Fans of the first nine seasons of the long-running TV show, “Roseanne”, airing from 1988 to 1997, remember Mark Healy, played by Glenn Quinn. The black-haired, blue-eyed Irish actor charmed the audience with his role as first a boyfriend, then the husband of Becky Conner, played by Alicia Goranson and Sarah Chalke. Glenn remained a series regular from season 3 in 1990 until the show’s then-last season nine, in 1997. Sadly, instead of focusing on leveraging his recognition as an actor, he almost disappeared from TV and cinema screens after season nine wrapped up. He periodically reappeared until 2002, but it was apparent that he wasn’t as focused on his acting career.
Then, a bombshell on 3 December 2002: Glenn Quinn was found dead at the young age of 32. This immediately started speculations about the cause of death, later determined to be an accidental drug overdose, but what caused this devastating end? We will explore the tragic life story of Glenn Quinn from “Roseanne”, his untimely death, the way people remember him, and how the show’s revival season from 2018 honored his memory.
Birth and early years of Glenn Quinn
Glenn Martin Christopher Francis Quinn was born on 28 May 1970 in Dublin, Ireland, to a musician father, Murty Quinn, and mother Bernadette, née Brady, Quinn. His dad was a well-known media figure, playing in the Irish“ The Miami Showband”, with seven top-charting hits on the Irish singles charts. However, he never pointed out who his father was during his acting career, and stated that he came from ’a humble’ background.
Glenn grew up in the Dublin suburb of Cabinteely, with two sisters, Louisa and Sonya, all three born within wedlock. However, Glenn had a third sibling, a biological brother named Ciaran McQuaile Quinn, whom he didn’t know existed since Ciaran was put up for adoption as a baby, who also grew up in Dublin, but only knew that his mom’s name was Bernadette. The adopted son learned about his biological family from an “Adoption Authority” employee, who told him that he had a brother, Glenn, who’d passed away.
Before we delve deeper into the death, you should know that Glenn’s drug troubles began when he was a teenager, apparently starting in 1987 when he attended Clonkeen College. However, his “Roseanne” co-stars and family members claimed they saw little to no signs until 1997, when he landed a part in “Angel”. A former classmate called Glenn ’a practical joker’ and ’a fun, intelligent guy’ during his college days. He was musically inclined, played drums, and wanted to be a pop star like his father.
Moving to the United States and acting jobs
Thanks to family connections, Glenn moved to the US in 1988 when he was 18, alongside his mom and two sisters. A cousin named David, who worked on movie sets with Dreamworks Studios, inspired Quinn to become an actor, but meantime Glenn worked on a building site, and was a waiter, among other jobs. His acting efforts began in small TV commercials for Ray-Ban, Brylcreem, and Pepsi, but also made a notable appearance as a pool shark in the “Satisfied” music video of an eponymous Richard Marx song.
Glenn auditioned for the pilot of “Beverly Hills, 90210”, which then aired from 1990 to 2000, and went through eight auditions for the roles of Brandon Walsh, which went to Jason Priestley, and Steve Sanders, whom Ian Ziering made iconic. Johanna Ray, the casting director who spotted him in the first place, cast him as “Party Jock 1”, but his two speaking lines were cut from the broadcast pilot episode. He would gain more prominence in “Shout”, a 1991 movie where he shared an on-screen kiss with Gwyneth Paltrow, making her movie debut. His brother alleged that things went further than that, based on stories Glenn’s close friends told him. According to him, ’He was knocking around with her, and they were young and impressionable and anything went.’
Joining Roseanne in 1990
The role that marked his career was that of Mark Healy in “Roseanne”, which he landed thanks to the casting director, who had given him a part in “90210”. Originally, the character wasn’t supposed to stay long-term because they scripted that things end after Mark elopes with his girlfriend, Becky Conner.
According to his “Roseanne” co-star Michael Fishman, who played D.J. Conner, ’If Glenn hadn’t got that role it would’ve been a fleeting character,’ and added, ’Instead, he subtly added heart, kindness and toughness that was unique Quinny.’ The audience recognized the nuances he added to the not-too-bright bad-boy Mark, and praised his ability to express strength, dedication, and honesty.
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The studio audience was also treated to a hint of his musical prowess. He had jamming sessions, in which he played drums alongside John Goodman, who was Dan Conner in the show. Until the 1997 ninth season, the final until the 2018 revival, Glenn remained a series regular and a frequently discussed character.
Starring in “Covington Cross” in 1992
Because he adopted an American accent, many people didn’t realize Glenn was Irish. That was until they heard him playing the main role of Cedric Grey in six episodes of “Covington Cross” between August and October 1992. Because it was filmed in the UK, he had to travel between there and the US to work on both shows. Insiders from that time noted his desire to perform his stunts, and he even injured his back when thrown from a horse during filming.
Selling his club share in 1997
Glenn Quinn spent the money he earned from his TV show appearances in purchasing an ownership share in a Los Angeles nightclub named “Goldfinger”. It was located in a somewhat shady neighborhood with 18th Street gang members and punk kids, yet was designed in a postmodern lounge chic style. The black-and-gold design inspiration came from the eponymous James Bond movie.
Unfortunately, his business deal quickly turned sour, and in 1997, the other two owners, musician Mark Leddy, and Sara Kennedy, who worked as a bartender in Lava Lounge, bought out Glenn’s share. It was apparent that he was already suffering from substance abuse. Reports from that time reveal that he got into fights, and was asking for money from staff and customers.
Going back to Dublin in 1997
Glenn went home in 1997 to his family, to work on becoming sober. The cause of his downward spiral seemed to be family problems, primarily his parent’s divorce. His sister Sonya said about that time, ’It was at this time that Glenn’s struggles took over. We as a family were very supportive in helping him. Though there were periods of sobriety, ultimately it consumed him.’
According to his biological brother’s later testimony, it was Bernadette who cared for Glenn in Dublin – he went into drug rehab and was ’clean for a while’ but ’still had his demons’. He would unfortunately relapse in Los Angeles while pursuing his career in the late 1990s and the early 2000s,.
Landing a part in “Angel” in 1999
After the Dublin trip, Glenn returned to Los Angeles to resume his acting career. He was cast as half-demon Allen Francis Doyle in “Angel”, a 1999 big-budget TV series spin-off from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. He finally got the chance to speak in his native Irish accent, although that was unintended, and suggested by the TV show’s creator, Joss Whedon.
Glenn Quinn and David Boreanaz at playboy party 1999 🍀💋❤🌷 pic.twitter.com/orSRS54a5w
— Glenn Quinn fans (@glennquinn_fans) June 28, 2021
Glenn commented that he ’has been hiding it for so long,’ and that ’it was like putting on an old pair of shoes,’ and was ’bringing his soul back to life.’ Interestingly, he had a harp tattooed on his right shoulder and Erin go Bragh, a version of a phrase in the Irish language, “ Éirinn go Brách”, meaning ’Ireland for ever’, to show allegiance to Ireland but he never displayed them on camera.
Once again, although the script suggested Doyle should die early in the first season, the audience objected. It worked to a degree; his character stayed for 11 episodes of the season and died ’a hero’s death’ according to Joss Whedon, representing an honorable send-off. Fans were upset and went as far as petitioning to bring his character back.
However, not everything was as it seemed on the outside. During that period, Glenn was combative on set, and, based on reports from the time, he was addicted to alcohol and cocaine. His co-star Michael Fishman claimed that he ’was a professional on “Roseanne”,’ and that ’any struggles he had started while working on “Angel”’.
Homelessness and the lack of roles
As a result of drug abuse, Glenn Quinn seemingly began struggling financially, and eventually became homeless at some point in the early 2000s. He tried to reform and checked into rehab facilities, but to no avail. The last facility that accepted him as a patient, a rehab center in Miami, Florida, kicked him out in December 2002 for using drugs. This period was marked by very few roles – a few episodes of “Fair City”, the 2000 TV movie “At Any Cost”, and the dark comedy “R.S.V.P.” that premiered in 2002.
Death and reception
Homeless and struggling with substance abuse, Glenn asked his friend, Dwayne Higgings, if he could stay with him in his North Hollywood apartment ’for a while’. Dwayne agreed to help, and let him stay for a couple of months. On 3 December 2002, Dwayne told him to sleep on the couch before going to bed. The next morning, Gleen seemed to be sleeping when Dwayne woke up, so he left. When he returned, Glenn was still seemingly asleep, but Dwayne’s efforts to wake him sadly had no effect.
Despite emergency service arriving relatively quickly, Glenn had already passed away. A syringe he presumably used for heroim injections was found among his belongings, and the autopsy confirmed Glenn Quin’s cause of death as ’an accidental heroin overdose’.
Michael Fishman stated during that time that ’Glenn was like a spotlight of a man, he could cut through the darkest moment and light things up.’ He also set up a memorial fund in his name. The press flocked to his funeral, and after a media event, Glenn Quinn was interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
Although they never met and Glenn never knew of his existence, his brother longingly said, ’I just would have loved to have gotten to know him.’ Their mom gave him some of Glenn’s stuff, including a drum set he used during “Roseanne”, and a Claddagh ring Ciaran started wearing afterward. Glenn’s mom now lives in the US but has never remarried, and occasionally travels to Ireland to stay with Ciaran.
How Glenn was honored in “Roseanne” Season 10 revival
Emotions were high when Glenn passed away, but “Roseanne” was over for five years at that point. However, when the revival season 10 was announced and aired in 2018, all eyes were on the producers, writers and actors to see how they would handle the role of Mark Healy. In Glenn’s honor, the production company decided not to recast the role, instead making it so that his character died off-screen a few years ago.
The follow-up show “The Conners” aired in late 2018, clarified that Mark Healy died in a motorcycle crash. Becky revealed that ’She [God] threw a deer in front of my husband’s motorcycle and he died.’ The producers also made a vague reference to Glenn’s alcohol problems by showing Becky with her family and having her reveal that she began drinking heavily after his death.
However, the creators of the show created a new role of Mark Healy in season 10, more precisely Mark Conner-Healy, and gave the part to Ames McNamara. Mark was Roseanne Conner’s grandson, and the son of David Healy, played by Johnny Galecki of “Big Bang Theory” fame – Darlene Conner was played by Sara Gilbert.
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The cast also had Quinn’s picture on the wall of the Conner house, ensure they remembered him every time they passed by. Michael Fishman, who brought the picture, also stays in close contact with his family, and the crew urged that they cast Glenn’s niece in one of the episodes. Further, the producers made sure Glenn’s character was mentioned throughout the show through Becky Conner’s character conflicts.
For instance, in the “Eggs Over, Not Easy” episode, it was revealed that Becky can’t have children. The script revealed that the two tried for children before his character’s death, and implied that she didn’t enter a new relationship. Instead, she became a surrogate mother to Andrea, played by Sarah Chalke. An on-screen dedication to him appeared at the end of the episode, too. We presume “The Conners” TV show will continue to mention Glenn Quinn in some way. One thing is for sure; as long as his cast members and the audience remember his presence, charisma, and acting chops, his memory will live on.
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