Jeremiah O'Connell (born February 17, 1974) is an American actor and TV show host. He is known for his roles as Quinn Mallory in the television series '' Sliders'', Andrew Clements in '' My Secret Identity'', Vern Tessio in the film '' Stand by Me'' (1986), Joe in '' Joe's Apartment'' (1996), Frank Cushman in ''

Jerry Maguire ''Jerry Maguire'' is a 1996 American sports comedy-drama film directed and written by Cameron Crowe. It was produced by Crowe and James L. Brooks for Gracie Films and distributed by TriStar Pictures. It stars Tom Cruise as the titular spor ...

'' (1996), Derek in ''

Scream 2 ''Scream 2'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O'Connell, Jada P ...

'' (1997), Michael in '' Tomcats'' (2001), Charlie Carbone in '' Kangaroo Jack'' (2003), and Detective Woody Hoyt on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

drama ''

Crossing Jordan ''Crossing Jordan'' is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Kring, that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001, to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed ...

''. He starred as Pete Kaczmarek in the single 2010–2011 season of '' The Defenders''. He also had a starring role in the

comedy horror Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...

film ''

Piranha 3D ''Piranha 3D'' is a 2010 American 3D horror comedy film that serves as a remake of the comedy horror film '' Piranha'' (1978) and an entry in the ''Piranha'' film series. Directed by Alexandre Aja and written by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Sto ...

'' (2010). Recently, he voiced Commander Jack Ransom on the

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

series '' Star Trek: Lower Decks'' and hosted a version of '' Pictionary'' syndicated on Fox stations.

Early life

O'Connell was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, 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. He is of half Irish, one quarter Italian, and one quarter Polish ancestry. O'Connell's paternal grandfather was from County Cork, Ireland while his maternal grandmother was from Belfast, Northern Ireland. His maternal grandfather was Charles S. Witkowski, the 34th mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey. O'Connell was raised in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

with his younger brother, actor Charlie O'Connell. As a teenager, he attended Manhattan's

Professional Children's School The Professional Children's School (PCS) is a not-for-profit, college-preparatory school geared toward working and aspiring child actors and dancers in grades four through twelve. The school was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an ac ...

. He attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

from 1991 to 1994, majoring in film. While there, he studied screen writing and competed on the

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

team, serving a stint as captain of the

sabre A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...

squad. He graduated in 1995.

Career

O'Connell began his acting career at a young age. As a child, he did commercial work for Duncan Hines cookies. Shortly after turning eleven, he landed his first feature film role as the character Vern Tessio in

Rob Reiner Robert Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and liberal activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael Stivic, Mike "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitc ...

's '' Stand by Me''. In 1987, O'Connell appeared in a commercial for

Frosted Flakes Frosted Flakes or Frosties is a breakfast cereal, produced by WK Kellogg Co for the United States, Canada, and Caribbean markets and by Kellanova for the rest of the world, and consisting of sugar-coated corn flakes. It was introduced in the U ...

. 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 Jason Bradford Priestley (born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian-American actor and television director. Priestly starred as virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–1998, 2000). His other television roles in ...

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. O'Connell has since gone on to star in such films as ''

'', '' Body Shots'', '' Mission to Mars'', '' Tomcats'', ''

'', and '' Kangaroo Jack''. O'Connell also guest-hosted in the late 90s on the late night talk show ''

Later Later may refer to: * Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the futur ...

''. O'Connell has also tried his hand at screenwriting and sold his first screenplay, for '' First Daughter'', to New Regency in 1999. The film was released in 2004 by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

-based Davis Entertainment. O'Connell served as executive producer and received a "story by" credit on the film, which starred

Katie Holmes Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003). Holmes made her film debut with a supporting role in Ang Lee's '' The Ice Sto ...

and

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Aca ...

. O'Connell starred as Detective Woody Hoyt on the

crime drama ''

'' (2001) until its cancelation in May 2007, and was engaged to actress

Rebecca Romijn Rebecca Alie O'Connell ( , ; later Romijn-Stamos; born November 6, 1972) is an American actress and former model. She is known for her role as Mystique in the original trilogy (2000–2006) of the ''X-Men'' film series, as Joan from '' The P ...

. He starred opposite her in the ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 28, 2006, to April 14, 2010. It is based on the Colombian telenovela ''Yo soy Betty, la fea' ...

'' episode " Derailed". He played Hoyt in several episodes of ''

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

''. In 2004, he wore a

diaper A diaper (, North American English) or a nappy (British English, Australian English, Hiberno-English) is a type of underwear that allows the wearer to urinate or defecate without using a toilet, by absorbing or containing waste products to p ...

on ''

Last Call with Carson Daly ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with '' ...

'', during a mock commercial skit for the GoodNites

bedwetting Nocturnal enuresis (NE), also informally called bedwetting, is involuntary urination while asleep after the age at which bladder control usually begins. Bedwetting in children and adults can result in emotional stress. Complications can inclu ...

product. The ''

National Enquirer The ''National Enquirer'' is an American tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1926, the newspaper has undergone a number of changes over the years. The ''National Enquirer'' openly acknowledges that it pays Source (journalism), sources for tips (chec ...

'' caught him filming the skit and printed a photo of him in his diaper. In 2005, O'Connell guest-starred in the ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'' episode "Clash", voicing Captain Marvel. He reprised the role in the

DC Universe Animated Original Movies The DC Universe Animated Original Movies (DCUAOM; also known as DC Universe Original Movies or DC Universe Movies or DC Animated Movies) are a series of American direct-to-video superhero animated films based on DC Comics characters and stories. ...

short film '' Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam'' alongside George Newbern, who reprised the role of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

, 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 Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

video on

Scientology Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by the American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It is variously defined as a scam, a Scientology as a business, business, a cult, or a religion. Hubbard initially develo ...

