Biography
Malachy McCourt was born in Brooklyn, New York, where his parents resided at the time, and grew up in Limerick, Ireland. He failed every subject in school except English and recess. In 1952, he returned to the United States and worked as a longshoreman, dishwasher, and laborer. Shortly afterward, he became an actor and founded the first singles bar in America. In 1970, he launched a turbulent radio career on WNYC, WMCA, and WBAI, where he was known for being outrageous, opinionated, and considered a disgrace to the Irish—labels that were accurate. Aside from brief periods on WABC, WOR, and WNYC, he was invited to host a regular show after being fired in 1976, which commemorated the 200th anniversary of free speech in America.
Malachy performed on stage in productions such as "DA," "The Hostage," "Mass Appeal," "Inherit the Wind," and "A Child's Christmas in Wales." On television, he was a semi-regular on The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1957), alongside Jack Paar and Merv Griffin. He appeared in soap operas like Ryan's Hope (1975) and One Life to Live (1968), as well as The Dain Curse (1978) and other made-for-TV movies. His film credits include She's the One (1996), The Devil's Own (1997), Reversal of Fortune (1990), Green Card (1990), The Field (1990), and The Molly Maguires (1970). He later starred in Edward Burns's Ash Wednesday (2002) and had a notable role in The Guru (2002). Malachy authored "A Monk Swimming," which remained on bestseller lists in the U.S., Europe, and Australia for months. His second book, "Singing My Him Song," was published by Harper Collins in October 2000. Alongside his brother Frank McCourt, he developed, staged, and performed in "A Couple of Blaguards," which was produced in St. Petersburg, Florida, and later toured the U.S., Australia, and the UK.
Malachy was happily married to Diana and was the proud father of five children and grandfather to three grandchildren. He lived in New York City, where he contributed a weekly column titled "Sez I To Myself" to The West Side Spirit.
