Gavan O'Herlihy

Acting

Gavan O'Herlihy

Born 1951-07-29 · Dublin, Ireland

Gavan O’Herlihy (29 July 1951 – 15 September 2021) was an Irish actor whose career spanned film, television, and stage, marked by a distinctive presence and a talent for commanding roles. Born in Dublin to actor Dan O’Herlihy and artist Elsie Bennett, he spent his early years between Ireland and the United States, eventually attending Phillips Academy Andover and later the University of California, where he excelled as a champion tennis player before turning fully toward acting. O’Herlihy first gained attention as Chuck Cunningham in the early episodes of Happy Days, a role he deliberately left behind to avoid being typecast in light comedic parts. He instead built a diverse and often hard‑edged body of work, appearing in major productions including Never Say Never Again (as the villainous Jack Petachi), Superman III, Death Wish 3, Willow (as the warrior Airk Thaughbaer), and the acclaimed miniseries Lonesome Dove. His television career was equally varied, with appearances in Twin Peaks, Star Trek: Voyager, The Six Million Dollar Man, Murder, She Wrote, and numerous British productions after relocating to the UK. Across more than fifty screen credits, O’Herlihy became known for portraying complex, often formidable characters — soldiers, outlaws, antagonists, and men with a dangerous edge — roles he embraced for the challenge and dramatic weight they offered. Off‑screen, he was regarded as thoughtful, private, and deeply committed to his craft, preferring character work over celebrity. He died in Bath, England, on 15 September 2021 at the age of 70, reportedly of natural causes.

Acting credits

Willow poster
7.0

The evil Queen Bavmorda hunts the newborn princess Elora Danan, a child prophesied to bring about her downfall. When the royal infant is found by Willow, a timid farmer and aspiring sorcerer, he's entrusted with delivering her from evil.

Willow

1988

Never Say Never Again poster
6.1

James Bond returns as the secret agent 007 to battle the evil organization SPECTRE. Bond must defeat Largo, who has stolen two atomic warheads for nuclear blackmail. But Bond has an ally in Largo's girlfriend, the willowy Domino, who falls for Bond and seeks revenge.

Never Say Never Again

1983

Superman III poster
5.5

Aiming to defeat the Man of Steel, wealthy executive Ross Webster hires bumbling but brilliant Gus Gorman to develop synthetic kryptonite, which yields some unexpected psychological effects. Between rekindling romance with his high school sweetheart and saving himself, Superman must contend with a powerful supercomputer.

Superman III

1983

Death Wish 3 poster
6.2

Architect/vigilante Paul Kersey arrives back in New York City and is forcibly recruited by a crooked police chief to fight street crime caused by a large gang terrorizing the neighborhoods.

Death Wish 3

1985

The Descent: Part 2 poster
6.0

Distraught, confused, and half-wild with fear, Sarah Carter emerges alone from the Appalachian cave system where she encountered unspeakable terrors. Unable to plausibly explain to the authorities what happened - or why she's covered in her friends' blood - Sarah is forced back to the subterranean depths to help locate her five missing companions.

The Descent: Part 2

2009

The Shooter poster
4.8

A CIA agent gets caught up in political intrigue after he gets brought in to solve the murder of a Cuban ambassador.

The Shooter

1995

The California Kid poster
6.3

A sadistic small-town sheriff has a habit of deliberately forcing speeders to their deaths on the mountain roads leading into town. The brother of one of the victims rolls into town in his hot rod to investigate his brother's death.

The California Kid

1974

The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission poster
6.3

Major Reisman is "volunteered" to lead another mission using convicted army soldiers, sentenced to either death or long prison terms. This time their mission is to kill a Nazi general who plans to assassinate Hitler.

The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission

1985

Sharpe: The Legend poster
6.1

Several years after the battle of Waterloo, a former soldier from Shoreditch sits in a London inn reminiscing about the brave and determined officer who took him to hell and back. The narrator is Rifleman Cooper, and the officer whose fame he recalls is the legendary Richard Sharpe.

Sharpe: The Legend

1997

Prince Valiant poster
5.2

An Arthurian legend of young Prince Valiant, son of the King of Scandia. After the King is exiled by an evil leader, the Prince travels to Camelot to secure the aid of King Arthur in helping restore his family to power and prevent a plot by the Black Knight.

Prince Valiant

1997

The Last Outlaw poster
5.4

The story follows a band of former Confederate soldiers who were part of a cavalry unit. Their commander, Graff, had once been a heroic and staunch supporter of the Southern cause, but after losing his family, he became coldhearted and ruthless. His second-in-command is Eustis, whom Graff has trained on the strategies of leadership and combat command.

The Last Outlaw

1993

A Wedding poster
6.3

Muffin's wedding to Dino Corelli is to be a big affair. Except the ageing priest isn't too sure of the ceremony, only the families actually turn up as the Corelli Italian connection is suspect, security guards watch the gifts rather over-zealously, and Dino's grandma expires in bed just as the reception starts. Could be quite an occasion.

A Wedding

1978

Butterfly Man poster
4.6

Adventure romance about an English backpacker whose world falls apart when he meets and falls in love with a beautiful girl on an exotic Thai island.

Butterfly Man

2002

Conagher poster
6.7

Mrs. Evie Teale is struggling to stay alive while raising her two children alone on a remote homestead. Conn Conagher is an honest, hardworking cowboy. Their lives are intertwined as they fight the elements, indians, outlaws, and loneliness.

Conagher

1991

Sharpe's Eagle poster
7.1

Spain, 1809. The newly promoted Captain Sharpe will be stripped of his rank unless he can save the honour of the regiment by capturing a French Imperial standard: an eagle.

Sharpe's Eagle

1993

The Secret Adversary poster
6.9

After a chance meeting and an indiscreet conversation, childhood friends Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley become involved in a convoluted intrigue led by a mysterious man known simply as Mr. Brown.

The Secret Adversary

1983

Top of the World poster
5.2

In Las Vegas for a quicky divorce, a just-paroled ex-cop and his wife wander into the Top of the World Casino, run by the shady Charles Atlas. They win big, right as the casino is being robbed. The police believe their big win was a staged diversion, and the two of them become suspects. Over the course of the evening and next morning, the two attempt to escape to surrounded casino, and to prove their innocence, as well as to save their marriage.

Top of the World

1997

A Death in Canaan poster
5.3

When a teenager is accused of his mother's murder, the community of Canaan rallies to his defense.

A Death in Canaan

1978

Red King, White Knight poster
6.4

The CIA hears of a KGB scheme to assassinate the Soviet General Secretary and enlists Stoner, an agent retired for 10 years, to go to Russia to investigate. He verifies the plot, but then has trouble leaving the country. In the meantime, the U.S. policy makers struggle over whether or not to inform the Soviets of the plot. Stoner's problems are complicated by the renewal of an affair with Anna, a Russian, as he tries to convince her to defect.

Red King, White Knight

1989

Call to Danger poster
9.0

A federal agent recruits a computer whiz to try to free a Mafia witness who has been kidnapped and held in a heavily fortified compound.

Call to Danger

1973

The Healers poster
9.0

The director of an urban medical center faces various major problems during the course of running the hospital.

The Healers

1974

Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force poster
4.4

The true story of Leonard Matlovich, a U.S. Air Force sergeant who, in 1975, publicly divulged his homosexuality and fought to remain in service.

Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force

1978

Cruise of the Gods poster
5.1

Andy Van Allen, former hero of the cult 80s futuristic TV show Children of Castor, is now working as a hotel porter. When Andy receives an unusual offer - the Children of Castor fan club-organised cruise around the Greek islands, with him as the principal celebrity - a combination of Andy's cynicism, his fans' adoration, a misguided sexual encounter and an unexpected reunion with his more famous co-star, Nick Lee, ensure the paradise cruise is far from plain sailing.

Cruise of the Gods

2002

The Ghost of Cypress Swamp poster
7.0

A lost teenager and solitary murderer form an unusual friendship.

The Ghost of Cypress Swamp

1977