In Remembrance: Glenn Quinn
Three years ago, this topic at Suite101.com was opened under the inspiration of the fans' passion to bring back Doyle, played by Glenn Quinn, to "Angel." In December, that hope was extinguished by the death of Glenn Quinn at the age of thirty-two. The cause of death has not been publicly released, but has been reported in the news media as a "suspected drug overdose."
Perhaps the only thing worse than being remembered as a tabloid headline is being remembered only as a tabloid footnote.
Glenn Quinn deserved better than that.
In 1988, when eighteen-year-old Glenn Quinn arrived in the United States with his mother and two sisters, every possibility in the world was open. This young man from Dublin, with his abundance of both talent and charm, was clearly going far. In what would have been a single guest appearance on "Roseanne" as Becky's boyfriend, Mark, Glenn Quinn made such a strong impression that he was brought back for a recurring role that lasted seven years. A small part in the 1991 John Travolta movie "Shout" brought Glenn Quinn together with Gwyneth Paltrow for her first on-screen kiss, and if viewers were placing bets on which one of the two of them would be a huge box-office draw ten years later, most of the money would have been on Glenn.
For a brief, hectic time, Glenn Quinn was a regular on two series at the same time, simultaneously shooting "Covington Cross" in the U.K. and "Roseanne" in the U.S. Few actors have managed the coup of being featured in two series simultaneously, much less shows recorded on different continents. Only the early cancellation of "Covington Cross" spared Glenn from the dreaded role of teen idol, at least for a few more years.
In that same year, 1992, Glenn Quinn co-starred with Holly Marie Combs in the campy thriller "Dr. Giggles." Anyone looking at Glenn Quinn's career in 1992 could predict with confidence that he was headed for overwhelming success. Ten years later, an issue of "TV Guide" with Holly Marie Combs (now of "Charmed") on the cover noted Glenn's death. What had happened during those ten years?
Much of Glenn Quinn's life remains hidden from public view, even now that he is gone. One thing which remains consistent is that everyone who knew him was dazzled by his warmth, humor, and charm.
Glenn Quinn was on a short break from "Roseanne" when he filmed the movie "Campfire Tales," which he described as "the worst thing I've ever done." The year of its release, 1997, was also the last year of the "Roseanne" series. After the conclusion of the show, Glenn took about a year off, going back to his roots in Dublin, where he may have re-established some long-severed connections. When he returned to Los Angeles, he auditioned for a role then known as "Whistler" on the planned "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spinoff, "Angel." The role was then rewritten for him, and became the beloved Doyle.
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