Christopher McDonald (born February 15, 1955) 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 ''Happy Gilmore'' is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and produced by Robert Simonds. It stars Adam Sandler as the title character, an unsuccessful ice hockey player who discovers a newfound talent for golf. The scree ...

''. Other notable starring roles for McDonald in film include "T-Birds" member Goose McKenzie in ''

Grease 2 ''Grease 2'' is a 1982 American musical romantic comedy film and the sequel to the 1978 film ''Grease'', adapted from the 1971 musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Originally titled ''More Grease'', the film was produced ...

'' (1982), Darryl Dickinson opposite his former fiance

Geena Davis Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor

in ''

Thelma & Louise ''Thelma & Louise'' is a 1991 American road crime comedy-drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri. It stars Susan Sarandon as Louise and Geena Davis as Thelma, two friends who embark on a road trip that ends up in unfores ...

'' (1991),

Ward Cleaver Ward Cleaver Jr. is a fictional character in the American television sitcom '' Leave It to Beaver''. Ward and his wife, June, are often invoked as archetypal suburban parents of the 1950s babyboomers. At the start of the show, the couple are th ...

in the

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

'' Leave It to Beaver'' (1997), and Tappy Tibbons in ''

Requiem for a Dream ''Requiem for a Dream'' is a 2000 American psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher McDonald and Marlon Wayans. It is based on the 1978 novel of the same na ...

'' (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 Rumor Has It may refer to: Film and television * ''Rumor Has It'' (film), a 2005 romantic comedy film * ''Rumor Has It'' (game show), a 1993 game show on VH1 * ''Rumour Has It '', a 2016 series by Ndani TV Music * "Rumour Has It" (Donna S ...

'' (2005), ''

The House Bunny ''The House Bunny'' is a 2008 American comedy film directed by Fred Wolf, written by Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz, and starring Anna Faris, Colin Hanks, and Emma Stone. It tells the story of a former Playboy bunny who signs up to be t ...

'' (2008) and '' About Last Night'' (2014). Voice acting roles for McDonald include

Jor-El Jor-El, originally known as Jor-L, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 with Superman. ...

on '' Superman: The Animated Series'' (1996), Kent Mansley in ''

The Iron Giant ''The Iron Giant'' is a 1999 American animated science fiction film produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and directed by Brad Bird in his directorial debut. It is based on the 1968 novel '' The Iron Man'' by Ted Hughes (which was publis ...

'' (1999),

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

on ''

Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaborati ...

'' (2000) and

Harvey Dent Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character was created by Bob Kane and first appeared in '' Detective Comics'' #66 (August 1942). As one of Batma ...

on ''

Beware the Batman ''Beware the Batman'' is an American computer-animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. The series premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network on July 13, 2013, as part of their DC Nation block, replacing ''Batman: ...

'' (2014). On television, McDonald was a series regular on network TV shows ''

Walter & Emily ''Walter & Emily'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from November 16, 1991 to February 22, 1992. The series was created by Paul Perlove, and produced by Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Touchstone Television. Plot Retired salesm ...

'' (1991-1992, NBC), ''

Good Advice ''Good Advice'' is a 2001 comedy film starring Charlie Sheen, Angie Harmon, and Denise Richards. The film also features Jon Lovitz and Rosanna Arquette as a married couple in supporting roles. Plot Ryan Turner is a hotshot broker living an u ...

'' (1993-1994, CBS), ''

Family Law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriage, ...

'' (1999-2002, NBC), '' Cracking Up'' (2004, FOX) and ''

Harry's Law ''Harry's Law'' is an American legal comedy-drama television series created by David E. Kelley, which ran for two seasons on NBC from January 17, 2011, to May 27, 2012. On May 11, 2012, NBC announced that ''Harry's Law'' would not be renewed fo ...

