Terrance Quinn (born July 15, 1952), known professionally as Terry O'Quinn, is an American actor. He won a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for his performance as
John Locke
John Locke (; 29 August 1632 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thi ...
on the TV series ''
Lost'' (2004–2010). In film, he also played the title role in ''
The Stepfather'' (1987) and
Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...
in ''
The Rocketeer'' (1991) with roles in other films such as ''
Heaven's Gate'' (1980), ''
Silver Bullet
Silver Bullet(s) or The Silver Bullet may refer to:
* Silver bullet, in folklore, a weapon against supernatural creatures; metaphorically, a simple, effective solution to a problem
Film and television
* The Silver Bullet (1935 film), ''The Silve ...
'' (1985), ''
Young Guns'' (1988), ''
Blind Fury'' (1989), ''
Tombstone
A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The us ...
'' (1993) and ''
Primal Fear'' (1996).
Other prominent television roles include
Peter Watts in ''
Millennium
A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
'' (1996–1999), FBI Asst. Director Kendall in ''
Alias'' (2002–2004), Commander Joe White in ''
Hawaii Five-0'' (2011–2018), and Tom Tavner in ''
Patriot'' (2015–2018).
Early life
O'Quinn was born at War Memorial Hospital in
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County and is the only city within the county. With a population of ...
, one of 11 siblings, and grew up in nearby
Newberry, Michigan
Newberry ( ) is a village in and the county seat of Luce County, Michigan, Luce County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The village is located within McMillan Township, Luce County, Michigan, McMillan Township and is the only incorporated community ...
. He is of
Irish descent and was raised
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. He attended
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...
in
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is the county seat of Isabella County, which is part of Central Michigan. The population of Mount Pleasant was 21,688 as of the 2020 census. The city is surrounded by Union Char ...
, and the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
in
Iowa City
Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...
. He changed his surname from Quinn to O'Quinn as another registered actor already had the name Terrance Quinn.
In the 1970s, O'Quinn went to Baltimore to act in the
Center Stage production of ''
Tartuffe
''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; , ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy (or more specifically, a farce) by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical theat ...
''. He remained at Center Stage for several years and often appeared with the late Tana Hicken, most notably as Benedick to her
Beatrice in ''
Much Ado About Nothing
''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...
''. His first movie role was in ''
Heaven's Gate''.
Career
O'Quinn began acting in the 1970s during his time at
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...
. He not only was an actor but also playwright/director. He wrote and directed the musical ''Orchestrina''. This musical featured five main characters: The Man (played by
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor. He is known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accolades, including two Primetime ...
), The Boy (Harold Downs), The Woman (Ann O'Donnell), The Girl (Debbie Penwarden), and The Drunk (James Hilliker), plus a female and a male chorus. He was roommates at CMU with actor
Brad Slaight
Brad Slaight (born March 31, 1964), is an American comedian and television actor best known for starring in ''The Young and the Restless''. Some of his other credits include roles on '' Parks and Recreation'', ''That's Funny'', '' Love Chronicles'' ...
.
Starting in 1980, O'Quinn has appeared in various feature films such as ''
Silver Bullet
Silver Bullet(s) or The Silver Bullet may refer to:
* Silver bullet, in folklore, a weapon against supernatural creatures; metaphorically, a simple, effective solution to a problem
Film and television
* The Silver Bullet (1935 film), ''The Silve ...
'', ''
Tombstone
A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The us ...
'', ''
Heaven's Gate'', ''
Young Guns'', ''
Ghosts of Mississippi'', with
Rutger Hauer
Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor, with a career that spanned over 170 roles across nearly 50 years, beginning in 1969. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century.
H ...
in ''
Blind Fury'', and as Howard Hughes in ''
The Rocketeer''.
O'Quinn also appeared in the
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
horror movie
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include monsters, apocalyp ...
,
''Pin'' (1988) alongside
British-born Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
actor,
David Hewlett
David Ian Hewlett (born 18 April 1968) is an English-Canadian actor, writer and director, known for his role as Dr. Rodney McKay in the ''Stargate'' science-fiction franchise. He first gained fame for his roles as Grant Jansky in the Canadian ...
.
His early
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
roles include guest appearances on ''
Tales of the Unexpected'' (episode "In the Bag"), ''
Miami Vice
''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, Ricardo "Rico" Tub ...
'' (episode "Give a Little, Take a Little"), ''
Moonlighting'', ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (episode "
The Pegasus"), ''
The Twilight Zone
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...
'' (1985 revival; episode "Chameleon"), ''
Homicide: Life on the Street'' (episode "Hate Crimes"), a recurring role on ''
Earth 2'', another recurring role as Captain (later Rear Admiral)
Thomas Boone on ''
JAG'', as well as Colonel Will Ryan in episode 15 of season 1 on the ''JAG'' spin-off series ''
NCIS'' (episode "Enigma").
