Fiske O'Hara

George Russ Clary Fiske O'Hara was born on March 11, 1878, in Rockland, Maine, and became known as a singer, actor, and book writer who performed on Broadway between 1906 and 1930. Widely nicknamed the Irish Tenor, he died on August 2, 1945, in Hollywood, California, following a year and a half of blindness and a year confined to bed. His funeral was held at Elks Lodge No. 99, and his remains were cremated and sent to Valhalla, New York, for interment.

O'Hara launched his professional career in 1898 under the name George Fiske, joining Mr. and Mrs. Charles Manley in the rural comedy Down on the Farm. The following year he supported Tony Farrell in My Colleen, after which he divided a season between McFee's Matrimonial Bureau and a position as principal tenor with Gus Sun's Minstrels. From 1901 to 1903, he managed and performed in significant roles with the People's Theatre Stock Company in Chicago, Illinois. During the summer of 1903, he took a special engagement with the Ferris Stock company in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he played juvenile roles including Albert in Monte Cristo, Judson Langhorne in All the Comforts of Home, Dechelette in Sapho, Tom Mayne in My Jim, and Sir Reginald Dare in Shamus O'Brien. In the 1903–04 season, O'Hara split his time between the Metropolitan Stock company in Duluth, Minnesota, where he performed two roles per week, and The Bostonians, with whom he sang tenor roles in Robin Hood, The Serenade, and The Queen of Laughter.

On August 23, 1904, O'Hara made his New York debut at the Majestic Theatre, playing Lieutenant Harold Katchall in The Isle of Spice. On Christmas Day 1905, he led his own company for the first time in Newark, New Jersey, in Mr. Blarney from Ireland, a piece written specifically for him that included several songs of his own composition. He toured with that production for two seasons before spending a year and a half with a follow-up vehicle, Dion O'Dare. In 1909, he moved to the vaudeville circuit with an Irish sketch titled Captain Barry.

His Broadway career encompassed several productions, including the play Jerry-for-Short, the musical Mr. Blarney from Ireland, Jack's Romance, and the musical Sidewalks of New York. In addition to performing, O'Hara also contributed as a book writer to Broadway productions.

Beyond the stage, O'Hara appeared in a number of films, including Paddy the Next Best Thing in 1933, Change of Heart and The Girl from Missouri in 1934, and Death Flies East in 1935.