Michael O’Hare left his recurring role on “Babylon 5” after Season 1, but the reason why wasn’t revealed until almost two decades later. The underrated sci-fi series, which aired five seasons in the ’90s, featured O’Hare as Commander Jeffrey Sinclair — a skilled pilot originallywritten to lead “Babylon 5” from start to finish.
Unbeknownst to the general public at the time, O’Hare’s mental heath was causing severe behavioral problems. Series creator J. Michael Straczynski only spoke on the record about the matter after O’Hare’s death in 2012.”He began to manifest symptoms of psychosis where he talked about looking for messages to him in the papers, that the FBI was following him, that he was getting secret messages in television programs,” Straczynski toldthe Television Academy.”Most of the time, he was fine, but every so often, under stress, out would come delusional behavior.”
Straczynski, O’Hare, and Warner Bros. then came up with a treatment plan allowing the actor to continue filming Season 1. By the end of production, however, it was clear O’Hare had to leave the show to get the help he needed.”He held on by his fingernails for that season,”Straczynski said.”I could see the toll it was taking … He finished the season up, I pulled him into the office. I said, ‘You and I both know this is getting worse. We both know you’re not going to make it through another season if things stay the way they are.'”
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
Michael O’Hare later returned to Babylon 5
“Babylon 5” temporarily wrote Jeffrey out at the start of Season 2 by sending him to Minbari as an ambassador, while “Bring ‘Em Back Alive” star, John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner), replaced him as the station’s commander.After parting ways with O’Hare, Straczynski offered to help with rent, food, and other costs as he received treatment. Fortunately, O’Hare was able to play Jeffrey Sinclair again after his exit. He guest-starred in the Season 2 episode, “The Coming of Shadows” and theSeason 3 two-parter,”War Without End” — which established Jeffrey as the legendary Valen.
According to Straczynski, he and the “Babylon 5” team kept O’Hare’s condition a secret to protect his career.When O’Hare filmed his final episode, Straczynski had an important conversation with him. “We finished the episode, and as we’re sitting in the office, I said, ‘We want to keep working with you and make this better, and I’ll keep the secret to my grave,'” Straczynski recalled.”He says, ‘You don’t have to … if anything ever happens to me, I want people to know that this is a problem and here’s why I left.'”
Following the conclusion of “Babylon 5,” J. Michael Straczynski tried rebooting the series for the CW, while O’Hare continued his treatment, got married, and had a child. However, his condition eventually worsened again, and he stopped taking his medication,leading up to his death of a heart attack.
