Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Quinn O'Hara Passes On

Quinn O'Hara, who guest starred on such TV shows as Dragnet, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and The Saint, and starred in The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966), died on May 5 2017 at the age of 76.

Quinn O'Hara was born Alice Jones in Edinburgh, Scotland on January 3 1941 to a Welsh father and Scottish-Irish mother. She attended a convent boarding school in Cardiff, Wales as a child. When she was 14 she and her mother moved to Quebec. Three years later they moved to Long Beach, California. She attended Long Beach College. She wanted to compete in the Miss Lakewood beauty pageant, but was disqualified as she was a Scottish citizen. The Royal Order of Scotland named her "Miss Scotland". While she did not actually get to compete in the Miss Universe pageant, she did receive a participation award.

Quinn O'Hara made her television debut in an episode of Dragnet in 1956. She made her film debut in a bit part in the Jerry Lewis movie The Errand Boy in 1961. In the Sixties she was a regular on the summer replacement series The Lively Ones. She guest starred on such shows as General Electric Theatre, The Real McCoys, Channing, The Red Skelton Hour, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Rogues, Burke's Law, Run for Your Life, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., My Three Sons, The Saint, and Dragnet 1968. She appeared in the films The Caretakers (1963), Who's Minding the Store? (1963), The Patsy (1964), Good Neighbour Sam (1964), A Swingin' Summer (1965), The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966), Cry of the Banshee (1970), and Rubia's Jungle (1970).

In the Seventies Miss O'Hara guest starred on To Rome With Love, Dan August, The Smith Family, Ironside, UFO, The Streets of San Francisco, One Day at a Time, CHiPs, and Fantasy Island. She appeared in the films Foursome (1971) and The Teacher (1974).

In the Eighties Quinn O'Hara had a recurring role on Trapper John M.D. and Dallas. She guest starred on such shows as Quincy M.E., Vega$, The Fall Guy, T. J. Hooker, and Matlock. Quinn O'Hara later went into nursing, although she still made occasional appearances in TV shows. She guest starred on Acapulco H.E.A.T., Diagnosis Murder, Baywatch, N.Y.P.D. Blue, and Las Vegas.

Quinn O'Hara may have been best known for her red hair and her good looks, although she was talented as an actress. She did particularly well with comedy, as demonstrated by A Swingin' Summer and The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, as well as a number of her television appearances. And while she played sex kittens often, they were generally a bit left of centre. In The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini she played one of the villains, Sinistra. In Cry of the Banshee she played a serving wench who was also a witch. Quinn O'Hara may have been best known for her looks, but she did have a good deal of talent.

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