O'Connell was born in New York City, the eldest son of Linda, a Special Education teacher in New Jersey, and Michael O'Connell, an advertising agency art director originally from the United Kingdom.[4] He is of half Irish, one quarter Italian, and one quarter Polish ancestry.[5] O'Connell's paternal grandfather was from County Cork, Ireland while his maternal grandmother was from Belfast, Northern Ireland.[6] His maternal grandfather was Charles S. Witkowski, the 34th mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey.[4] O'Connell was raised in Manhattan with his younger brother, actor Charlie O'Connell. As a teenager, he attended Manhattan's Professional Children's School. He attended New York University from 1991 to 1994,[7] majoring in film. While there, he studied screen writing and competed on the fencing team, serving a stint as captain of the sabre squad. He graduated in 1995.[8]
O'Connell began his acting career at a young age. As a child, he did commercial work for Duncan Hines cookies.[citation needed] Shortly after turning eleven, he landed his first feature film role as the character Vern Tessio in Rob Reiner's Stand by Me. In 1987, O'Connell appeared in a commercial for Frosted Flakes. He starred in the Canadian science-fiction sitcom My Secret Identity from 1988 to 1991 as the teen hero who develops superhuman traits. During a summer break from NYU, Jerry starred in the feature film Calendar Girl alongside Jason Priestley and Gabriel Olds. He also appeared in the short-lived ABC sitcom Camp Wilder, with Jay Mohr and Hilary Swank, in 1992. During his junior year, O'Connell auditioned for the television pilot Sliders (also filmed in Canada). He was offered the role of Quinn Mallory in the series, which ran for three seasons on Fox and two seasons on the Syfy Channel. He served as producer during his fourth season, and is credited with writing and directing several episodes.
In 2005, O'Connell guest-starred in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Clash", voicing Captain Marvel. He reprised the role in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies short film Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam alongside George Newbern, who reprised the role of Superman, having done the voice for the animated series. Jerry's younger brother, Charlie has appeared in several productions in which his brother starred, such as in Sliders and Crossing Jordan. In 2007–2008 O'Connell starred in ABC's Carpoolers, which ran from October 2, 2007, to March 4, 2008. In early 2008, O'Connell participated in a widely circulated Internet video parody of the leaked Tom Cruise video on Scientology. Cruise was O'Connell's co-star in Jerry Maguire.[13]
O'Connell co-wrote and appeared in a video parody called "Young Hillary Clinton", satirizing Hillary Clinton's 2008 primary campaign.[14] On February 2, 2008, O'Connell hosted VH1's Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash, which aired the night before Super Bowl XLII and featured musical guests Maroon 5 and Mary J. Blige.[15][16] On April 28, 2008, he appeared as a guest star on ABC's Samantha Who?. In late 2008 O'Connell starred in Fox's Do Not Disturb, co-starring Niecy Nash, but Fox cancelled the show after only three episodes.[17][18]
In 2017, O'Connell was the main love interest in the Hallmark film Love Locks, co-starring his real-life wife Rebecca Romijn.[25]
He also starred in a Canadian police comedy-drama series called Carter, which was North Bay, Ontario and aired for two seasons. [26]
In January 2020, O'Connell appeared in the Roundabout's American Airlines Theatre's Broadway revival of A Soldier's Play as Captain Taylor in an ensemble cast headed by David Alan Grier and Blair Underwood.[27]
In 2020, he began starring in commercials for Bob Evans grocery items alongside Alfonso Ribeiro.
In July 2021, CBS announced that O'Connell would be joining The Talk as a permanent co-host, replacing Sharon Osbourne.[28] That same month, he hosted a test-run of a new syndicated version of Pictionary on Fox stations, which was successful enough to launch with a full season in fall 2022.[29] He and wife Romijn hosted The Real Love Boat on CBS, in 2022.[30]
Personal life
On July 14, 2007, O'Connell married actress and former model Rebecca Romijn.[31][32][33] Their twin girls were born in 2008.[34]
O'Connell enrolled in Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles in August 2009,[35] but dropped out to return to acting full-time.[36]
O'Connell has dual American and British citizenship.[1]
O'Connell is a regular and commonly recurring guest on the Barstool Sports podcast Pardon My Take, where he discusses his passion for fantasy football and his fandom for the show. He maintains the official position of Fantasy Football Expert for the show. As of January 2025, O'Connell's role as general manager of PMT's fantasy team is in jeopardy due to results of the 2024 season. [37]
O'Connell was once roommates with actor and comedian TJ Miller.[38]
Pardon My Take – August 6, 2018; August 23, 2019; July 24, 2020; September 1, 2021; February 9, 2022; September 2, 2022; December 2, 2022; March 10, 2023; September 1, 2023; February 7, 2024; May 6, 2024; May 20, 2024; August 28, 2024; January 29th, 2025
↑ Nassour, Ellis (March 14, 2012). "The Pluck of the Irish". TheaterMania.com. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
↑ "Jerry O'Connell plans trip to Ireland to explore his Irish roots". Irish Central. July 5, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021. My father is actually British, his father was from Co Cork, and my maternal grandmother is actually from Belfast ... My grandfather emigrated to England, so my father was born in England and my grandmother emigrated as a child from Belfast
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