Aaron John O'Connell (born April 8, 1986) is an American model and actor. O'Connell is best known for his portrayal of Wyatt Cryer in the prime time television drama '' The Haves and the Have Nots'' which airs on the
Oprah Winfrey Network
Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is an American multinational basic cable channel jointly owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Harpo Studios that launched on January 1, 2011, replacing the Discovery Health Channel.
The network is led by talk show h ...
.
Early life
O'Connell is the only son of Mark O'Connell, a former player for the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
and Kathryn Deeble O'Connell. He has three sisters, Amy, Abby and Anna.
He graduated from Cathedral High School in 2004 where he played football, basketball and baseball. As a child, his maternal grandfather Wayne taught him how to play the piano. In 2008, O'Connell graduated from
Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
Natalie Pack
Natalie Ann Pack (born March 30, 1989) is an American fashion model and real estate agent who held the title of Miss California USA 2012. She is also known for competing on ''America's Next Top Model, Cycle 12''.
Early life
Pack was born and ra ...
on September 4, 2017. The couple were married on July 21, 2018 at
Lake Como
Lake Como ( it, Lago di Como , ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh de Còmm , ''Cómm'' or ''Cùmm'' ), also known as Lario (; after the la, Larius Lacus), is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the thir ...
in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
Cirrus SR22
The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine four- or five-seat composite aircraft built from 2001 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota.
It is a development of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a more powerful, 310-horsep ...
.
Career
Modeling
In 2006, O'Connell signed to
Ford Models
Ford Models, originally the Ford Modeling Agency, is an American international modeling agency based in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen Ford and her husband Gerard W. Ford.
Company
Ford Models was started in 1946 by Eileen ...
while still in college. He has been featured in major publications like '' GQ'', '' Vanity Fair'', ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'', ''
Vogue Paris
The French edition of ''Vogue'' magazine, formerly called ''Vogue Paris'', is a fashion magazine that has been published since 1920.
History 1920–54
The French edition of ''Vogue'' was first issued on 15 June 1920, the first editor-in-chief ...
'', ''
Arena Homme +
''Arena Homme +'' is a fashion magazine for men published biannually since 1994. The first issue was published in Spring/Summer 1994.VMAN''. O'Connell has also represented brands like ''
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on casual wear. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three other offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of Februar ...
'', ''
Hanes
Hanes (founded in 1900) and Hanes Her Way (founded in 1985) is a brand of clothing.
History
Hanes was founded in 1900 by John Wesley Hanes (one of Winston-Salem's wealthiest and most influential business men) at Winston, North Carolina under th ...
'', ''
Lucky Jeans
Lucky Brand Jeans is an American denim company founded in Vernon, California in 1990 by Gene Montesano and Barry Perlman.Vanessa McGradA Lucky Pair ''Catalyst'' Spring/Summer 2008 Lucky also produces other apparel, including activewear, outerwear, ...
'', ''
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his co ...
'', ''Champion'' and ''Jockey''.
Acting
Starting his career at the Actors Studio in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, coordinates =
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, O'Connell permanently relocated to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
so he could continue modeling, and start acting. O'Connell started acting classes. He eventually booked several commercials, including the ''
Liquid-Plumr
Liquid-Plumr is a chemical drain opener made of 0.5–2% sodium hydroxide and 5–10% sodium hypochlorite, and a surfactant, produced by Clorox. The product is safe for septic systems, PVC, plastic, and copper pipes, although is not recommende ...
'' where he caught the eye of
Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmmak ...
. O'Connell initially thought it was a joke when he was contacted by Perry's production company about auditioning for a role in a new television series. Perry contacted O'Connell himself and asked him to audition over
Skype
Skype () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, deb ...
. Perry then traveled to Los Angeles to meet with O'Connell about the role of Wyatt on '' The Haves and the Have Nots''. O'Connell was actually the first of the ensemble to be cast.
In 2015, he starred in the seasonal comedy for
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies and ...
''12 Gifts of Christmas'' as Marc Rehnquist, a company executive who hires a personal shopper and discovers the true spirit of Christmas is not money, and also played a leading part in ''
A Prince for Christmas
''A Prince for Christmas'' is a 2015 American made-for-television Christmas romantic drama film produced and directed by Fred Olen Ray and starring Viva Bianca, Kirk Barker and Aaron O'Connell. The film was originally called ''Small Town Prince'' ...
''.
In 2017, he starred in
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies and ...
’s ''With Love, Christmas'', as 'Donovan Goodwin', with
Emilie Ullerup
Emilie Ullerup (born 27 October 1984) is a Danish actress. She is best known for playing Ashley Magnus on the television series ''Sanctuary'' and Bree O'Brien on the Hallmark Channel drama series ''Chesapeake Shores''.
Early life and education
...