Father William O’Malley, a theology teacher at the Jesuit high school, Fordham Prep has been let go due to his old-school style which school administrators felt was out of date.

O’Malley, known to horror fans for his role in the controversial 1973 horror movie, had taught at the school for the past 20 years.

Father Kenneth Boller, president of Fordham Prep, told the New York Post “Father O’Malley’s style was probably more abrasive than we are used to and something we discussed with the principal over the years."

O’Malley taught “The Problem of God/Morality/Marriage” at Fordham. In the past he was also an associate professor of theology at Fordham University.

“He has a somewhat confrontational style, and the times change and the [teaching] styles change.”
He continued, “His effectiveness, in view of the principal, has diminished. We thought it was time for him to end his career on an up note after completing a successful year.”

The 80-year-old priest played the role of Father Joe Dyer in “The Exorcist” and also acted as a technical advisor on the movie.

As well as his foray into acting, O’Malley has directed 99 plays and musicals. He has also published 37 books including “Choosing to Be Catholic”, “Why Be Catholic?”, “God: The Oldest Question”,  “Meeting the Living God”, “Building Your Own Conscience”, “The Fifth Week” and “Help My Unbelief”.

Here’s the trailer for the 1973 movie “The Exorcist”: