Artist & Activist Nancy Fields O’Connor, 84, Widow of Carroll O'Connor, Dies in Malibu, CA

LOS ANGELES - Nov. 15, 2014 - PRLog -- Artist, author, activist, philanthropist and documentary film producer Nancy Fields O’Connor, 84, wife of the legendary actor Carroll O’Connor, died Monday, November 10, 2014 of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease at the couple’s Malibu home, according to Angela O’Connor, widow of the couple’s son, Hugh O’Connor, and mother of grandchild, Sean Carroll O’Connor. Most recently Mrs. O’Connor was executive producer of the 2007 documentary “Anita O’Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer” a tribute to the jazz diva Anita O’Day, completed just weeks before the singer’s death in 2006.

Of full Native American heritage from Montana’s Crow Indian Tribe, Mrs. O’Connor developed a celebrated exhibition and catalog of her grandfather Fred E. Miller’s historic collection of over 600 photographs and 135 glass negatives taken of the Crow Indian Tribe from 1895-1920. The Fred E. Miller Collection is currently on loan to the Great Plains Museum at the University of Nebraska and has been exhibited at various museums throughout the country.  Mrs. O’Connor is also the author of Fred E. Miller: Photographer of the Crows (Carnan Vidfilm; 1985).

Mrs. O’Connor was a founding member and long-time supporter of the John Wayne Cancer Institute, helping to co-found The Committee to Cure Cancer by Immunization, which later became the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, CA.  The O’Connors jointly received the Institute’s Duke Award in 1990for “their outstanding support for cancer research.”

Mrs. O’Connor was also a member of the Board of Trustees of The Actors Fund of America from 1989-2001 and raised funds for that organization during a period critical to the survival and continued growth of the organization. According to Actors Fund Chief Executive Officer Joseph Benincasa: “Nancy O’Connor, together with her husband Carroll, were among The Actors Fund of America’s greatest supporters, and were critical in saving our facility in Englewood, NJ and the construction of our facility in West Hollywood, CA.”

Mrs. O’Connor was also a member of the Board of Directors for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian and was involved in its design, construction and dedication in 2004. She was also heavily involved with the South Central Los Angeles charity Neighbors of Watts.

The O’Connors met in 1951 at the University of Montana at Missoula where both were undergraduates involved in the Drama and Fine Arts Department production of “Life with Father.” Upon graduation that same year, the couple traveled to Ireland where they married.  Nancy happily converted to Catholicism during this time in order to be married to Carroll in Ireland.In Dublin, Nancy worked at the Abby-Gate Theatre asanassistant set designer and stage manager for the Abbey-Gate tour to the 1951 Edinburgh Drama Festival. She appeared at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre and received her MA from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1953.

Subsequently she and Carroll together spent a season in winter stock in St. Louis where she continued to act, design scenery and costumes and work as a stage manager. Upon The O’Connors return to New York City, she acted, designed costumes and served as technical adviser for Burgess Meredith's acclaimed 1958 Broadway production of "Ulysses in Nighttown" starring Zero Mostel.

While Carroll O’Connor was pursuing an acting career, Nancy began a career as an artist. Both worked as elementary school teachers in the New York City Public School system to make ends meet  In 1962, the couple adopted their son, Hugh O’Connor, while Carroll was working in Rome on the Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton epic “Cleopatra.”

Carroll O’Connor openly stated that he would never have had the career he had without his wife’s support, counsel and advice: “I turned down the role of Archie Bunker twice until Nancy finally said ‘Now listen here, Carroll, this is the role of a lifetime!’” As Vice-President of the couple’s company, Ugo Productions, Mrs. O’Connor was involved in all aspects of the company’s endeavors which included film, television and stage productions and the creation of their Beverly Hills restaurant, Carroll O’Connor’s Place.  Ever devoted to Carroll’s career, she accompanied him to Covington, GA from 1988-1995 for O’Connor’s final series “In the Heat of the Night.” Their son Hugh O’Connor co-starred in the series and their daughter-in-law Angela O’Connor was set costumer. Hugh and Angela O’Connor were married in 1992.

Following Hugh O’Connor’s suicide in 1995, the O’Connors successfully lobbied the State of California to pass legislation that allows family members of an addicted person or anyone injured by a drug dealer's actions, including employers, to sue for reimbursement for medical treatment and rehabilitation costs. The Drug Dealer Civil Liability Act in California went into effect in 1997 and it has since been passed in seventeen states.

The O’Connors maintained their long association with the University of Montana at Missoula over the decades, where Mrs. O’Connor was a donor, a member of the Board of Trustees and a member of UM’s Fine Arts Advisory Committee. They were instrumental in the construction of the UM’s PAR-TV Center which was eventually renamed The O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in recognition of The O’Connors long-time support and contributions. Mrs. O’Connor also developed the first comprehensive fine arts curriculum for Missoula’s elementary schools.

Born Nancy Ann Kathleen Fields on December 13, 1929 in Spokane, WA, Nancy O’Connor and was raised in Libby, MT by parents Ralph E. and Hulda Miller Fields. She is predeceased by husband Carroll O’Connor (1925-2001); son, Hugh O’Connor (1962-1995); and nephew, Jeffery Fields. Survivors include: Angela O’Connor (daughter-in-law); Sean O’Connor (grandson); John and Jo Ann Fields (brother and sister-in law); Mary Reynolds (cousin) and eleven nieces and nephews: Matthew O’Connor; Deirdre O’Connor; David O’Connor; Elyse O’Connor; Leigh O’Connor; Ann Fields; Matthew Fields; David Fields; Christopher Geller; Jeffrey Geller and Gregory Geller.

A Roman Catholic funeral service will be held on Saturday, November 22 at 11:00 AM at Our Lady of Malibu Church, Malibu, CA. Burial arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, a tax-deductible contribution can be made to the following charitable organizations: Melanoma Research, John Wayne Cancer Institute, c/o Providence St. John's Hospital, 2121 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90404; The Actors Fund of America, 729 Seventh Avenue, NY, 10019; The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC.