How a bearded Orson Welles audition led to an Oscar nomination

Entertainment · Published 20 October 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1954, film producers wanted the legendary Orson Welles to star in Luis Buñuel's Robinson Crusoe. Buñuel refused, calling Welles too big and too fat. However, after seeing Welles perform in Macbeth, the director was convinced by a different actor's performance, changing the course of his career.

O'Herlihy's path to stardom was paved by a transition from architecture to the stage. After graduating from University College Dublin in 1944 with an architecture degree, he moved from amateur theater to the Abbey Theatre. He initially worked as a set designer before transitioning into acting, appearing in approximately fifty plays at the Gate Theatre.

His breakthrough in the 1950s was defined by a pivotal casting decision. While producers pushed for Orson Welles to play the title role in Robinson Crusoe, Buñuel was unimpressed by Welles' physical presence. The production screened Welles' Macbeth to visualize a bearded look for the role, but it was O'Herlihy's performance as Macduff in that very film that ultimately secured him the lead. A Best Actor Academy Award nomination followed this specific performance.

Diverse genres and many years defined O'Herlihy's range. He moved from the high-stakes tension of Fail Safe (1964), where he played a general who nukes New York, to the cult sci-fi of The Last Starfighter (1984) and the surreal atmosphere of Twin Peaks (1990–91). His career was marked by a distinct ability to inhabit diverse archetypes, from historical figures like Marshal Ney in Waterloo to modern icons like Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. in his final film role in 1998.

His legacy persists through a family of artists. He was the brother of director Michael O'Herlihy and fathered three children in the arts, including an actor and an architect. His grandchildren have also entered the creative sphere, with one becoming a Sundance-featured filmmaker and another collaborating with Miley Cyrus.

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