Christopher McDonald

For other similarly named people, see Christopher McDonald (disambiguation) and Chris McDonald (disambiguation).

Christopher McDonald
McDonald at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	(1955-02-15) February 15, 1955 (age 69) New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Hobart College
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1978–present
Spouse	Lupe Gidley ​ (m. 1992)​
Children	4
Relatives	Daniel McDonald (brother)

Christopher McDonald (born February 15, 1955) ^{[1] [2]} is an American film, television, theatre and voice actor.

McDonald is best known for playing the villainous professional golfer Shooter McGavin in the 1996 comedy Happy Gilmore . ^[3] Other notable starring roles for McDonald in film include "T-Birds" member Goose McKenzie in Grease 2 (1982), Darryl Dickinson opposite his former fiancée Geena Davis in Thelma & Louise (1991), Ward Cleaver in the film adaptation Leave It to Beaver (1997), and Tappy Tibbons in Requiem for a Dream (2000). Along with numerous independent and small-budget film roles, he played supporting characters in box-office hits Grumpy Old Men (1993), Flubber (1997), Rumor Has It (2005), The House Bunny (2008) and About Last Night (2014).

On television, McDonald was a series regular on network TV shows Walter & Emily (1991–1992, NBC), Good Advice (1993–1994, CBS), Family Law (1999–2002, CBS), Cracking Up (2004, FOX) and Harry's Law , (2011–2012, NBC).

McDonald has portrayed several notable real-life people, including game show host Jack Barry in Quiz Show (1994), mountaineer Jon Krakauer in Into Thin Air: Death on Everest on ABC (1997), sportscaster Mel Allen in the HBO film 61* (2001), Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio in ESPN's The Bronx Is Burning (2007), U.S. Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty on HBO's Boardwalk Empire (2010–2012), Texas revolution soldier Henry Karnes in History Channel's Texas Rising (2015), and Clinton lawyer Robert S. Bennett on FX's Impeachment: American Crime Story (2021).

In 2022, McDonald was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as casino CEO Marty Ghilain on the HBO Max show Hacks . ^[4]

Personal life

McDonald was born in New York City, to Patricia, a nursing professor and real estate agent, and James R. McDonald, an educator and high school principal. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Of Irish descent and a practicing Catholic, ^{[8] [9] [10]} he and his siblings were raised in Romulus, New York. He graduated from Romulus Central School in 1973 ^[11] and later earned a degree from Hobart College in Geneva, New York where he played football and soccer. He was also a member of the Kappa Alpha Society. His younger brother, actor and singer Daniel McDonald, died of brain cancer in February 2007. ^[12] He is a prominent fan of the Buffalo Bills and a friend of former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly. ^[13]

McDonald was engaged to future Thelma & Louise co-star Geena Davis for a period in the mid-80s until 1985, when she left him for Jeff Goldblum. ^[14] He met actress Lupe Gidley in 1989 when they performed together in a theatre production in New Mexico. ^[15] They married in 1992 and have three daughters and one son. ^[16]

Career

In 1978, McDonald appeared, as a contestant, on The Dating Game . McDonald has numerous film and television roles, often as a supporting actor and often portraying villains. His credits include Grease 2 (1982), Breakin' (1984), Where the Boys Are '84 (1984), The Boys Next Door (1985), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Thelma & Louise (1991), Fatal Instinct (1993), Grumpy Old Men (1993), Quiz Show (1994), the HBO film The Tuskegee Airmen (1995), Happy Gilmore (1996), Celtic Pride (1996), House Arrest (1996), Flubber (1997), Dirty Work (1998), The Faculty (1998), The Skulls (2000), The Perfect Storm (2000), Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002), Broken Flowers (2005), Rumor Has It (2005), American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile (2006), American Pie Presents: Beta House (2007), and Superhero Movie (2008). In 1994, he starred in the film Terminal Velocity as an aggressive Russian mafia villain. He was featured as Ward Cleaver in the film version of Leave It to Beaver (1997). He also played Tappy Tibbons in Requiem for a Dream (2000), and was in The House Bunny (2008) and About Last Night (2014).

