Peter Caffrey

Published Tuesday 11 March 2008 at 10:55 by Patrick Newley

Veteran Irish actor Peter Caffrey was best known for playing the dim-witted garage owner Padraig O’Kelly in the long-running TV comedy-drama Ballykissangel. He starred in five of the six series which were watched by 15 million viewers. After the series finished in 2001, he was a much sought-after film actor.

Born on April 19, 1949, he began acting with the Project Theatre in Dublin and whilst there shared a flat with actor Liam Neeson. He appeared in several dramas for RTE Television and then moved to London where he starred in Children of a Lesser God (Albery Theatre, 1983). Other theatre credits include Whale and The Crucible (National Theatre) as well as the Abbey Theatre production of The Patrick Pearse Hotel, and Pat McCabe’s The Borstal Boy at the Gaiety Theatre.

He played Danny in the BBC drama series I Woke Up One Morning (1985-86) and he also played character roles in Saracen, Father Ted, The Bill, Coronation Street and Casualty.

He received wide acclaim for his role as loudmouth Frank Grogan in the film I Went Down which made him a star both in Ireland and America. He was also strongly praised for his role as a transvestite in John Lynch’s film Night Train (1998), starring John Hurt.

He had been in ill health for several years after suffering a severe stroke in 2000. In 2005 he returned to acting to play a publican in the film Sweet Dancer.

Jane Grogan, commissioning drama editor of RTE said: “Peter’s death will be sadly mourned by his former colleagues at RTE and the film and theatre world in general. He was a great character actor and an immensely popular man with a range that crossed both comedy and serious drama. His contribution to television drama brought great entertainment to a wide Irish audience and he will be greatly missed.”

He died on January 1, aged 58. He is survived by his three sisters.