Ed O'Neill
| Ed O'Neill | |
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 Ed O'Neill in 2010 |
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| Born | Edward Phillip O'Neill, Jr. April 12, 1946 Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Spouse | Catherine Rusoff (1986-present) |
Edward Phillip "Ed" O'Neill, Jr. (born April 12, 1946) is an American actor.[1] He is best known for his role as the main character, Al Bundy, on the Fox Network sitcom Married... with Children, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes.[1] He can currently be seen on the award-winning ABC sitcom Modern Family in the role of Jay Pritchett, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
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[edit] Early life
O'Neill was born into an Irish Catholic family in Youngstown, Ohio.[2][3] His mother, Ruth Ann (née Quinlan), was a homemaker and social worker, and his father, Edward Phillip O'Neill, Sr., was a steel mill worker and truck driver.[4] O'Neill attended Ursuline High School and won a football scholarship to Ohio University, where he majored in history.[5] O'Neill left Ohio after his sophomore year: he spent more time playing sports and partying than studying[5] and also feuded with his coach. He transferred to Youngstown State University, where he was a defensive lineman.[4] O'Neill was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969, but was cut in training camp.[3][4] Later, on Married... with Children, O'Neill played a former high-school football star who had failed to make it big and constantly reminisced about his "glory days" at Polk High ("I once scored four touchdowns in a single game"). As part of this theme, former Pittsburgh Steelers great and hall of fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw also made two guest appearances on the show. O'Neill was also a social studies teacher at Ursuline High School, before becoming an actor.[4]
[edit] Career
O'Neill reenrolled at YSU after being cut by the Steelers and was one of the first students at the school's then new theatre program. He played Lenny in a stage production of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In 1985, O'Neill appeared in a Red Lobster commercial eating fish and made a brief guest appearance in The Equalizer. In 1986, he was cast as the character of NYPD Police Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle for the planned television series Popeye Doyle. The Popeye Doyle character originally appeared in the motion picture The French Connection (played by Gene Hackman). The two-hour made-for-television movie/pilot was filmed and shown on network television. O'Neill received good reviews for his performance, and the pilot received good ratings, but the series was not picked up for production.
O'Neill is primarily known for playing the lead role of Al Bundy in Married... with Children, a long-running American sitcom about a dysfunctional family living in Chicago.[4] It was the first primetime television series to air on the Fox Network as a midseason replacement, debuting on April 5, 1987 and concluding June 9, 1997.
During and following the success of Married... with Children, O'Neill appeared in several movies, including The Bone Collector, Little Giants, and Dutch. He also had small parts in Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2, and appeared as Relish the Troll King in The 10th Kingdom. O'Neill made a brief appearance on the comedy variety show In Living Color, playing the "Dirty Dozens" champion who defeats the challenger, played by Jamie Foxx. He also made a cameo on the sitcom 8 Simple Rules where he was the ex-boyfriend of Cate S. Hennessy (played by Katey Sagal, who portrayed O'Neill's TV wife Peg Bundy on Married with Children). He also appeared in the movie The Adventures of Ford Fairlane with Andrew Dice Clay and in Cruising with Al Pacino. During the mid 1990s, he had a long string of appearances in commercials for 1-800-COLLECT.
Law & Order franchise creator Dick Wolf cast O'Neill as Sgt. Joe Friday in his 2003 remake of Jack Webb's classic TV crime series Dragnet. The series was canceled by ABC in its second season. O'Neill went on to appear as Governor Eric Baker (D-PA), a recurring character on NBC's The West Wing. Baker, a strong candidate for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, assumed the office of the Vice President under Matt Santos at the end of the series.
O'Neill also played Bill on HBO's television series John From Cincinnati.
In 2008, O'Neill appeared in an advertisement for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama reprising his Al Bundy character.[6]
In January 2009, O'Neill reunited with David Faustino (Bud Bundy from Married with Children) for two episodes of Faustino's show Star-ving.[7] O'Neill also appeared with the entire cast of Married with Children again when they were honored at the 7th Annual TV Land Award show in 2009, presented by Dr. Phil.
Since 2009, O'Neill has played Jay Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. The role earned him an Emmy award nominations in 2011.
[edit] Personal life
O'Neill has been married since 1986 to actress Catherine Rusoff, who appeared in two episodes of Married... with Children. In 1989, the couple separated but reconciled in 1993. They have two daughters, Claire in 1996 and Sophia in 1999.
After being introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by his friend writer/director John Milius, O'Neill has trained in the martial art for 17 years under the mentoring of Rorion Gracie, whose father Helio Gracie and uncle Carlos Gracie created Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In December 2007, O'Neill received his black belt.[8]
He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 30th 2011.[9]
[edit] Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
| 1980 | Cruising | Det. Schreiber | |
| The Dogs of War | Terry | ||
| 1989 | Disorganized Crime | George Denver | |
| K-9 | Sgt. Brannigan | ||
| 1990 | The Adventures of Ford Fairlane | Lt. Amos | |
| Sibling Rivalry | Wilbur Meany | ||
| 1991 | Dutch | Dutch Dooley | Alternative title: Driving Me Crazy |
| 1992 | Wayne's World | Glen, Mikita's Manager | |
| 1993 | Wayne's World 2 | Glen, Mikita's Manager | |
| 1994 | Blue Chips | Ed | |
| Little Giants | Kevin O'Shea | ||
| 1997 | Prefontaine | Bill Dellinger | |
| The Spanish Prisoner | FBI Team Leader | ||
| 1999 | The Bone Collector | Det. Paulie Sellitto | |
| 2000 | Lucky Numbers | Dick Simmons | |
| 2001 | Nobody's Baby | Norman Pinkney | |
| 2004 | Spartan | Burch | |
| 2005 | Steel Valley | Congressman Cardone | Short film |
| 2008 | Redbelt | Hollywood Producer | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1970 | All My Children | Unknown episodes | |
| 1972-1976 | M*A*S*H | American Fighter Pilot | Uncredited background extra (appeared in 43 episodes) |
| 1980 | The Day the Women Got Even | Ed | TV-Movie |
| 1982 | Farrell for the People | Det. Jay Brennan | TV-Movie |
| 1983 | When Your Lover Leaves | Mack Sher | TV-Movie |
| 1984 | Miami Vice | Arthur Lawson/Artie Rollins | Episode: Heart of Darkness |
| 1985 | Hunter | Dan Colson | Episode: The Garbage Man |
| Braker | Danny Buckner | TV-Pilot | |
| The Equalizer | Doctor | Episode: The Children's Song | |
| 1986 | A Winner Never Quits | Whitey Wyshner | TV-Movie |
| Popeye Doyle | Popeye Doyle | TV-Movie/TV-Pilot | |
| Spenser: For Hire | Buddy Almeida | Episode: Widow's Walk | |
| 1987 | Right to Die | TV-Movie | |
| 1987–1997 | Married... with Children | Al Bundy | Sitcom |
| 1988 | Midnight Caller | Hank | Episode: Twelve Gauge |
| Police Story: Gladiator School | Sgt. Stanley Bivens | TV-Movie | |
| 1990 | A Very Retail Christmas | Max Crandall | TV-Movie |
| Saturday Night Live | Himself | Guest host: January 13, 1990 | |
| 1991 | The Whereabouts of Jenny | Jimmy O'Meara | TV-Movie |
| Top of the Heap | Al Bundy | Episode: Top of the Heap | |
| 1993 | Nick's Game | Ron Hawthorne | TV-Movie |
| 1995 | W.E.I.R.D. World | Dr. Monochian | TV-Movie |
| 2000 | The 10th Kingdom | Relish the Troll King | Miniseries |
| 2001 | Big Apple | Det. Michael Mooney | 8 episodes |
| 2003–2004 | L.A. Dragnet | Lt. Joe Friday | 22 episodes |
| 2004 | In the Game | Buzz | First TV-Pilot |
| 2004, 2005 | The West Wing | Gov. Eric Baker | 4 episodes |
| 2005 | 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter | Matt | Episode: Old Flame |
| In the Game | Buzz | Second TV-Pilot | |
| 2006 | Inseparable | Alan | TV-Pilot |
| Twenty Good Years | Brock Manley | Episode: Between Brock and a Hard Place | |
| The Unit | William Partch | Episode: Silver Star | |
| 2007 | John from Cincinnati | Bill Jacks | 10 episodes |
| 2009–present | Modern Family | Jay Pritchett | |
| 2011 | Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil | Grandpa | Episode: Truth or Daredevil |
[edit] Awards and nominations
| Year | Award Show | Category | Title Of Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Golden Globe Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical | Married...with Children | Nominated |
| 1993 | Golden Globe Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical | Married...with Children | Nominated |
| 2009 | TV Land Award | Innovator Award | Married...with Children | Won |
| 2010 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Modern Family | Nominated |
| 2010 | Ewwy Awards | Best Actor in a Comedy Series | Modern Family | Won |
| 2011 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Modern Family | Nominated |
| 2011 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Modern Family | Won |
| 2011 | Monte Carlo TV Festival | Golden Nymph for Outstanding Actor - Comedy Series | Modern Family | Nominated |
| 2011 | Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Modern Family | Nominated |
| 2012 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Modern Family | Won |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Ed O'Neill Biography". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0642145. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
- ^ Pallante, Sally; Scotty Hanahan, Jim Dunn, Paul Miller, Martin Pallante, Terry Dunn (2004). Irish in Youngstown and the Greater Mahoning Valley. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 105.
- ^ a b "Ed O'Neill: Biography". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ed-oneill/bio/148365. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "Ed O'Neill Biography". Biography.com. A&E Networks. http://www.biography.com/articles/Ed-O%27Neill-575134?print. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ a b Stated on Inside the Actors Studio, 2011
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99HzP6BQm5Y&feature=player_embedded
- ^ "Star-ving’s David Faustino’s five favorite comedians of all time + Ed O’Neill reunion". Punchline Magazine. http://punchlinemagazine.com/blog/star-vings-david-faustinos-five-favorite-comedians-of-all-time-ed-oneill-reunion. Retrieved 2009-02-20.[dead link]
- ^ "Al Bundy Gets Black Belt". Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3yjN1KrqfM. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ Variety. http://weblogs.variety.com/on_the_air/2010/06/oprah-neil-patrick-harris-tina-fey-to-get-hollywood-walk-of-fame-stars.html.
[edit] External links
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- 1946 births
- Actors from Ohio
- American comedians of Irish descent
- American film actors
- American football linebackers
- American practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- American schoolteachers
- American television actors
- Living people
- Ohio Bobcats football players
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- People from Youngstown, Ohio
- Pittsburgh Steelers players
- Youngstown State Penguins football players
