Ed O'Neill was born into anIrish-AmericanCatholic family inYoungstown, 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 asteel mill worker and truck driver.[6] O'Neill attendedUrsuline High School where he playedfootball. At 14, he worked in construction, then at a steel mill.[8]
He was awarded afootball scholarship toOhio University, where he majored in history, and was a member of the Mu chapter of theDelta 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]
O'Neill was signed as an undrafted free agent by thePittsburgh Steelers in1969 under rookie head coachChuck Noll but was cut in training camp, having to compete with fellow rookie defensive linemenJoe Greene andL.C. Greenwood for a roster spot. Both became key members of theSteel Curtain defense during the Steelers success in the 1970s.[5][6][13] Later, while onMarried... with Children, O'Neill played a former high school football star who had failed to make it big and frequently reminisced about his "glory days" at Polk High ("I once scored four touchdowns in a single game"). O'Neill worked as a substitutesocial studies teacher at his alma mater Ursuline High School before becoming an actor.[6]
O'Neill re-enrolled at Youngstown State after being cut by the Steelers and was one of the first students at the school's new theater program.[8] Later, in 1979, he played a boxer oppositeDanny Aiello in the Broadway playKnockout at theHelen Hayes Theatre.[14] Richard Eder ofThe New York Times described the performance as "chilling" adding, "As Paddy Klonski, the brutal young boxer, Edward O'Neill's towering physique, peaceful smile and empty eyes form a genuinely frightening presence".[15] It was there that he was seen by directorWilliam Friedkin and landed his first movie role, as a police detective inCruising, starringAl Pacino.[16]
In 1985, O'Neill appeared in aRed Lobster commercial.[17] He made a brief guest appearance inThe Equalizer. In 1986, he was cast as NYPD detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle for the planned television seriesPopeye Doyle. The character had originally appeared in the motion pictureThe French Connection (played byGene 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 positive ratings, but the series was not picked up for production.
In 1984, while playing the role of Lennie in a stage production ofJohn Steinbeck'sOf Mice and Men atHartford Stage inHartford, Connecticut, he was seen by a casting agent from theFox television network and was asked to audition for the role ofAl Bundy[18][19][20] inMarried... with Children, a proposed sitcom about a dysfunctional family living inChicago.[6] He won the part because, during the audition, he simply slumped his shoulders and sighed as he was about to walk through the front door of the home.[21]Married... with Children led off the first night of Fox's primetime lineup on April 5, 1987, concluding after 11 seasons on June 9, 1997.
Law & Order franchise creatorDick Wolf cast O'Neill as SergeantJoe Friday in his2003 update ofJack Webb's long-runningDragnet media franchise.[24] The series was canceled byABC in its second season. O'Neill went on to appear asPennsylvania Governor Eric Baker, a recurring character on theNBC political drama seriesThe West Wing from 2004 to 2005.[25] O'Neill also played Bill onHBO's television seriesJohn from Cincinnati. In 2008, O'Neill appeared in an advertisement for then-presidential candidateBarack Obama as "Al the Shoesalesman".[26] In January 2009, O'Neill reunited withDavid Faustino (Bud Bundy fromMarried... with Children) for two episodes of Faustino's showStar-ving.[27] O'Neill also appeared with the entire cast ofMarried... with Children again when they were honored at the 7th AnnualTV Land Award show in 2009.[28]
Since 2012, O'Neill has done voice-overs in TV advertisements for the over-the-counter form ofZyrtec,[35] along withWalmart'sstore-branded mobile phone serviceStraight Talk. In 2016, O'Neill starred as Hank the Octopus in thePixar animated filmFinding Dory. According to O'Neill, he didn't realize at first that he had a starring role in the film. As his voice recording sessions continued and most of his interactions turned out to be with Dory, he began to suspect that Hank was a major character in the film.[36]
O'Neill starred inFX on Hulu miniseriesClipped portrayingDonald Sterling.[37] Andrew Lawrence ofThe Guardian gave the show a perfect score declaring, "Forty years of playing cranks on screen has given Ed O’Neill a particular understanding for Sterling’s quirks, gripes and foibles that few others in his field can claim".[38] Daniel Feinberg ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote, "O’Neill leans hard into every aspect of his entitled grotesquerie, from the external — such a bad dye job — to the dazed certainty in his intonations. It’s not a subtle performance, but Donald Sterling’s general grossness wasn’t a secret".[39] Quinci LeGardye ofThe A.V. Club stated, "O’Neill gives a skilled performance as a truly reprehensible human being".[40]
O'Neill is married to actress Catherine Rusoff, with whom he has two children.[41]
In 1991, O'Neill was introduced toBrazilian jiu-jitsu by his friend writer/directorJohn Milius and has trained ever since under the mentoring ofRorion Gracie.[42] In December 2007, after 16 years of training, O'Neill received hisblack belt.[43][44] In the 2012TV documentaryI Am Bruce Lee, O'Neill states that he considers getting his black belt "the greatest achievement of my life, apart from my children."[45]
On May 18, 2013, O'Neill was the recipient of anhonoraryDoctor of Arts degree from his alma mater, Youngstown State University.[46] On November 30, 2023, after the controversial hiring ofRepublican congressmanBill Johnson as the university's president, O'Neill toldIdeastream he was going to return his degree, saying: "I don't want it... I'm going to start calling itTrump-U."[47]
