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Ed O'Neill

Edward Leonard O'Neill[1] (born April 12, 1946) is an American actor, comedian and former professional football player. Over his career he has earned four Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

For other people named Ed O'Neill, see Ed O'Neill (disambiguation).

Ed O'Neill

Edward Leonard O'Neill

(1946-04-12) April 12, 1946
Youngstown, Ohio, United States
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • football player

1967–present

Catherine Rusoff
(m. 1986)

2

6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)

He gained stardom for playing a working class father Al Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children (1987–1997) for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy twice. He had a career resurgence portraying the family patriarch Jay Pritchett on the award-winning ABC sitcom Modern Family (2009–2020), for which he was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series and won four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series.[2][3] He portrayed Governor Eric Baker in the drama series The West Wing (2004–2005) and Donald Sterling in the FX on Hulu limited series Clipped (2024).


On film, he made his debut in the William Friedkin crime thriller Cruising (1980). He has since appeared in the Wayne's World film series (1991–1992), Dutch (1991), Little Giants (1994), Prefontaine (1997), The Spanish Prisoner (1997), The Bone Collector (1999), Sun Dogs (2017), and The Last Shift (2020). He has done voice-work for animated films such as the Wreck-It Ralph franchise (2012–present) and Finding Dory (2016).

Early life and education[edit]

Ed O'Neill was born into an Irish-American Catholic family in Youngstown, Ohio, on April 12, 1946.[4][5][6] Both sides of his family are the descendants of Irish immigrants who came to the United States in the 1850s.[7]


His mother, Ruth Ann (née Quinlan) (1924-2017), was a homemaker and social worker, and his father, Edward Phillip O'Neill (1921-2008), was a steel mill worker and truck driver.[6] O'Neill attended Ursuline High School where he played football. At 14, he worked in construction, then at a steel mill.[8]


He was awarded a football scholarship to Ohio University, where he majored in history, and was a member of the Mu chapter of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.[9] He left the university after his sophomore year. He admits he spent more time playing sports and partying than studying.[9] He also feuded with his coach.[8]


He transferred to Youngstown State University, where he lettered as a defensive lineman from 1967 to 1968.[10] As an undergraduate, he pledged Delta Sigma Phi and was initiated into the Delta Sigma chapter there.[6] While at Youngstown State, he played in a game against Roger Staubach, who was playing for the Pensacola Naval Station.[11] O'Neill said that his team was penalized 15 yards when he hit Staubach out of bounds.[12]

Professional football career[edit]

O'Neill was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969 under rookie head coach Chuck Noll but was cut in training camp, having to compete with fellow rookie defensive lineman Joe Greene and L. C. Greenwood for a roster spot. Both became key members of the Steel Curtain defense during the Steelers success in the 1970s.[5][6][13] Later, while 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 Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw also made two guest appearances on the show. O'Neill worked as a substitute social studies teacher at his alma mater Ursuline High School before becoming an actor.[6]

Personal life[edit]

O'Neill is married to actress Catherine Rusoff. As of 2016, they were living in Los Angeles with their two daughters.[40]


After being introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu by his friend writer/director John Milius, O'Neill has trained for 22 years under the mentoring of Rorion Gracie. In December 2007, after 16 years of training, O'Neill received his black belt.[41][42] In the 2012 TV documentary I Am Bruce Lee, O'Neill states that he considers getting his black belt "the greatest achievement of my life, apart from my children."[43]


On May 18, 2013, O'Neill was the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from his alma mater, Youngstown State University.[44] On November 30, 2023, after the controversial hiring of Republican congressman Bill Johnson as the university's president, O'Neill told Ideastream he was going to return his degree, saying, "I don't want it... I'm going to start calling it Trump-U."[45]

List of Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners

at IMDb 

Ed O'Neill