Kevin O’Neal (left) sparred with Ryan O’Neal at his brother’s Studio City home in 1964.
Courtesy Everett Collection
Kevin O’Neal, the younger brother of Oscar-nominated actor Ryan O’Neal and a regular on the 1960s ABC comedy No Time for Sergeants, has died. He was 77.
O’Neal died Saturday in his sleep of natural causes in Thousand Oaks, a family spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.
O’Neal also appeared as the character Yale in one of Elvis Presley’s final films, The Trouble with Girls (1969).
O’Neal portrayed Private Ben Whitledge on No Time for Sergeants, which lasted one season. The 1964-65 comedy was produced by George Burns’ production company and Warner Bros.
Based on a novel by Mac Hyman, No Time for Sergeants premiered on Broadway in 1954 and was adapted a year later for an ABC U.S. Steel Hour production and then for a 1958 feature. All three starred Andy Griffith.
Geoffrey Garrett O’Neal was born in Los Angeles on March 26, 1945. His parents were novelist-screenwriter Charles “Blackie” O’Neal (The Three Wishes of Jamie McRuin) and actress Patricia Callaghan. He was born four years after Ryan.
O’Neal appeared on TV for the first time in 1961 on episodes of The Deputy, The Danny Thomas Show and The Donna Reed Show.
He would also show up on The Twilight Zone, My Three Sons, Wagon Train, Gidget, Perry Mason, The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, Please Don’t Eat the Daises, Bonanza, Mod Squad, Daniel Boone and Lancer.
O’Neal also had bit roles in his brother’s films The Big Bounce (1969), Love Story (1970), What’s Up Doc? (1972) and The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973) before he quit acting in the mid-’70s.
In addition to his brother, survivors include his son, Garrett; niece Tatum O’Neal, the Oscar-winning actress; nephew Griffin O’Neal, also an actor; and nephew Patrick O’Neal, a broadcaster for Bally Sports West.