William Fay William George ( Willie ) Fay ( November 12 , 1872 - October 27 1947 ) was an actor and actor and theatre producer who was one of the co-founders of the Abbey Theatre . Fay was born in Dublin and attended Belvedere College . , Dublin . He worked for a time in the 1890s with a touring theatre company in Ireland , Scotland and Wales . When he returned to Dublin , he worked with his brother Frank , staging productions in halls around the city . Finally , they formed W. G. Fay 's Irish National Dramatic Company , focused on the development of Irish acting talent . The brothers participated in the in founding of the Abbey Theatre and were largely responsible for evolving the Abbey style of acting . After a falling out with the Abbey directors in 1908 , the brothers emigrated to the United States to work in theatre there . Willie moved to London in 1914 worked as an actor in on the stage and in films . One of his most notable film roles was as Father Tom in Carol Reed 's Belfast -set Odd Man Out ( 1947 ) , whose cast was dense with actors from the Abbey Theatre . His The Fays of the Abbey Theatre appeared in 1935 . He died in London . References Igoe , Vivien . A Literary Guide to Dublin . ( Methuen , 1994 ) ISBN 0-4136912-0-9 Ryan , Philip B. The Lost Theatres of Dublin . ( The Badger Press , 1998 ) ISBN 0-9526076-1-1 External links W.G. Fay at the Internet Movie Database Categories : 1872 births | 1947 deaths | Abbey Theatre | Irish stage actors In other languages : Dansk 