The Secret of His Screen Charm
Some actors dominate a scene by speaking loudly.
Others rely on physical comedy.
Some have an unmistakable dramatic intensity.
O’Sullivan possessed something slightly different.
He had warmth.
His performances often carried a sense that the audience was watching someone who was fundamentally approachable.
Even when Robin Tripp was getting himself into trouble, viewers could continue rooting for him.
That quality helped make O’Sullivan so effective in sitcoms.
Comedy depends on timing.
A pause has to happen at precisely the right moment.
A facial expression can sometimes be funnier than a line.
A reaction can transform an ordinary sentence into a memorable joke.
O’Sullivan understood that language of television comedy.
And audiences responded.
Fame Can Be Temporary
For someone who became so familiar to television viewers, the later disappearance from the screen was striking.
There was no dramatic final curtain call.
No enormous farewell broadcast.
No permanent presence on television.
Instead, the years passed.
The shows became reruns.
New generations of actors appeared.
Television changed.
And O’Sullivan gradually became less visible.
For younger viewers, his name may not have meant much.
For older viewers, however, simply seeing a photograph could bring back an entire period of their lives.
That is the strange nature of television fame.
An actor can disappear from new programming while remaining permanently present in the memories of people who watched them at the height of their popularity.
