Malachy McCourt Died: The Search For Tomorrow & Ryan’s Hope Alum Passed After A Long Illness

Soap veteran Malachy McCourt has died at the age of 92. He was a man of many talents and surprised many with his staying power, battling a long illness with his sense of humor and writing talents intact.

A Colorful Irishman With A Gift For Gab

An actor, author, one-time pub owner, radio host, and politician, Malachy McCourt was born in New York City on September 20, 1931, one of seven children in a large American-Irish family. He was a younger male sibling of the acclaimed writer Frank McCourt, who wrote about the family growing up in poverty after returning from the States, after their baby sister’s crib death, to Limerick, Ireland, in Angela’s Ashes. Young Malachy would roam the decks of the steamboat they returned on singing, “Paddy Reilly” for portions of bread and jam.

McCourt moved back to America in 1952 and began dabbling in a variety of jobs such as longshoreman, dishwasher, laborer, and selling bibles door-to-door in Long Island before taking a stab at acting. Around the same time, he opened up the first singles bar in America. 

His gift of gab served him well as he conquered the stage, television, and film. It started with a television debut on The DuPont Show of the Month in 1959. He followed that with appearances on Surfside 6, an uncredited role in the film Two for the Seesaw, and The F.B.I.

From 1975 – 1989, McCourt appeared as Kevin McGuinness on Ryan’s Hope. He juggled another role as Big Begelowe on Search for Tomorrow from 1984 – 1985. The randy Irishman appeared as a priest on Another World in 1982, a landlord on Guiding Light in 1989, and as Thomas Kenneally on One Life to Live in 1995. He was also beloved for his annual inspiring Christmas speeches to the residents of Pine Valley on All My Children as Father Clarence.

The busy actor has worked with some heavy hitters in the entertainment industry such as Sean Connery and Richard Harris in The Molly Maguires, Peter Falk, and Gena Rowlands in The Brink’s Job, Lee Grant and Chris Sarandon in You Can’t Go Home Again, Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close in Reversal of Fortune, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, and Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt in The Devil’s Own.

He was no stranger to primetime roles landing roles in series such as Tales from the Darkside, Tales of the Unexpected, Starman, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Cosby, H.E.L.P., Odd Mom Out, Body & Soul, Life on Mars, and the critically acclaimed series OZ. 

Although he managed to fail every subject in school, except English and recess, McCourt would become a prolific writer, penning memoirs such as A Monk Swimming, Singing My Him Song, and Death Be Not Fatal. He authored a book tracing the history of the classic Irish tune, Danny Boy, and a collection of Irish writings titled Voices of Ireland.

McCourt always returned to the stage. The renaissance man was a regular guest at the Scranton Public Theatre in Pennsylvania, performing in Inherit the Wind, Love Letters, and A Couple of Blaguards, a play he co-wrote and performed with his brother Frank. Other productions included DA, The Hostage, Mass Appeal, and A Child’s Christmas in Wales.

The colorful Irishman is very vocal about politics. He had regular stints on radio stations WNYC, WMCA, WBAI, WABC, and WOR. He was fired for his outrageous and opinionated remarks that they deemed a disgrace to the Irish in 1976. Ironically, it was timed perfectly with the two-hundredth anniversary of free speech in America.

In 2006, the actor entered the political ring and ran for Governor of New York as a Green Party Candidate. His campaign slogan was, “Don’t waste your vote, give it to me.” He lost to Democrat Eliot Spitzer, coming in at less than 1% of the popular vote.

He is the last surviving sibling of the seven featured in Angela’s Ashes after losing his younger brother Alphonsus in 2016. In recent years, he has been plagued by a muscular disease called Inclusive Body Myositis that left him in a wheelchair. As of March 2023, McCourt was as funny and feisty as ever, having been kicked out of hospice because he hadn’t kicked the bucket yet, he lived to see another St. Patrick’s Day.

Even wrote an article for a local paper for the Upper East Side in New York, Our Town, about the real story behind the rogue Irish Saint summed up his own life at that moment in a brief statement, “As for me, at 91 years old, I won’t have a drink for the 38th year in a row. I’ll celebrate by being alive in all that that means. Take that, all ye bastards who wished otherwise. I made it to another St. Patrick’s Day!”

On April 4, 2023, The New York Almanack called him, “one of the most famous and funniest Irish Americans alive today.” Hearing his story, who would differ? He was a colorful character any way you slice it.

He found joy in his marriage of 58 years to Diana Huchthausen, his five children, and three grandchildren. Soap Hub sends its sincere condolences to his loving family, friends, and fans of Malachy McCourt during this difficult time.