'', (2011-2012, NBC). McDonald has portrayed several notable real-life people, including game show host Jack Barry in '' Quiz Show'' (1994), mountaineer

Jon Krakauer Jon Krakauer (born April 12, 1954) is an American writer and mountaineer. He is the author of bestselling non-fiction books—'' Into the Wild''; ''Into Thin Air''; ''Under the Banner of Heaven''; and '' Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat ...

in '' Into Thin Air: Death on Everest'' on ABC (1997), sportscaster

Mel Allen Mel Allen (born Melvin Allen Israel; February 14, 1913 – June 16, 1996) was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, ...

in the HBO film '' 61*'' (2001), Yankee legend

Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "The Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yank ...

in ESPN's '' The Bronx Is Burning'' (2007), U.S. Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty on HBO's ''

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and ...

'' (2010-2012), Texas revolution soldier

Henry Karnes Henry Wax Karnes (September 8, 1812August 16, 1840) was notable as a soldier and figure of the Texas Revolution, as well as the commander of General Sam Houston's "Spy Squad" at the Battle of San Jacinto. Biography Henry Wax Karnes, a native of ...

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

'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 This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Prior to 1988 the category was not gender specific, thus was called Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series. These awards, li ...

for his role as casino CEO Marty Ghilain on the

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

show ''

Hacks Hacks may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Hacks'' (1997 film), a 1997 American comedy film * ''Hacks'' (2002 film), a 2002 independent American film * '' Hacks: The Inside Story'', a book by Donna Brazile * ''Hacks'' (TV series), ...

Personal life

McDonald was born in New York City, to Patricia, a nursing professor and

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

agent, and James R. McDonald, an educator and high school principal. Of Irish descent and a practicing Catholic, he and his siblings were raised in Romulus, New York. He graduated from Romulus Central School in 1973 and later earned a degree from Hobart College in

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

where he played football and soccer. He was also a member of the

Kappa Alpha Society The Kappa Alpha Society (), founded in 1825, was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It is considered to be the oldest national, secret, Greek-letter social fraternity and was the first of the fraternities which would ...

. His younger brother, actor and singer Daniel McDonald, died of

brain cancer A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondar ...

in February 2007. He is a prominent fan of the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

and a friend of former Bills quarterback

Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United Stat ...

. McDonald was engaged to future ''

Thelma and Louise Thelma is a female given name. It was popularized by Victorian writer Marie Corelli who gave the name to the title character of her 1887 novel ''Thelma''. It may be related to a Greek word meaning "will, volition" see ''thelema''). Note that altho ...

'' co-star

Geena Davis Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor

for a period in the mid-80s until 1985, when she left him for

Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum (; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films of his era, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and ''Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. ...

. McDonald met actress Lupe Gidley in 1989 when they performed together in a theatre production in New Mexico. They married in 1992 and have three daughters and one son.

Career

McDonald has numerous film and television roles, often as a supporting actor and often portraying villains. In addition to the above, his credits also include ''

'', ''

Breakin' ''Breakin (also known as ''Breakdance'' in the United Kingdom and ''Break Street '84'' in other regions) is a 1984 American breakdancing-themed musical film directed by Joel Silberg and written by Charles Parker and Allen DeBevoise based on a ...

'', ''

Where the Boys Are '84 ''Where the Boys Are '84'' (onscreen title: ''Where the Boys Are'') is a 1984 American sex comedy film that was directed by Hyman Jack "Hy" Averback (the last film he ever directed) and starred Lisa Hartman, Lorna Luft, Wendy Schaal, and Lynn ...

'', '' The Boys Next Door'', ''

'', '' Grumpy Old Men'', ''

Celtic Pride ''Celtic Pride'' is a 1996 American sports comedy film written by Judd Apatow and Colin Quinn, and directed by Tom DeCerchio. It stars Daniel Stern and Dan Aykroyd as Mike O'Hara and Jimmy Flaherty, two passionate Boston Celtics fans, and Damon W ...

'', '' Quiz Show'', '' Flubber'', ''

The Faculty ''The Faculty'' is a 1998 American science fiction horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Hatosy, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, B ...

'', '' The Perfect Storm'', ''

House Arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...

'', '' Dirty Work'', '' American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile'', '' Broken Flowers'', and '' Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams''. He was featured as

in the movie version of '' Leave It to Beaver'' and famous baseball broadcaster

in '' 61*''. In 1994, he starred in the film ''

Terminal Velocity Terminal velocity is the maximum velocity (speed) attainable by an object as it falls through a fluid ( air is the most common example). It occurs when the sum of the drag force (''Fd'') and the buoyancy is equal to the downward force of grav ...

'' as an aggressive Russian mafia villain. In television, along with a starring role on the TV series ''

'', and recurring roles on '' North Shore'', ''

Veronica's Closet ''Veronica's Closet'' is an American sitcom television series created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, that aired on NBC for three seasons, from September 25, 1997, to December 7, 2000. The show stars Kirstie Alley as Veronica "Ronnie" Chase, ...

'', ''

'', and ''

'', McDonald has also made guest appearances on Matlock, ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'', ''

Riptide A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal fl ...

'', ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series '' Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

'', ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...

'', '' Psych'', both the 1985 and the

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

versions of ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'', ''

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...

'', ''

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

'', the ''Law & Order'' franchise, ''

Stargate Universe ''Stargate Universe'' (often abbreviated as ''SGU'') is a military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient ...

'', and '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' as Lt. Richard Castillo in the season three episode " Yesterday's Enterprise". McDonald's voice work includes the determined government agent Kent Mansley in the animated film ''

''. He also voiced

in '' Superman: The Animated Series'' and subsequently an older version of

in ''

''. He has recalled great affection for these roles, saying that he enjoyed them because he was (and continues to be) such a fan of Superman and because they were in such contrast to the less than sympathetic onscreen roles for which he is known. He subbed for

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

Boss Hogg Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg, known as Boss Hogg, is a fictional character featured in the American television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. He was the commissioner of Hazzard County, and the county's political boss. Boss Hogg almost always wo ...

in '' The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning''. In 2009, McDonald also 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 People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

. McDonald played the eponymous lead in

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

's music video for the song "The Barry Williams Show". He also replaced Robert De Niro in the ''

Midnight Run ''Midnight Run'' is a 1988 American road action comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano, and Philip Baker Hall play supporting roles. At the 4 ...

'' movie franchise, playing Jack Walsh in three films: ''

Another Midnight Run ''Another Midnight Run'' is a 1994 American made-for-television film, and the first in a series of television films produced for Universal Television's Action Pack programming block and based on the 1988 feature film ''Midnight Run''. Christophe ...

'', ''

Midnight Runaround ''Midnight Runaround'' is a 1994 American made-for-television film, and the second in a series of television films produced for Universal Television's Action Pack programming block and based on the 1988 film ''Midnight Run''. The sequel to ''Anot ...

'', and ''

Midnight Run for Your Life ''Midnight Run for Your Life'' is a 1994 made-for-television film, and the third and final entry in a series of television films produced for Universal Television's Action Pack programming block and based on the 1988 film ''Midnight Run''. Chri ...

''. He portrayed baseball player

in the

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

original series '' The Bronx Is Burning''. In October 2013, McDonald started filming for ''A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island''. Under the title '' The Crash'', it was released

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

in 2017. McDonald appeared as Murphy in the Broadway show ''

The Front Page ''The Front Page'' is a Broadway comedy about newspaper reporters on the police beat. Written by former Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, it was first produced in 1928 and has been adapted for the cinema several times. Plot The ...

'' at the Broadhurst Theater, which opened in late 2016. In 2021, McDonald joined the cast of ''

'' on

as Marty, a Las Vegas casino owner. In May 2021, McDonald was cast in the upcoming

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...

series ''Secret Invasion'', set in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

. The show is set to premiere in 2023.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Christopher 1955 births Living people American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Catholics from New York (state) Hobart and William Smith Colleges alumni Hobart Statesmen football players Male actors from New York City People from Romulus, New York 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American people of Irish descent