Sean O'Kane
Encyclopedia
Sean O'Kane is a Scottish actor from Bellshill
near Glasgow
.
, in a family with twelve siblings. He was interested in acting as a child, then at the age of 19, after a stint in the Territorial Army, O'Kane left the country. He took on stunt
work, modeling and acting in student films, and arrived in Hollywood in the early 1980s. His first role was as Precinct cop Det. McKenzie on Cagney and Lacey. When the cast and crew discovered his young age, and the fact that he lived in the parking lot in a truck, they took him under their wings, and O'Kane appeared in several episodes over three years, although having a thick Glasgow accent impeded his chances of speaking on the show. After laying down The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie on tape at the request of Tyne Daly
, in return she encouraged the young actor to learn more accents to broaden his talents. He left the show at Christmas of 1985, after being scouted by LA Models who sent him to Europe, and for the next three years he traveled the world non-stop modeling. O'Kane landed his first leading role in the British TV game show Interceptor
(1989). He went on to star and co-star in films such as Magic Island (1995), Stone Soup (1993), and TV's Dream Team
(1997), Sharpe's Justice
(1997) and Taggart
, as well as numerous voice-over
s on such films as Million Dollar Baby
, Patriot Games
and Blown Away
.
Bellshill
Bellshill is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, 10 miles south east of Glasgow city centre and 37 miles west of Edinburgh. Other nearby towns are Motherwell , Hamilton and Coatbridge . Since 1996, it has been situated in the Greater Glasgow metropolitan area...
near Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Career
Sean O'Kane (born John Lynch) grew up in CambuslangCambuslang
Cambuslang is a suburban town on the south-eastern outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland. It is within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire. Historically, it was a large rural Parish incorporating nearby hamlets of Newton, Flemington, and Halfway. It is known as "the largest village in...
, in a family with twelve siblings. He was interested in acting as a child, then at the age of 19, after a stint in the Territorial Army, O'Kane left the country. He took on stunt
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
work, modeling and acting in student films, and arrived in Hollywood in the early 1980s. His first role was as Precinct cop Det. McKenzie on Cagney and Lacey. When the cast and crew discovered his young age, and the fact that he lived in the parking lot in a truck, they took him under their wings, and O'Kane appeared in several episodes over three years, although having a thick Glasgow accent impeded his chances of speaking on the show. After laying down The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie on tape at the request of Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
, in return she encouraged the young actor to learn more accents to broaden his talents. He left the show at Christmas of 1985, after being scouted by LA Models who sent him to Europe, and for the next three years he traveled the world non-stop modeling. O'Kane landed his first leading role in the British TV game show Interceptor
Interceptor (TV series)
Interceptor was a British game show created by Jacques Antoine and produced by Chatsworth Television for Thames Television in 1989, and shown on the ITV network during that summer, with the hosting its last show on 1 January 1990 for a New Year bonanza...
(1989). He went on to star and co-star in films such as Magic Island (1995), Stone Soup (1993), and TV's Dream Team
Dream Team (TV series)
Dream Team is a British television series produced by Hewland International which aired on Sky1 and Sky3 from 1997 to 2007; it chronicled the on-field and off-field affairs of the fictional Harchester United Football Club....
(1997), Sharpe's Justice
Sharpe's Justice
Sharpe's Justice is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. Unlike most of the other installments of the series, this episode was not based on a novel by Bernard Cornwell...
(1997) and Taggart
Taggart
Taggart is a Scottish detective television programme, created by Glenn Chandler, who has written many of the episodes, and made by STV Productions for the ITV network...
, as well as numerous voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
s on such films as Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman...
, Patriot Games
Patriot Games
Patriot Games is a novel by Tom Clancy. It is chronologically the first book focusing on CIA analyst Jack Ryan, the main character in almost all of Clancy's novels. It is the indirect sequel to Without Remorse...
and Blown Away
Blown Away (1994 film)
Blown Away is a 1994 action film starring Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones. It was directed by Stephen Hopkins.-Plot:Ryan Gaerity , an Irish terrorist, escapes from his cell in a castle prison in Northern Ireland....
.