ABC Soap Opera Star Malachy McCourt Has Died

Malachy McCourt, the Irish-American actor and author best known for his long-running role as Kevin the bartender on ABC’s Ryan’s Hope, has died. McCourt passed away in Manhattan on Monday, March 11 at the age of 92, his wife, Diana McCourt, confirmed to The New York Times. Although a cause of death was not disclosed, the actor revealed to the outlet last year that he was battling a heart condition, multiple forms of cancer, and muscular degeneration.

Born Malachy Gerard McCourt in Brooklyn in September 1931, McCourt relocated to Limerick, Ireland with his family when he was 3. After spending his formative years there alongside his brother, Frank McCourt, he returned to New York in 1952 when he was 20. He quickly became a fixture in the New York Irish community, founding an eponymous pub, Malachy’s, on Third Avenue in Manhattan. He also ran for governor of New York in 2006.

Shortly after returning to New York, McCourt began his acting career, making his first onscreen appearance with a guest spot in the TV series The DuPont Show of the Month in 1959. He went on to land guest starring roles on Surfside 6, The F.B.I., and The Dain Curse. Throughout his career, McCourt became a familiar face on various soap. In addition to starring as Kevin the bartender Ryan’s Hope, which ran from 1975 to 1989 and centered around an Irish American family living in Washington Heights, he also appeared on soaps like Search for Tomorrow, Another World, Guiding Light, One Life to Live, and All My Children, where he made an annual Christmas appearance as Father Clarence.

His other TV credits include Tales from the Darkside, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Oz, Life on Mars, and Odd Man Out, with his film credits including Reversal of Fortune, Bonfire of Vanities, The Other Guys, After.Life, The Devil’s Own, and Q: The Winged Serpent. On the stage, McCourt co-wrote and co-starred in A Couple of Blaguards with brother Frank.

In addition to acting, McCourt was also an occasional guest on Jack Paar’s Tonight Show and served as a sometime host of New York radio programs. He was also a well-known author who penned several memoirs – 1998’s A Monk Swimming, which chronicles his life in New York after leaving Limerick and picks up where his brother’s Angela’s Ashes leaves off, and 2000’s Singing My Him Song, about fatherhood.

In addition to his wife, whom he married in 1965, McCourt is survived by daughter Siobhan; sons Malachy Jr., Conor, and Cormac; stepdaughter Nina Galin; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandson.