Dave O'Brien

Biography: Dave O'Brien was an American actor, director and writer born David Poole Fronabarger on May 31, 1912 in Big Spring, Texas. He was a self made man who worked his way up from abject poverty to build a successful acting career. He started his career in small parts for many years before breaking into the big time. One of the earliest productions in which he played a minor role was the musical 42nd Street in 1933. He became famous after appearing in the MGM series of comedy films Pete Smith Specialties in the 1940s for which he wrote many episodes. He acted in many low-budget Westerns including Reefer Madness, Queen of the Yukon, Brand of the Devil, Captain Midnight, The Devil Bat, Son of the Navy, The Man Who Walked Alone and Kiss Me, Kate. He married twice and had five children. He died from a heart attack on November 8, 1969 off the Californian coast near Catalina Island.