. Cruise was O'Connell's co-star in ''Jerry Maguire''. O'Connell co-wrote and appeared in a video parody called "Young Hillary Clinton", satirizing

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

's 2008 primary campaign. On February 2, 2008, O'Connell hosted

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's ''

Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

Smash Super Bowl Bash'', which aired the night before Super Bowl XLII and featured musical guests

Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, d ...

and

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...

. On April 28, 2008, he appeared as a guest star on ABC's ''

Samantha Who? ''Samantha Who?'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from October 15, 2007, to July 23, 2009. The series was created by Cecelia Ahern and Donald Todd, who also served as producers. Although highly rated during its fi ...

''. 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. O'Connell appeared in the 2009

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

'' Obsessed'' as "Ben", the best friend and co-worker of the film's

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

Derek Charles (

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba Order of the British Empire, OBE ( ; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor and musician. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and six Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards. He w ...

). He appeared in '' Eastwick'' on ABC, on which his wife Romijn starred in the series. He portrayed Derrick Jones in

Alexandre Aja Alexandre Jouan-Arcady, known professionally as Alexandre Aja (; born 7 August 1978), is a French filmmaker best known for his work in the horror genre. He rose to international stardom for his 2003 horror film '' Haute Tension'' (known as ''Hi ...

's ''

'', which also stars Adam Scott and

Elisabeth Shue Elisabeth Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an American actress. She has starred in films such as '' The Karate Kid'' (1984), '' Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987), ''Cocktail'' (1988), ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989), '' Back to the Future P ...

. O'Connell co-starred with

David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...

in the pilot for legal drama '' Rex Is Not Your Lawyer'', which was not picked up for production. In 2010, O'Connell starred with Jim Belushi in the CBS

comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

'' The Defenders'', which was cancelled on May 15, 2011, after one season. O'Connell appeared on Broadway at the Golden Theatre in ''

Seminar A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some part ...

'', written by Theresa Rebeck. The play, directed by Sam Gold, opened on November 20, 2011, starring

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his distinctive deep, wikt:languid#Etymology 1, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and b ...

, Lily Rabe, Hamish Linklater and Hettienne Park. On June 4, 2012, it was announced that O'Connell would play

Herman Munster Herman Munster is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom ''The Munsters'', originally played by Fred Gwynne. The patriarch of the Munster household, Herman is one of Frankenstein’s monsters, created in a lab in Germany in the nineteenth ce ...

in a reboot of ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom about the home life of a family of benign monsters that aired from 1964 to 1966 on CBS. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster (Frankenstein's monster),Episodes referring to the fact that Herman is ...

'', titled '' Mockingbird Lane''; the remake series was never picked up for production; however, the pilot would air as a Halloween special on October 26. On May 15, 2013, it was announced that O'Connell would play Stuart Strickland on '' We Are Men'', alongside

Tony Shalhoub Anthony Marc Shalhoub ( ; ; born October 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is known for a variety of roles ranging from comedic to dramatic on stage and screen. He has received several accolades including five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, s ...

. In April 2015, O'Connell returned to Broadway in the comedy ''Living on Love'', with Renee Fleming, Anna Chlumsky and

Douglas Sills Douglas Howard Sills (born July 5, 1960) is an American actor and singer. He made his professional stage acting debut with principal roles in the national tours of ''Into the Woods'' and ''The Secret Garden''. He is most well-known for his lead ...

. It closed after 37 performances. In 2017, O'Connell was the main love interest in the Hallmark film ''Love Locks'', co-starring his real-life wife Rebecca Romijn. He also starred in a Canadian police comedy-drama series called ''Carter'', which was North Bay, Ontario and aired for two seasons. 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. 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 Sharon Rachel Osbourne (; born 9 October 1952) is an English-American television personality, music manager, and author. She is married to heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing on '' The Osbournes'' (2002–2 ...

. 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. He and wife Romijn hosted '' The Real Love Boat'' on CBS, in 2022.

Personal life

On July 14, 2007, O'Connell married actress and former super model

. Their twin girls were born in 2008. O'Connell enrolled in

Southwestern Law School Southwestern Law School is a Private university, private Law school in the United States, law school in Los Angeles, California. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and enrolls nearly 1,000 students. Its campus includes the Bullocks ...

in Los Angeles in August 2009, but dropped out to return to acting full-time. O'Connell has dual American and British citizenship. 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. Jerry played an all time prank April 1, 2025 on Max from PMT. O'Connell was once roommates with actor and comedian TJ Miller.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

* "

David Duchovny David William Duchovny ( ; born ) is an American actor, writer, and musician. He received his breakthrough with the role of Fox Mulder in The X-Files franchise, earning Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards a ...

" – Bree Sharp (1999) * " Heartbreaker" –

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

(1999) * " 12 Days of Christmas" from Christmas Queens – Katya Zamolodchikova

Podcast appearances

* '' 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; March 7th, 2025; April 2nd, 2025 (as Big Dom); June 2nd, 2025 * '' Comments by Celebs'' – September 24, 2018 * ''The Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz feat. Baron Davis'' – August 5, 2020 * '' The Kinda Funny Podcast'' – April 8, 2021
I’ve Had It
- February 6, 2024

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Jerry 1974 births American male child actors American male film actors American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent American people of Polish descent American male television actors American male voice actors Catholics from New York (state) Living people Male actors from Manhattan New York University alumni NYU Violets fencers Southwestern Law School alumni Tisch School of the Arts alumni