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Glenn Quinn
Born	Glenn Martin Christopher Francis Quinn (1970-05-28)28 May 1970 Dublin, Ireland
Died	3 December 2002(2002-12-03) (aged 32) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990–2002

Glenn Martin Christopher Francis Quinn (28 May 1970 – 3 December 2002) was an Irish actor, best known for his portrayal of Mark Healy on the 1990s family sitcom Roseanne and his role as the half-demon Allen Francis Doyle on Angel, a spin-off series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Early life

Glenn Martin Christopher Francis Quinn was born in Dublin on 28 May 1970, the son of Bernadette Quinn (née Brady) and Murty Quinn. His father was a musician and singer with the Miami Showband, who had seven No. 1 hits in the 1960s and 1970s. He was raised in the Cabinteely suburb of Dublin, and attended Clonkeen College. In 1988, at the age of 18 he moved to the United States along with his mother and two sisters, Sonya and Louisa, who settled in Los Angeles. He also had a third sibling whom he never met, his brother, Ciaran, who had been put up for adoption as a baby. Quinn never knew of his existence.

Career

In 1990, Quinn did television commercials for Pepsi and Ray-Ban, appeared in the music video for the Richard Marx song "Satisfied", and had his first speaking line in the pilot of Beverly Hills, 90210 after having endured eight separate auditions for the roles of Brandon Walsh and Steve Sanders (played by Jason Priestley and Ian Ziering, respectively). Casting director Johanna Ray gave him a small role with two speaking lines in the pilot, however Quinn was barely visible in the final broadcast version.

In 1991, Quinn had his first major film role in the musical film Shout, starring John Travolta and Heather Graham, sharing an on-screen kiss with Gwyneth Paltrow in her debut film.

In 1990, Quinn was cast as the recurring character Mark Healy, Becky Conner's boyfriend and later husband, in Roseanne in its third season and remained a series regular through its ninth and final season in 1997. In 1992, while still on Roseanne, Quinn also took a main role on the American and British TV series Covington Cross and in the same year, co-starred with Holly Marie Combs in the slasher film, Dr. Giggles. In 1997, he played dual roles in the horror anthology Campfire Tales.

In 1999, after seven years of using an American accent on Roseanne, Quinn was pleased when producers cast him in the role of Allen Francis Doyle on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off series, Angel. Although the character was not written as Irish, he was allowed to use his native Irish accent at the suggestion of series creator, Joss Whedon. In an interview with The Irish Times, he said of his accent, "I've been hiding it for so long that it's amazing to have some freedom. It was like putting on an old pair of shoes. It's bringing my soul back to life." Whedon stated that the character was supposed to die early in the first season, but the character became a fan favorite. Whedon informed Quinn and promised him a "hero's exit".

His last film was the dark comedy, R.S.V.P. (2002).

Personal life

Quinn struggled with substance addiction in the time following Roseanne, a timeline confirmed by co-star Michael Fishman and Quinn's sister. Unable to maintain sobriety, he was eventually bought out as the owner of Goldfingers nightclub in Los Angeles in 1997. He returned to Ireland in 1997 to be with his family, who supported him in achieving short periods of sobriety and spent time in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. He would later return to Los Angeles to resume his acting career.

Death

On 3 December 2002, at the age of 32, Quinn was found dead at a friend's home in North Hollywood, California, where he had been staying for a few months. An autopsy found that he had died from an accidental drug overdose earlier that day.

During production of the tenth season of Roseanne, which aired in 2018, it was decided that Quinn's role of Mark Healy would not be recast, and his role was written off the show as having died years ago. It introduced, however, a new Mark Healy, the son of Darlene Conner and David Healy. The series paid tribute to Quinn at the end of one of its episodes, "Eggs Over, Not Easy."

In 2019, during Entertainment Weekly's 20th-anniversary reunion of the cast of Angel, actor David Boreanaz stated that "Glenn played a great character, but also became a really close friend of mine. God rest his soul."

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

1. Reed, Christopher (21 December 2002). "Obituary: Glenn Quinn". the Guardian. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
2. ^ "Dublin-born actor who found fame in the US". The Irish Times. 28 December 2002. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
3. ^ "Glenn Quinn". The Guardian. 21 December 2002.
4. ^ Lynch, Donal (5 December 2016). "The tragic closing act of Hollywood hero Glenn Quinn". Independent.ie. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
5. McLellan, Dennis (7 December 2002). "Glenn Quinn, 32; Actor Was in TV Series 'Roseanne' and 'Angel'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
6. ^ Hayward, Anthony (18 December 2002). "Obituary: Glenn Quinn". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
7. Cronin, Brian (12 May 2019). "TV Legends: Was the Plan in Angel Season 1 Always to Kill Off Doyle?". CBR. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
8. Siegmund Cuda, Heidi (13 February 1997). "Dressing Up the Area : Goldfingers adds glitter to Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
9. "Celebs who quietly passed away without you knowing". KiwiReport. 9 April 2017. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
10. Miller, Victoria (5 August 2021). "The Tragic Story Of Glenn Quinn From Roseanne". Looper. Static Media. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
11. "Glenn Quinn: Actor". Variety. 11 December 2002. Archived from the original on 25 January 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
12. Bobbin, Jay (30 April 2006). "Young 'Roseanne' star died from OD". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
13. April 11, Mary Kate Carr; EDT, 2018 at 11:36 AM. "'Roseanne' honors late cast member Glenn Quinn". EW.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
14. Nick Venable (16 April 2018). "How Roseanne Actually Pays Tribute To Glenn Quinn With Each Episode". CINEMABLEND. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
15. Kinane, Ruth. "In memoriam: The cast and creators of Angel remember Glenn Quinn and Andy Hallett". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.

External links

• Glenn Quinn at IMDb
• Glenn Quinn at Find a Grave

• 1970 births
• 2002 deaths
• Irish male film actors
• Irish expatriate male actors in the United States
• Irish male television actors
• Irish male video game actors
• Irish male voice actors
• Male actors from Dublin (city)
• Deaths by heroin overdose in California
• Drug-related deaths in California
• 20th-century Irish male actors
• 21st-century Irish male actors