Irish actor Des Nealon, whose career at the Abbey Theatre spanned seven decades, has died at the age of 90. In a tribute, the Abbey said Nealon had left a “lasting legacy” and would be “much missed by his theatre family in Ireland”.
The Dubliner’s roles at the Abbey date back to 1956 and continued until 2018. His first appearance for the national theatre was in an Abbey production of George Bernard Shaw’s The Shewing-Up of Blanco Posnet at Queen’s Theatre on Pearse Street, while his final Abbey appearance was in Come on Home by Philly McMahon on the Peacock stage.
Over the decades he performed in plays by Brecht, Ibsen, Shakespeare, Tom Murphy, Brian Friel, JM Synge, John B Keane and Marina Carr.
Nealon also had a long screen career, with his film roles including appearances in Educating Rita (1983), Dead Bodies (2003), Dark Lies the Island (2019) and the Oscar-nominated short film Pentecost (2011). On television, his credits include Bachelors Walk, The Tudors, Love/Hate, Red Rock and The Dry, as well as several TV and radio plays on RTÉ and the BBC.
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Actor Andrew Bennett led a final ovation in tribute to Nealon after Monday night’s performance of The Whiteheaded Boy at the Abbey.
The theatre said Nealon was “a true gentlemen, gentle and generous in nature to all around him and ferociously good fun” and hailed his accomplishments as an actor.
“He was chameleon like, faultlessly moving between classic plays and new works, from mathematician to blind sightseer, peasant farmer to Scottish doctor, roman philosopher to stationmaster and more particularly clergymen of every denomination. Every part played effortlessly with that warmly resonant voice so fondly remembered by all,” the theatre said.
Rough Magic Theatre Company, for which Nealon appeared in touring productions of The School for Scandal and The Taming of the Shrew, among other plays, also paid tribute.
“He brought a wealth of skill, knowledge and generosity, and a quiet mischief that we loved and respected. Des and his generation were the foundation of the modern Irish theatre. A great company member and a magnificent actor, he will be hugely missed,” it said in a post on social media.
Nealon is survived by his wife, Bernie, and children, Catherine and Stephen.