In television, along with a starring role on the TV series Walter & Emily (1991–1992), Family Law (1999–2002), Cracking Up (2004-2006), and recurring roles on North Shore (2004), Veronica's Closet (1997-1999), Good Advice (1993–1994), and Harry's Law (2011–2012), McDonald has also made guest appearances on Matlock, Cheers , Riptide , Knight Rider , The Sopranos , Psych , both the 1985 and the 2002 versions of The Twilight Zone , Home Improvement , Las Vegas , the Law & Order franchise, Stargate Universe , and Star Trek: The Next Generation . He also played the eponymous lead in Peter Gabriel's 2002 music video for the song "The Barry Williams Show".

McDonald has also done voice work, including Jor-El in Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited, and an older version of Superman in Batman Beyond . He also voiced the determined government agent Kent Mansley in the animated film The Iron Giant (1999). He subbed for Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg in The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007). In 2009, McDonald lent his voice talents in the Thomas Nelson audio Bible production known as The Word of Promise. In this dramatized audio, McDonald played the role of Luke. ^{[17] [18]}

McDonald replaced Robert De Niro in the Midnight Run film franchise, playing Jack Walsh in three 1994 films: Another Midnight Run , Midnight Runaround , and Midnight Run for Your Life . He portrayed mountaineer Jon Krakauer in the ABC film Into Thin Air: Death on Everest (1997), famous baseball broadcaster Mel Allen in the HBO film 61* (2001), baseball player Joe DiMaggio in the ESPN original series The Bronx Is Burning (2007) and U.S. Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty on HBO's Boardwalk Empire (2010–2012). In October 2013, McDonald started filming for A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island. ^[19] Under the title The Crash , it was released direct-to-video in 2017. ^[20] McDonald also played Texas revolution soldier Henry Karnes in History Channel's Texas Rising (2015), and Clinton lawyer Robert S. Bennett on FX's Impeachment: American Crime Story (2021).

McDonald appeared as Murphy in the Broadway show The Front Page at the Broadhurst Theater, which opened in late 2016. ^[21]

In 2021, McDonald joined the cast of Hacks on HBO Max as Las Vegas casino owner Marty Ghilain, where he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role. ^[22] In May 2021, he was cast in the Disney+ series Secret Invasion , set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. ^[23] which premiered in 2023. ^[24] In 2023, McDonald appeared in the music video for country music duo The Reklaws' song "Honky Tonkin' About" with Drake Milligan. ^[25]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	The Hearse	Pete
1982	Grease 2	Bradley "Goose" McKenzie
	The Black Room	Terry
1984	Where the Boys Are '84	Tony
	Breakin'	James
	Chattanooga Choo Choo	Alex O'Donnell
1985	The Boys Next Door	Detective Mark Woods
1987	Outrageous Fortune	George
1988	Paramedics	Mike "Mad Mike"
1989	Cool Blue	Peter Sin
	Chances Are	Louie Jeffries
1990	Playroom	Chris
1991	Thelma & Louise	Darryl Dickinson
	Dutch	Reed Standish
	Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue	Senator Dixon
1993	Cover Story	Sam Sparks
	Benefit of the Doubt	Dan
	Conflict of Interest	Mickey Flannery
	Fatal Instinct	Frank Kelbo
	Bums	Sergeant Andrew Holloman
	Grumpy Old Men	Mike
1994	Roadflower	Glen Lerolland
	Monkey Trouble	Tom
	Terminal Velocity	Kerr
	Quiz Show	Jack Barry
1995	My Teacher's Wife	Roy Mueller
	Forget Paris	Zeus	Voice
	Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back	Sheriff Jack Banning
	Fair Game	Lieutenant Meyerson
1996	Happy Gilmore	Shooter McGavin
	Unforgettable	Stewart Gleick
	Celtic Pride	Coach Kimball
	House Arrest	Donald Krupp
	The Rich Man's Wife	Tony Potenza
1997	Leave It to Beaver	Ward Cleaver
	A Smile Like Yours	Richard Halstrom
	Flubber	Wilson Croft
	The Eighteenth Angel	Hugh Stanton
	Lawn Dogs	Morton Stockard
1998	Dirty Work	Travis Cole
	Jaded	Jack Carlson
	SLC Punk!	Mr. Levy
	Gideon	Alan Longhurst
	The Faculty	Mr. Connor
	Divorce: A Contemporary Western	Tony
1999	Five Aces	Ash Gray
	The Iron Giant	Kent Mansley	Voice [26]
2000	Magicians	Jake
	Takedown	Mitch Gibson
	The Skulls	Martin Lombard
	Isn't She Great	Brad Bradburn
	Requiem for a Dream	"Tappy" Tibbons
	The Perfect Storm	Todd Gross
2001	The Theory of the Leisure Class	Buddy Barnett
	The Man Who Wasn't There	Macadam Salesman
2002	Speakeasy	Dr. Addams
	Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams	President of The United States
	Children on Their Birthdays	"Speedy" Thorne
2003	Grind	Mr. Rivers
2005	The L.A. Riot Spectacular	Officer Koon
	Broken Flowers	Ron Anderson
	Rumor Has It...	Roger McManus
2006	Funny Money	Vic Johnson
	American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile	Harry Stifler	Direct-to-video
2007	Kickin' It Old Skool	Marty Schumacher
	My Sexiest Year	Adult Jake Stein
	Awake	Dr. Larry Lupin
	American Pie Presents: Beta House	Harry Stifler	Direct-to-video
2008	Mad Money	Bryce Arbogast
	Superhero Movie	Lou Landers, Hourglass
	Summerhood	Assistant Director
	Player 5150	Tony
	The House Bunny	Dean Simmons
	An American Carol	Lab Supervisor
2009	Fanboys	Chuck "Big Chuck"
	Spooner	Dennis Spooner
	Reunion	Eamon
	Deep in the Valley	Jim "Diamond Jim"
	Splinterheads	Sergeant Bruce Mancuso
	Middle Men	George Harris
2010	Black Widow	Steve
	Barry Munday	Dr. Preston Edwards
	The Best and the Brightest	The Player
	Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial	Mirrior Knight	Voice (2012 English dub)
2011	Adventures of Serial Buddies	Father Christopher
	Cat Run	Bill Kreb
2012	The Collection	Mr. Peters
	Not Fade Away	Jack Dietz
	Grassroots	Jim Tripp
2014	About Last Night	Casey McNeil
	Believe Me	Ken
2015	Don't Worry Baby	Harry Lang
	The Squeeze	"Riverboat"
	Zipper	Peter Kirkland
2016	Exposed	Lieutenant Galway
2017	The Crash	Del Banco
	Once Upon a Time in Venice	Mr. Carter
	Wetlands	Detective Paddy "Red" Sheehan
2018	Deep Murder	Richard Dangler
	Backtrace	Franks	Direct-to-video
2020	The Stand at Paxton County	Sheriff Roger Bostwick
	We Can Be Heroes	President Neil Anami
2021	Land of Dreams	Blair
	Walking with Herb	Wiley Saunders
2022	Rosaline	Lord Capulet
2023	Abruptio	Police Chief Richter
2024	Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F	Golfer
2025	Happy Gilmore 2	Shooter McGavin	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	Getting Married	Usher	Television film
1981	Insight	Jeff Curry	Episode: "A Step Too Slow"
1982	Cheers	Rick Walker	Episode: "Endless Slumper"
1983	Lottery!	Peter	Episode: "Being a Winner"
1984	Call to Glory	Tim O'Reilly	2 episodes
1984–1986	Riptide	Dennis, Johnny	2 episodes
1985	Hunter	Sonny Dupree	Episode: "The Garbage Man"
1985	Knight Rider	Joe Flynn	Episode: "Ten Wheel Trouble"
1985	It's a Living	Alexi	Episode: "From Russia with Love"
1986	1st & Ten	Detective	Episode: "California Freeze Out"
1986	The Twilight Zone	Delivery Man	Episode: "Aqua Vita"
1986–1989	Matlock	Eric Lane, David Channing	3 episodes
1987	The Wizard	Paige	Episode: "The Heart of a Dancer"
1987	Our House	Mr. Tollfeson	Episode: "The Best Intentions"
1987	Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion	Jeb	Television film
1988	The Highwayman	Joshua Towler	Episode: "Billionaire Body Club"
1988	Little Girl Lost	Wolff	Television film
1989	Paradise	Dexter	2 episodes
1989	An Eight Is Enough Wedding	Jeb	Television film
1990	Star Trek: The Next Generation	Lieutenant Richard Castillo	Episode: "Yesterday's Enterprise"
1990–1991	Empty Nest	Nick Todd	3 episodes
1991–1992	Walter & Emily	Matt Collins	13 episodes
1992	Home Improvement	Stu Cutler	Episode: "For Whom The Belch Tolls"
1993–1994	Good Advice	Joey DeRuzza	Series regular
1994	Another Midnight Run	Jack Walsh	Television film
1994	Midnight Runaround	Jack Walsh	Television film
1994	Midnight Run for Your Life	Jack Walsh	Television film
1995	The Tuskegee Airmen	Major Sherman Joy	Television film
1996	Superman: The Animated Series	Jor-El	Voice, 3 episodes [26]
1997	Gun	Lutz	Episode: "Ricochet"
1997–1999	Veronica's Closet	Bryce Anderson	9 episodes
1997	Into Thin Air: Death on Everest	Jon Krakauer	Television film
1999–2002	Family Law	Rex Weller	68 episodes
2000	Batman Beyond	Superman	Voice, episode: "The Call" [26]
2001	61*	Mel Allen	Television film
2002	Total Access 24/7: Spy Kids 2	Himself	1 episode
2002	The Twilight Zone	Rick	Episode: "Mr. Motivation"
2003	Without a Trace	Bob Carroll	Episodes: "The Bus"
2004	Justice League Unlimited	Jor-El	Voice, episode: "For the Man Who Has Everything" [26]
2004	North Shore	Walter Booth	6 episodes
2004–2006	Cracking Up	Ted Shackleton	8 episodes
2004–2007	Kim Possible	Hego	Voice, 3 episodes
2005	Fat Actress	Jimmy	Episode: "Crack for Good"
2006	Twins	Terry	Episode: "Blast from the Past"
2006	Las Vegas	Kidnapper Chips	2 episodes
2006–2011	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Evan Corman, Declan Pace	2 episodes
2007	The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning	Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg	Television film
2007	Medium	Gregory King	Episode: "1-900-Lucky"
2007	The Sopranos	Eddie Dunne	Episode: "Stage 5"
2007	The Bronx Is Burning	Joe DiMaggio	Miniseries
2008	Psych	Paul Haversham	Episode: "Ghosts"
2008	My Boys	George Newman	2 episodes
2009	Law & Order	John Jay McIntyre	Episode: "Illegitimate"
2009	Numbers	Frank Thompson	Episode: "Ultimatum"
2009–2010	Stargate Universe	Senator Alan Armstrong	3 episodes
2010–2012	Boardwalk Empire	Harry M. Daugherty	7 episodes
2010–2012	Ben 10: Ultimate Alien	Captain Nemesis	Voice, 2 episodes
2011	Lemonade Mouth	Principal Stanley Brenigan	Television film
2011–2012	Harry's Law	Tommy Jefferson	32 episodes
2012–2013	Happy Endings	Mr. Kerkovich	2 episodes
2012	Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness	Undertaker	Voice, episode: "The Po Who Cried Ghost" [26]
2013	Body of Proof	Gerry Roberts	Episode: "Disappearing Act"
2013–2014	Kirstie	Mr. Sheppard	3 episodes
2014	Beware the Batman	Harvey Dent	Voice, 8 episodes
2014	Ben 10: Omniverse	Captain Nemesis	Voice, episode: "The Vengers" [26]
2014	Regular Show	Carl Putter	Voice, episode: "Daddy Issues" [26]
2015	Texas Rising	Henry Karnes	5 episodes
2015	The League	Judge Raymond Hardy	Episode: "The Last Temptation of Andre"
2015–2016	The Good Wife	Judge Don Schakowsky	7 episodes
2016–2019	Ballers	Dallas Cowboys Owner	13 episodes
2017	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Harold Coyle	Episode: "The Newsroom"
2017	Great News	Len	Episode: "Award Show"
2017–2018	Gone	Pastor	2 episodes
2018	Superior Donuts	Ted	Episode: "The Chicago Way"
2018	Living Biblically	Ron Curry	Episode: "Honor Thy Father"
2018	Sideswiped	Mark	Episode: "Baby Steps"
2018	Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy	Jim Bassman	Episode: "The Bassman Cometh"
2018–2020	The Real Bros of Simi Valley	Cal Surf	9 episodes
2019	Mr. Iglesias	Coach Dixon	9 episodes
2019	Costume Quest	Bob Dickerson	Voice, 9 episodes
2021	Search Party	Bill	2 episodes
2021–present	Hacks	Marty	14 episodes
2021	Impeachment: American Crime Story	Robert S. Bennett	2 episodes
2022	The Watcher	Detective Rourke Chamberland	7 episodes
2022	Last Week Tonight with John Oliver	Cal Taylor	Episode: "Trucks"
2023	Secret Invasion	Chris Stearns	2 episodes
2023	Captain Fall	Blake Fall	Voice [27]