Around 1995, O'Quinn made guest appearances in ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
'' and ''
Harsh Realm'', produced by Chris Carter, who also cast him in the film ''
The X-Files: Fight the Future'' and then once again in the final season. In 1996, O'Quinn started acting in the television series ''
Millennium
A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
'' as Peter Watts, also produced by
Chris Carter. O'Quinn held this role for all three seasons of the series. O'Quinn holds the distinction of having played four different characters within the extended ''X-Files''/''Millennium''
continuum (the two shows being classed together since both
Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen (born May 5, 1940) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in various science fiction, action and horror genre productions, including Bishop in the ''Alien'' film franchise and Frank Black in the Fox television series ...
's character of
Frank Black and
Charles Nelson Reilly's character of Jose Chung have appeared in both shows).
''The Stepfather'' films
O'Quinn made his breakthrough by starring as the title character in ''The Stepfather'', a deranged serial killer going by the name "Jerry Blake" (his character's real name and identity are never revealed), who is obsessed with having an ideal family. When a widowed mother and daughter do not comply with his expectations, he spirals into a spell of madness and attempts to murder them. O'Quinn was praised by critics, including
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
in the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'', who commented, "''The Stepfather'' has one wonderful element: Terry O'Quinn's performance."
Ebert wrote, "He is a journeyman actor from TV and many movies, usually in supporting roles and you may or may not recognize him. What's clear at once is that he is a strong actor and given this leading role he brings all kinds of creepy dimensions to it. He has the thankless assignment of showing us a completely hateful, repellent character – and he approaches the task as an exercise in cloying middle-class good manners."
[ O'Quinn was nominated for both a ]Saturn Award
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...
and an Independent Spirit Award
The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...
for his performance. A sequel, ''Stepfather II
''Stepfather II'' (also known as ''Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy'') is a 1989 American horror film directed by Jeff Burr and written by John Auerbach. It is a sequel to '' The Stepfather'' (1987), it is the second installment in the ''The S ...
'', was released two years later, in which his character escapes from an insane asylum. It grossed almost a million dollars less at the box office. Not impressed with the second movie, O'Quinn declined to appear in its third installment, in which the stepfather character was portrayed by Robert Wightman.
O'Quinn was approached by the director of the 2009 reboot of ''The Stepfather'', Nelson McCormick, to make a cameo appearance in the film but according to the producers O'Quinn turned down the offer.
''Lost''
After a string of recurring appearances on '' Alias'' (2002–2003), as the FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
Director Kendall, O'Quinn became a favorite of television producer J. J. Abrams. Following a seven-episode guest run on ''The West Wing
''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...
'' in 2003–2004, O'Quinn received a call from Abrams indicating that the producer wanted to cast him in his new television drama ''Lost'' without any audition. In 2005, O'Quinn received an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for his work as John Locke on the series ''Lost''. O'Quinn admitted on the TV Guide Channel
The American cable and satellite television network Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized channel and program listings for cable television providers. Later on, the service, branded Pr ...
that he did not have much faith in ''Lost'' at first, calling it " The Mysterious Gilligan's Island
''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for th ...
of Dr. Moreau". The show, however, became one of the most popular on television, and on September 16, 2007, he won an Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role, and was nominated again for an Emmy for the role in 2010, which he did not win. In a '' TV.com'' interview O'Quinn commented that the reason he felt comfortable playing this character is because he's a bit like him.
2010–present
O'Quinn has made a number of television appearances since ''Lost''. From 2012 to 2013, O'Quinn starred in the short-lived series '' 666 Park Avenue'' as Gavin Doran. In 2012, he appeared in the second season of ''Falling Skies
''Falling Skies'' is an American science fiction television series set in a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic era, created by Robert Rodat and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, executive produced by Steve ...
''. Additionally, O’Quinn starred for two seasons in Amazon Studios' ''Patriot''.
In 2016, it was announced that O'Quinn would be joining the second season of '' Secret and Lies''. In 2019, O'Quinn starred in the only season of '' Perpetual Grace, LTD'' on Epix.
In February 2021, it was announced that O'Quinn was cast as Martin Queller in the Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
thriller series '' Pieces of Her'', which is adapted from the Karin Slaughter novel of the same name.
In October 2023, during New York Comic Con, he was announced, to play the antagonist Major General Beale in '' The Walking Dead The Ones Who Live'', created by Scott M. Gimple.
Terry joined th
Cameo platform
shortly after its launch in 2017. He has since been creating videos for fans and donating all of the proceeds to th
Virginia Beach SPCA
Terry has raised thousands of dollars on Cameo, and continues to create videos weekly.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oquinn, Terry
1952 births
Living people
People from Reistertown, Maryland
People from Newberry, Michigan
People from Mount Pleasant, Michigan
People from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
American people of Irish descent
Male actors from Michigan
American male film actors
American male television actors
Central Michigan University alumni
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
University of Iowa alumni
Catholics from Michigan
Catholics from Maryland