O.Z. Whitehead

New York stage actor of some renown, American character actor of remarkable versatility, a member of the esteemed "John Ford Stock Company." With a career spanning decades, Whitehead entered the realm of film in the 1930s, showcasing his remarkable range by playing a diverse array of character parts, often defying his actual age and physical type. He is perhaps most famously associated with the iconic role of Al Joad in John Ford's masterpiece, The Grapes of Wrath, released in 1940. However, twenty-two years later, in his fifth collaboration with Ford, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962),Whitehead, now 51 years of age, brought to life a charming, lollipop-licking schoolboy, a testament to his incredible acting prowess. Throughout his later years, Whitehead continued to work predominantly on the stage, making occasional appearances in films and television. Tragically, his life was cut short due to cancer, and he passed away in 1998 in Dublin, Ireland, where he had resided in semi-retirement for many years.