Former McQuaid faculty member featured in ‘The Exorcist’ and named in sexual abuse lawsuits dies

The Rev. William O’Malley, a former McQuaid Jesuit High School faculty member who gained fame with a role in the 1973 blockbuster “The Exorcist,” and infamy when he was accused in lawsuits of sexually abusing students during his time at the all-boys Catholic school, has died at age 91.

The Rev. O’Malley died July 15 at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts, McQuaid wrote on its website and in statement issued Monday.

A Buffalo native and graduate of College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, he worked at McQuaid from 1966 to 1986, teaching English, Latin and theology and leading its drama department.

His good looks, wit and charisma made him a standout on campus, his role as Father Joseph Dyer in “The Exorcist” added to the mystique, and admired by parents, he became one of McQuaid’s most celebrated teachers. Consequently, the sexual abuse accusations stunned many who knew him from his days at the school, Steve Orr reported for the Democrat and Chronicle in 2019.

On Aug. 14 of that year, the first day for bringing old sexual abuse claims under New York’s Child Victims Act, the Rev. O’Malley was accused in a legal complaint of sexually abusing a 17-year-old McQuaid student multiple times in 1985 and ’86, including on school grounds.

At the time of the complaint — in which a dozen people accused nine Catholic clerics of sexually abusing them when they were young — a school spokesperson told Orr that McQuaid had no record of any sexual offenses involving the Rev. O’Malley and didn’t become aware of the accusations until the suit was filed.

Likewise, through a spokesperson, officials at the Jesuit province for the northeastern United States said they were previously unaware of any misconduct allegations.

He was subsequently accused of sexually abusing two other students, including in 1975 or '76, according to a July 21, 2020, complaint.

All of the suits are on hold, as they are part of the ongoing Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester bankruptcy case.

In its statement on Monday, McQuaid expressed sadness over the Rev. O'Malley's death, calling him "a gifted teacher, author and communicator," and wrote, "Many McQuaid Jesuit alumni, in the days since Fr. O’Malley’s passing, have expressed their profound gratitude for the role Fr. O’Malley played in their growth and development, intellectually and spiritually."

The school said it would not comment on the pending litigation. "McQuaid notes, however, that the claimant in any such litigation also will be an alumnus and a member of the McQuaid brotherhood, who is entitled to the community’s love and support in their search for healing. McQuaid remains committed to extending that love and support to all, and to continuing transparency with respect to such matters."

'Exorcist' role

During his McQuaid tenure, the Rev. O’Malley was one of the best-known clergy members in town. He gave public talks, appeared on local television shows and acted in local productions, including in November 1971 in “The Glass Menagerie” at Theater at the Tracks in Pittsford.

He shared the stage with Robert Forster, a Rochester native and established Hollywood star, but still managed to make an impression, according to D&C arts critic Jean Walrath, who described the priest's performance as exuding humor, charm and authenticity.

He was cast in "The Exorcist" after forming a friendship with the novel's Jesuit-educated author, William Peter Blatty.

In the fall of 1971, the Rev. O'Malley wrote a review of the bestseller for a Rochester Public Library program and mailed it to Blatty. Blatty responded with a dinner invitation. Shortly after that get-together in New York City, Blatty, who adapted his book for the movie, asked the Rev. O'Malley if he’d like to play Father Dyer, confidant and consoler of lead character Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller).

“To a guy who directed 99 high school plays and musicals, that was like Charlie Brown being asked if he’d like a season with the Yankees,” the Rev. O’Malley wrote in 2017 for America: The Jesuit Review.

The theological thriller, for which he also was a technical consultant, became a cultural phenomenon and suddenly he was in demand for interviews and TV appearances far beyond Rochester. He then took a sabbatical, during which he taught at the university level, wrote a number of books and plays and a screenplay and did more amateur theater.

He returned to McQuaid in 1975, telling the D&C, “I was a moonlight actor, but I’m a teacher. My life is with the kids.” He left after the 1985-’86 school year for Fordham Preparatory School, located on the Fordham University campus in the Bronx.

In June 2012, he was dismissed by Fordham Prep because, a school official told the New York Post, his “confrontational” and “abrasive” teaching style, long a topic of discussion among administrators, was out of step with the times and had diminished his effectiveness.

As a result of the first sexual abuse complaint, on Aug. 26, 2019, the Rev. O’Malley was removed from Fordham University’s Murray-Weigel Hall, a Rose Hill campus residence that houses retired Jesuit priests, student newspaper The Fordham Ram reported.

Private funeral services were held last week in Massachusetts, McQuaid said in its statement.

Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: William O’Malley, ‘The Exorcist’ actor accused in abuse suits, dies