Zapped!. Acting teacher O'Byrne also worked as an acting teacher and coach to many early actors. Much of his instruction emphasized repetition and scene study. Film studios sometimes recommended that younger actors work with O'Byrne to improve their performances. O'Byrne coached and mentored many then-unknown film and television actors. Forest Whitaker, Jimmy Smits and Lou Diamond Phillips visited his acting classes early in their careers. He also coached acting to Pam Dawber, Christopher McDonald, Bonnie Bedelia, Bill Allen and Marj Dusay. In particular, O'Byrne is credited with launching the acting career of Nick Nolte. O'Byrne, who often coached college students, was working with Nolte's college roommate at the time. O'Byrne asked Nolte, who was not an actor at the time, to read a scene they were working on. O'Byrne reportedly recognized Nolte's talent and began coaching him as well. Nolte spent nearly a year sleeping on O'Byrne's couch while working with him to become an actor. O'Byrne cast Nolte in his production of The Last Pad, by playwright William Inge, which effectively launched Nolte's professional career. Professionally, O'Bryne was a member of the Actors' Equity Association, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He served on the Emmy Nominating Committee, based in Los Angeles. Later life and death O'Byrne retired from acting in the 1990s to care for his sister, Henrietta Bouyea, who was in failing health. He moved to Pacifica, California, after retiring, where he lived for the last sixteen years of his life. O'Byrne died on December 4, 2009, in Pacifica, California, at the age of 78. His funeral was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Pacifica. Actor Christopher McDonald, a close friend and former student, read the eulogy at O'Byrne's funeral. Filmography References External links 1931 births 2009 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Drama teachers American acting theorists American people of Irish descent State University of New York at Plattsburgh alumni People from Plattsburgh, New York People from Pacifica, California American acting coaches Male actors from New York (state) 20th-century American male actors