Kevin Connolly (actor)
| Kevin Connolly | |
|---|---|
 at the Tribeca Film Festival, April 2007 |
|
| Born | March 5, 1974 [1] Patchogue, New York, U.S.[2] |
| Occupation | Actor, Director |
| Years active | 1990–present |
Kevin Connolly (born March 5, 1974) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his role on the HBO series Entourage as Eric Murphy and his role as the eldest son Ryan Malloy in the 1990s television sitcom Unhappily Ever After.
Contents |
Life and career [edit]
Connolly was born in Patchogue, New York, the son of Eileen J. (née McMahon) and John Connolly.[3][4] He is of Irish descent.[4] Kevin graduated Patchogue-Medford High School in 1992.[5][6]
He began his career at age six, appearing in television commercials, including the popular "Betcha bite a chip" campaign for Chips Ahoy!. In 1990, he landed his first film role, as Chickie in Rocky V. Two years later, Connolly was cast as Shaun Kelly in the film adaptation of Myron Levoy's novel Alan & Naomi, and co-starred with Tobey Maguire in the short-lived Fox sitcom Great Scott!. His appearance in the series later earned him a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television Series. He portrayed Dabney Coleman's son in the comedy film The Beverly Hillbillies (film). Connolly continued guest starring in television series including Wings (NBC TV series), Getting By and the medical drama ER (TV series).
From 1995–96, Connolly starred in Don's Plum alongside friends and future collaborators Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio. Later that year, he landed the role of Ryan Malloy on the situation comedy Unhappily Ever After. The series also marked Connolly's directorial debut when he directed six episodes in its fourth season. In 2007, Connolly made his full length movie directorial debut with the film Gardener of Eden, which premiered in April 2007 at the Tribeca Film Festival.[7]
Connolly's best-known role is the character Eric Murphy, better known as "E", on HBO's show Entourage (TV series). E is the manager and best friend of Vincent Chase, who is played by Adrian Grenier. The show's 8 season run came to a close in September 2011.
In addition to television work, Connolly has appeared in several major motion pictures including Antwone Fisher (film), John Q, and The Notebook (film). In August 2007, he signed on to play a supporting character in He's Just Not That Into You, which was released in 2009. Connolly has reportedly been cast as jazz musician Benny Goodman in an upcoming movie. The film, set in the 1930s, will focus on one of the first interracial bands of the era; Nick Cannon, Brandon Routh, and rapper Ludacris will co-star.[8][dead link]
In October 2008, Connolly was hired to direct his first music video for rap artist The Game (rapper), featuring R&B artist Ne-Yo. The video is for the song "Camera Phone" from The Game's album LAX.[9]
Connolly attended the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles and announced the final pick of the first round for the New York Islanders.[10]
Filmography [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Rocky V | Chickie | |
| 1992 | Alan & Naomi | Shaun Kelly | |
| 1993 | The Beverly Hillbillies | Morgan Drysdale | |
| 1995 | Angus | Andy | |
| 1997 | Sub Down | Petty Officer Holliday | Alternative title: Sub Down: Take the Dive |
| 1999 | Tyrone | Sam Adams | Alternative title: Bad Trip |
| 2001 | Drum Solo | ||
| Don's Plum | Jeremy | ||
| 2002 | Devious Beings | Casey | |
| John Q | Steve Maguire | ||
| Antwone Fisher | Slim | ||
| 2004 | The Notebook | Fin | |
| 2005 | The Check Up | Mike | |
| 2009 | He's Just Not That into You | Conor Barry | |
| The Ugly Truth | Jim | ||
| 2010 | Secretariat | Bill Nack | |
| 2013 | Reach Me |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Great Scott! | Larry O'Donnell | 1 episode Nominated - Young Artist Award Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television Series |
| 1993 | Wings | Scotty Nelson | 1 Episode - Season 5 Episode 7 "Joe Blows, Part 01" |
| 1994 | Locals | Television film | |
| Getting By | 1 episode | ||
| ER | 1 episode, uncredited | ||
| 1995 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Robert Sanderson | 1 episode |
| 1995–1999 | Unhappily Ever After | Ryan Malloy | 75 episodes; directed 6 episodes |
| 1996 | ABC Afterschool Special | Kevin | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Up, Up, and Away | Malcolm | Television film |
| 2001 | First Years | Joe | 5 episodes |
| Sam's Circus | Cpl John "Little Sarge" Rather | Television film | |
| 2004–2011 | Entourage | Eric 'E' Murphy | Main cast member; 96 episodes Nominated - Golden Globe Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (2009) Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (Shared with cast) (2008) Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (Shared with cast) (2007) Nominated - Teen Choice Awards TV – Choice Chemistry (Shared with cast) (2006) Nominated - Satellite Awards Outstanding Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical (2005) |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997-1999 | Unhappily Ever After | 6 episodes |
| 2003 | Whatever We Do | Film |
| 2007 | Gardener of Eden | Film |
| 2008 | Camera Phone - The Game ft. Ne-Yo | Music video |
| 2010-2011 | Entourage | 2 episodes: "Porn Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" "Second to Last" |
| 2013 | ESPN 30 for 30 | Spano vs Islanders |
References [edit]
- ^ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly (1197). Mar 9, 2012. p. 26.
- ^ E!Online; Kevin Connolly profile
- ^ Playboy asks Kevin Connolly 20 Questions As Only Playboy Can![dead link]
- ^ a b Kelly, Antoinette (2009-07-23). "‘Entourage’ premiere dedicated to Kevin Connolly’s late Irish mother". Irish Central. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
- ^ "Kevin Connolly heads home to Long Island.....". The Insider. February 1, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2010.("He was even the homecoming king in '92 at Patchogue-Medford High School.")
- ^ La Monica, Mark (June 11, 2006). "A rocky start? Hardly". Newsday. Retrieved February 9, 2010.("After graduating from high school in 1992...")
- ^ "DiCaprio, The Gardener of Eden Premiere And The Real Entourage", The Huffington Post, April 27, 2007, Retrieved on August 16, 2007
- ^ Huver, Scott, "Q&A with Kevin Connolly: E's Creating His Own Hollywood Adventures on Entourage", NYPost.com
- ^ Mark, Dagostino (2008-10-03). "Kevin Connolly to Direct The Game and Ne-Yo's Video". people.com. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ^ Brooks, Larry (2011-03-28). "'Entourage' star is allowed on Islanders bench". New York Post. Retrieved 2011-07-08.
External links [edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kevin Connolly (actor) |
- Kevin Connolly at the Internet Movie Database
- Profile on HBO.com
- Kevin Connolly in the Hot Seat. Interview[dead link] by Alison Rosen of Time Out New York
|
- 1974 births
- Actors from New York
- American child actors
- American film actors
- American film directors
- American people of Irish descent
- American television actors
- American television directors
- Living people
- People from Patchogue, New York
- 20th-century American actors
- 21st-century American actors
- American male actors
