Rob McElhenney
Rob McElhenney | |
|---|---|
 McElhenney at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International | |
| Born | Robert Dale McElhenney April 14, 1977 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director, producer, writer |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse | Kaitlin Olson (2008–present) |
| Children | 2 |
Robert Dale "Rob" McElhenney (/ˈmæk[invalid input: 'ɨ']l.hɛnɪ/;[1] born April 14, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Mac on the FX series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He is also credited as creator, developer, and executive producer of the show, which has also provided him with writing and directing credits on various episodes.
Early life
McElhenney was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in Pennsport.[2] He attended Waldron Mercy Academy and Saint Joseph's Preparatory School. He was raised "partly by two gay mothers who have a domestic partnership".[3]
Career
McElhenney made his film debut with a small part in Alan J. Pakula's The Devil's Own, followed by small parts in A Civil Action, Wonder Boys, and Thirteen Conversations About One Thing. He later had more substantial parts in Latter Days and The Tollbooth, and a small role in the Law & Order episode "Thrill".
In 2004, McElhenney was still waiting tables between acting assignments when his manager and agent pitched his idea for a sitcom to FX, which was warmly received.[4] McElhenney claims that 50 weeks of each year are consumed by acting, producing, and writing for the show, but he did find time to appear in the third season of Lost in the episode "Not in Portland". This was a result of McElhenney meeting Lost co-creator and executive producer Damon Lindelof, who is a fan of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. McElhenney continued the role in Lost, featured again in the sixth season for a single episode.
Personal life
McElhenny married his Sunny co-star Kaitlin Olson on September 27, 2008, in California.[5] They had their first child, Axel Lee McElhenny, on September 1, 2010. Olson went into labor at a Philadelphia Phillies game.[6] The couple's second son, Leo Grey McElhenney, was born on April 5, 2012.[7] In 2009, McElhenney and Olson announced their purchase of Skinner's Bar at 226 Market Street in Philadelphia (39°57′00″N 75°08′41″W / 39.949895°N 75.144795°W). It was renamed Mac's Tavern.[8]
In preparation for season seven of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, McElhenney put on 50 lbs of extra weight and let his beard grow out to give extra humor to his character and add a new comedic direction for the new season. His co-star Charlie Day described the weight gain as "disgusting" and that the rest of the cast were "a little on the fence about it for his own personal health and safety". McElhenney subsequently lost 23 lbs in a month after the season was finished filming.[9][10] He lost more later in the year to film the next season.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Devil's Own | Kevin | |
| 1998 | A Civil Action | Teenager on Property | |
| 2000 | Wonder Boys | Student | |
| 2001 | Thirteen Conversations About One Thing | Chris Hammond | |
| 2001 | Campfire Stories | Ricky | |
| 2002 | Long Story Short | Trent | |
| 2003 | Latter Days | Elder Harmon | |
| 2004 | The Tollbooth | Simon Stanton | |
| 2012 | Living Loaded | Television film |
Television
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Law & Order | Joey Timon | Episode: "Thrill" |
| 2004 | ER | Andy Fesh | Episode: "Where There's Smoke" |
| 2005–present | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Ronald "Mac" McDonald | 94 episodes Creator, producer, director, writer |
| 2007–2010 | Lost | Aldo | Episodes: "Not in Portland" and "What Kate Does" |
References
- ^ "The Actors Lounge interviews Charlie Day". Retrieved 2010-10-20.
- ^ Mystery Location of Paddy's Pub in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Revealed. The Illadelph.
- ^ "Rob McElhenney: Pro-Gay Marriage, Raised In A Gay Family - On Top Magazine | Gay news & entertainment". Ontopmag.com. 2010-08-08. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
- ^ "McElhenney interview". Retrieved 2007-11-03.
- ^ "OK! Exclusive: Kaitlin Olson & Rob McElhenney Wed". OK!. 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
- ^ "Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney Welcome Son Axel Lee". People.com. 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
- ^ Johnson, Zach. "Meet Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney's Son Leo Grey!". US Weekly. US Magazine. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Mac and Dee from "Always Sunny" getting into bar business for real | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/17/2009". Philly.com. 2009-12-17. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
- ^ "Fat Mac: Rob McElhenney Goes Into Graphic Detail About 'Sunny' Weight Gain". Reuters. 2011-08-10.
- ^ Maerz, Melissa (2011-09-16). "Rob McElhenney: How To Get Fat for TV". TV Article. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
External links
- Rob McElhenney at IMDb
- "One on one with the guys from Always Sunny in Philadelphia", HoboTrashcan.com.
- "Rob McElhenney interview on the Best Damn Sports Show Podcast"
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Warning | Local parameters are deprecated. |
- Ill-formatted IPAc-en transclusions
- 1977 births
- Living people
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American television directors
- American television producers
- Male actors from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- American television writers
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors