby card for ''The Country Kid'' (1923) with O'Donnell in back | birth_date = {{birth date|1911|4|9}} | birth_place = Fresno, California, United States | death_date = {{death date and age|1986|10|14|1911|04|09}} | death_place = Los Angeles, California, United States | yearsactive = 1923–1978 | occupation = Actor }} '''Walter D. "Spec" O'Donnell''' (April 9, 1911 – October 14, 1986) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 190 films between 1923 and 1978.
He worked frequently for producer Hal Roach, often appearing in silent comedies as the bratty son of Max Davidson or Charley Chase. His sound-era roles were mostly uncredited bits, often as bellhops, newsboys, and pages; he was playing adolescent roles well into his twenties. He has the unusual distinction of playing the same role (a newsboy) in both an original film and its remake: ''Princess O'Hara'' and ''It Ain't Hay''.
==Early life== O'Donnell was born in Madera, California.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Buddy Messinger and Spec O'Donnell Leave Century Studio for Vacation |journal=Universal Weekly |date=June 14, 1924 |volume=19 |issue=18 |page=37}}</ref> His father, John O'Donnell, was a lumber mill labourer originally from Maryland.<ref name="WBM2011">{{cite book |last1=Susanin |first1=Timothy S. |title=Walt Before Mickey: Disney's Early Years, 1919-1928 |date=2011 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1-60473-961-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Z9t5hK5_BcC |access-date=September 5, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>{{rp|100–101}} His mother and older siblings (Jack and Minnie) were born in California.<ref name="WBM2011"/>{{rp|101}}
==Career== In February 1924, O'Donnell signed with Julius and Abe Stern's Century Film Corporation.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Century Signs Two |journal=Moving Picture World |date=February 9, 1924 |volume=66 |issue=6 |page=499}}</ref>
In 1924, O'Donnell starred in Walt Disney's ''Alice Comedies''.<ref name="WBM2011"/>{{rp|78}} The first of these was ''Alice's Spooky Adventure'', where he features as one of several children playing baseball in a field.<ref name="WBM2011"/>{{rp|100}} The film also starred Virginia Davis (as Alice) and Leon Holmes, with whom O'Donnell featured alongside in ''Alice the Peacemaker'' during the same year.<ref name="WBM2011"/>{{rp|100, 110}} He also had parts in ''Alice Gets in Dutch'' and ''Alice is Stage Struck'', which was released the following year.<ref name="WBM2011"/>{{rp|111, 124}}
==Personal life== O'Donnell died in 1986 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.
==Selected filmography== {| class="wikitable sortable plainheaders" |- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" ! scope="row" data-sort-type="number"|Year ! scope="col"|Title ! scope="col"|Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable"|Notes ! scope="col" class="unsortable"|{{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference}} |- |1923 | ''Little Johnny Jones'' | Freckle-faced Little Boy | | |- |1923 | ''The Barefoot Boy'' | Schoolboy | | |- |1923 | ''The Country Kid'' | Joe Applegate | |<ref>{{cite journal |title="The Country Kid" Well Under Way |journal=Moving Picture World |date=July 21, 1923 |volume=63 |issue=3 |page=239}}</ref> |- |1923 | ''The Darling of New York'' | Willie | |<ref>{{cite journal |title="The Darling of New York" |journal=Moving Picture World |date=November 3, 1923 |volume=65 |issue=1 |page=50}}</ref> |- |1923 | ''Main Street'' | | |<ref>{{cite journal |title=Three Warner Features Shown Consecutively for Three Weeks |journal=Moving Picture World |date=July 7, 1923 |volume=63 |issue=1 |page=67}}</ref> |- |1924 | ''The Foolish Virgin'' | Little Boy | |<ref>{{cite journal |title="Foolish Virgin" Here |journal=Moving Picture World |date=August 9, 1924 |volume=69 |issue=6 |page=442}}</ref> |- |1924 | ''Don't Fall'' | Spec | Short |<ref>{{cite journal |title=Century Schedule |journal=Moving Picture World |date=November 8, 1924 |volume=72 |issue=2 |page=155}}</ref> |- |1924 | ''Speed Boys'' | Spec | Short |<ref>{{cite journal |title=Century Comedy Release |journal=Moving Picture World |date=November 8, 1924 |volume=72 |issue=2 |page=164}}</ref> |- |1924 | ''Paging Money'' | | Short |<ref>{{cite journal |title=Five for July |journal=Moving Picture World |date=June 21, 1924 |volume=68 |issue=8 |page=706}}</ref> |- |1924 | ''The Racing Kid'' | | Short |<ref>{{cite journal |title=Centuries for April |journal=Moving Picture World |date=April 5, 1924 |volume=67 |issue=6 |page=465}}</ref> |- |1924 | ''Delivering the Goods'' | Spec | Short |<ref>{{cite news |title=Luddy's Second Features Century's Dog-Star, "Pal" |work=Universal Weekly |date=April 26, 1924}}</ref> |- |1924 | ''Alice's Spooky Adventure'' | Freckled Boy | uncredited; Short |<ref name="WBM2011"/>{{rp|100}} |- |1924 | ''Alice the Peacemaker'' | Freckle-Faced Newsboy | |<ref name="WBM2011"/>{{rp|110}} |- |1924 | ''Alice Gets in Dutch'' | | Short |<ref name="WBM2011"/>{{rp|111}} |- |1925 | ''Alice Is Stage Struck'' | | |<ref name="WBM2011"/>{{rp|124}} |- |1925 | ''Tomorrow's Love'' | | |<ref>{{cite journal |title=Finishes "Tomorrow's Love" |journal=Moving Picture World |date=December 6, 1924 |volume=71 |issue=6 |page=558}}</ref> |- |1925 | ''The Devil's Cargo'' | Jimmy | |<ref>{{cite journal |title="The Devil's Cargo" |journal=Moving Picture World |date=February 21, 1925 |volume=72 |issue=8 |page=786}}</ref> |- |1925 | ''The Dressmaker from Paris'' | Jim | |<ref>{{cite journal |title="The Dressmaker from Paris" |journal=Moving Picture World |date=March 28, 1925 |volume=73 |issue=4 |page=353}}</ref> |- |1925 | ''Little Annie Rooney'' | Abie | |<ref>{{cite journal |title="Little Annie Rooney" |journal=Moving Picture World |date=October 31, 1925 |volume=76 |issue=9 |page=717}}</ref> |- |1925 | ''The Price of Success'' | Jimmy Moran | | |- |1926 | ''Sparrows'' | Ambrose | |<ref>{{cite journal |title=Mary Pickford's Next Picture "Sparrows" Completed |journal=Moving Picture World |date=March 6, 1926 |volume=79 |issue=1 |page=30}}</ref> |- |1926 | ''Private Izzy Murphy'' | The Monahan Kid | |<ref>{{cite journal |title=Jack Warner Speeding Project |journal=Motion Picture News |date=July 24, 1924 |volume=34 |issue=4 |page=303}}</ref> |- |1926 | ''Hard Boiled'' | Eddie Blix | | |- |1926 | ''Old Ironsides'' | Cabin Boy | uncredited | |- |1926 | ''Don Key'' | Office Boy | Also known as ''Don Key (Son of Burro)'' |<ref>{{cite journal |title="Don Key" |journal=Moving Picture World |date=May 22, 1926 |volume=80 |issue=4 |page=327}}</ref> |- |1927 | ''Why Girls Say No'' | Maxie Whisselberg | |<ref>{{cite journal |title=Pathe's Feb. 20 Line-Up |journal=Motion Picture News |date=February 18, 1927 |volume=35 |issue=7 |page=581}}</ref> |- |1927 | ''Don't Tell Everything'' | Asher Ginsberg | | |- |1927 | ''Casey at the Bat'' | Spec | | |- |1927 | ''Special Delivery'' | Office Boy | uncredited | |- |1927 | ''Call of the Cuckoo'' | Love's Greatest Mistake | | |- |1928 | ''Pass the Gravy'' | Ignatz | | |- |1928 | ''A Pair of Tights'' | The Kid | | |- |1928 | ''Vamping Venus'' | Western Union Boy / Mercury | | |- |1928 | ''Hot News'' | Spec | | |- |1928 | ''Danger Street'' | Sammy | | |- |1929 | ''In the Headlines'' | Johnny | | |- |1929 | ''The Sophomore'' | Joe's Nephew | | |- |1930 | ''The Grand Parade'' | Call Boy | | |- |1930 | ''Big Money'' | Elevator Boy | | |- |1930 | ''Two Plus Fours'' | Spec | Short | |- |1932 | ''The Big Broadcast'' | Office Boy | uncredited | |- |1934 | ''Broadway Bill'' | Higgins Flunky | uncredited | |- |1934 | ''David Harum'' | Tim | uncredited |<ref>{{cite news |title="David Harum" |work=Kinematograph Weekly |date=January 18, 1934 |page=18}}</ref> |- |1936 | ''Cain and Mabel'' | Autograph Hound | uncredited | |- |1937 | ''Blonde Trouble'' | Fred's Friend | | |- |1937 | ''Here's Flash Casey'' | Billy | uncredited | |- |1938 | ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' | Pool Room Youth | uncredited | |- |1938 | ''Accidents Will Happen'' | 'Specs' Carter | |<ref>{{cite news |title=Fake Accidents Exposé |work=Kinematograph Weekly |date=February 17, 1938 |page=6}}</ref> |- |1943 | ''Crazy House'' | Bellhop | uncredited | |- |1946 | ''The Kid from Brooklyn'' | Arena Callboy | uncredited | |- |1951 | ''Footlight Varieties'' | Contestant | uncredited | |- |1952 | ''Pat and Mike'' | Hick's Caddy | uncredited | |- |1959 | ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' | Club Member (uncredited) | Season 5 Episode 12: "Specialty of the House" |- |1978 | ''Convoy'' | 18 Wheel Eddie | |<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dukore |first1=Bernard F. |title=Sam Peckinpah's Feature Films |date=1999 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-06802-7 |page=232 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NjLdMBBPQUcC |access-date=September 4, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category|Spec O'Donnell}} *{{IMDb name|0640837}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Spec}} Category:1911 births Category:1986 deaths Category:American male film actors Category:American male silent film actors Category:Male actors from Fresno, California Category:American male child actors Category:20th-century American male actors
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