Dermot Morgan (31 March 1952 – 28 February 1998) was an Irish comedian and actor best known for playing Father Ted Crilly in Father Ted.
He began making a name for himself in Ireland performing in satirical and subversive comedy on radio and TV, usually as part of an ensemble or in a supporting role. Although his talents were recognized near-universally, he had difficulty finding consistent success.
His attempts at establishing a solo career were lackluster. Although he was brimming with brilliant ideas, he struggled to develop his concepts into usable scripts and was further hampered by a dislike of editing and polishing. Because this resulted in him turning in sub-standard work, projects would be cancelled before they aired or control would be taken away from himnote .
Morgan finally found success and acclaim playing the title role in Father Ted. As Ted, he brought depth and pathos to a show that was, by design, a caricature of rural Ireland and the Catholic Church. Now that he was visible to a wider audience, doors were finally beginning to open for him and people were eager to see what he'd do next. Tragically, he suffered a fatal heart attack almost immediately after filming the finale for Father Ted.
