1979–1986: Early acting roles 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. Richard Eder of
The 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". It was there that he was seen by director
William Friedkin and landed his first movie role, as a police detective in
Cruising, starring
Al Pacino. In 1985, O'Neill appeared in a
Red Lobster commercial. He made a brief guest appearance in
The Equalizer. In 1986, he was cast as NYPD detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle for the planned television series
Popeye Doyle. The character had originally appeared in the motion picture
The French Connection (played by
Gene 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.
1987–2008: Married with Children and other roles '' in 1987. From left to right:
Katey Sagal, O'Neill,
David Faustino and
Christina Applegate In 1984, while playing the role of Lennie in a stage production of
John Steinbeck's
Of Mice and Men at
Hartford Stage in
Hartford, Connecticut, he was seen by a casting agent from the
Fox television network and was asked to audition for the role of
Al Bundy in
Married... with Children, a proposed sitcom about a dysfunctional family living in
Chicago. He also had small parts in the comedy films ''
Wayne's World (1992), and Wayne's World 2'' (1993). O'Neill also appeared in the movie
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane with
Andrew Dice Clay. During the mid-1990s, he had a string of appearances in commercials for
1-800-COLLECT.
Law & Order franchise creator
Dick Wolf cast O'Neill as Sergeant
Joe Friday in his
2003 update of
Jack Webb's long-running
Dragnet media franchise. The series was canceled by
ABC in its second season. O'Neill went on to appear as
Pennsylvania Governor Eric Baker, a recurring character on the
NBC political drama series
The West Wing from 2004 to 2005. O'Neill also played Bill on
HBO's television series
John from Cincinnati. In 2008, O'Neill appeared in an advertisement for then-presidential candidate
Barack Obama as "Al the Shoesalesman". In January 2009, O'Neill reunited with
David Faustino (Bud Bundy from
Married... with Children) for two episodes of Faustino's show
Star-ving. O'Neill also appeared with the entire cast of
Married... with Children again when they were honored at the 7th Annual
TV Land Award show in 2009.
2009–2020: Modern Family For eleven seasons O'Neill played the role of
Jay Pritchett on the ABC sitcom
Modern Family from 2009 to 2020. Ken Tucker of
Entertainment Weekly wrote, "O'Neill may have the trickiest job here. A late-middle-ager remarried to a Latina bombshell... his Jay wants to enjoy his overdue-midlife-crisis prize but has to put up with her mope of a son... and do it without seeming like a mean old duffer. O'Neill and the writers pull it off by making Jay both deadpan sarcastic and a genuinely decent guy." Gina Bellafante of
The New York Times wrote, "Mr. O'Neill exquisitely portrays the straight man to the fire engine of
Sofia Vergara". Barry Garron of
The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "O'Neill's
Al Bundy is one of TV's most unforgettable characters, but this role will let viewers see him in a new light". The role earned him three
Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nominations—in 2011, 2012, and 2013. O'Neill won the
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series four times from 2010 through 2013. Since 2012, O'Neill has done voice-overs in TV advertisements for the over-the-counter form of
Zyrtec, along with
Walmart's
store-branded mobile phone service
Straight Talk. In 2016, O'Neill starred as Hank the Octopus in the
Pixar animated film
Finding 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. O'Neill starred in
FX on Hulu miniseries
Clipped portraying
Donald Sterling. Andrew Lawrence of
The 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". Daniel Feinberg of
The 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". Quinci LeGardye of
The A.V. Club stated, "O'Neill gives a skilled performance as a truly reprehensible human being". ==Personal life==