John Anthony ‘Jack’ O’Connell, of Hempstead and Formerly of Southampton, Dies March 3

John Anthony “Jack” O’Connell, of Hempstead and formerly of Southampton, died on March 3 after a brief illness. He was 81.

He was born on October 9, 1943, in South Ozone Park, Queens. He lived for a time in Southampton in the early 1970s. He worked behind the bar at the Oliver Twist Inn in Hampton Bays and later at Magic’s Pub in Westhampton Beach. He moved with his family in Ozone Park to Long Island and attended Baldwin High School. In 1963, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Washington, D.C., as part of the Old Guard (3rd Infantry).

After leaving the Army, he bartended and met his second wife, Margaret, in 1976, in Rockville Centre. The couple married in 1983 and moved to Hempstead.

When it came to his 40-year acting career, O’Connell “loved the ability to be someone else,” according to his wife. “Later on in life, he got into writing. He was a wonderful storyteller,” his wife added.

O’Connell’s numerous acting credits include television shows, such as “Blue Bloods,” “The Sopranos,” “Mad Men” and “All My Children,” and films including, “Money Train,” “Inside Llewyn Davis,” “Requiem for a Dream,” and “The Big Sick.”

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his eight children and 12 grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Alison (Conroy) O’Connell.

A funeral Mass was held on March 7 at the Church of St. Joseph in Garden City followed by burial at Queen of Peace Cemetery in Old Westbury.