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction	Captain Nemesis	[26]

Music videos

Year	Title	Artist
2002	"The Barry Williams Show"	Peter Gabriel
2023	"Honky Tonkin' About"	The Reklaws (featuring Drake Milligan)

References

1. "CHRISTOPHER MCDONALD 09.18.17..mp3".
2. 'Happy Gilmore' Actor Christopher McDonald Charged With DUI, popculture.com; accessed July 28, 2018.
3. "Christopher McDonald Answers Every Question We Have About Happy Gilmore". February 25, 2021.
4. "Emmys 2022: The Complete Nominations List". July 12, 2022.
5. "Christopher McDonald Biography". Filmreference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
6. Arar, Yardena (June 11, 1991). "Christopher McDonald plays a good movie heel". The Ledger . Retrieved July 22, 2013.
7. "All in the Family". Fltimes.com. July 22, 2010.
8. "Catholic actor McDonald gets high profile on TV's 'Harry's Law'". Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
9. "Christopher McDonald Flexes His Comedic Muscles Playing a Supervillain in Superhero Movie". PR.com. April 4, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
10. Harris, Will (November 8, 2011). "Christopher McDonald profile". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
11. Johnson, Sabeeha (February 3, 1991). "Namedropping". Democrat and Chronicle . Retrieved January 12, 2022.
12. "Daniel McDonald, Broadway Musical Actor, Is Dead at 46". Playbill. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
13. Miller, Ryan (October 21, 2019). "Shooter McGavin hangs out with Jim Kelly and Dan Marino before Bills-Dolphins game" . Democrat & Chronicle . Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
14. "On the Movie Screen, He's No Mr. Nice Guy".
15. King, Susan (January 11, 1992). "Actor is one mean husband—but only in the movies". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 12, 2022.
16. Rhodes, Francoise (2012). "Meet Christopher McDonald" (PDF). Colorado Golf Magazine. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
17. "The Word of Promise: Cast". Archived from the original on October 29, 2014.
18. Groves, Martha (November 16, 2009). "Beliefs : Stars lined up for elaborate audio Bible : Michael York, Jason Alexander and many others gave voice to a 79-CD reading of Old and New Testaments". Los Angeles Times.
19. Justin Kroll (October 29, 2013). "'The Butler' Producer Sets up Next Pic Starring Frank Grillo and Minnie Driver (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
20. "Frank Grillo Tries To Stop An Economic Cyber Attack In Trailer For 'The Crash'". December 13, 2016.
21. "Starry Front Page Revival Arrives on Broadway Tonight". Playbill . September 20, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
22. "'Hacks' Is the Hilarious Star Vehicle Jean Smart Deserves". Time. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
23. Andreeva, Nellie (May 26, 2021). "'Secret Invasion': Christopher McDonald Joins Marvel Series For Disney+". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
24. Vaux, Robert (July 3, 2023). "Secret Invasion's Skrull Leader Is an Animated DC Veteran". CBR. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
25. Watts, Cindy (October 19, 2023). "CMT PREMIERE: THE REKLAWS AND DRAKE MILLIGAN HEADED TO ROMANIA TO GIVE "HONKY TONKIN' ABOUT" A "BACK TO THE FUTURE" VIBE". CMT . Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
26. "Christopher McDonald (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved October 8, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
27. Warrier, Vishnu (July 20, 2023). "Captain Fall on Netflix: Release date, air time, plot, and more details". Sportskeeda . Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.

External links

• Christopher McDonald at IMDb
• Christopher McDonald at the Internet Broadway Database