o'connor was born on august 28, 1925 in chicago, illinois. he is of irish descent. o'connor was married to gwen carter from 1944 until they divorced in 1954. then he was married to gloria o'connor from 1956 until his death in 2003. they had two sons. o'connor died on september 27, 2003 from heart failure in his woodland hills, los angeles, california home, aged 78.