Michael O'Keefe (born Raymond Peter O'Keefe Jr.; April 24, 1955) is an American actor known for his roles as Danny Noonan in '' Caddyshack''; Ben Meechum in '' The Great Santini,'' for which he received a nomination for the

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in ...

; and Darryl Palmer in the

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...

movie '' The Slugger's Wife''. He also appeared as Fred on the television sitcom '' Roseanne'' from 1993 to 1995.

Early life, family and education

Raymond Peter O'Keefe Jr. was born in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Moun ...

, the oldest of seven children in an Irish American family. He is the son of Stephanie (née Fitzpatrick) and Raymond Peter O'Keefe, who was a law professor at

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

and who also taught at St. Thomas University. O'Keefe was raised in

Larchmont, New York Larchmont is a Village (New York), village located within the Town (New York), Town of Mamaroneck (town), New York, Mamaroneck in Westchester County, New York. Larchmont is a suburb of New York City, located approximately northeast of Midt ...

. He graduated from Mamaroneck High School. He attended the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...

and

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 ...

. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Bennington College.

Career

O'Keefe is known for his role as Danny Noonan in the comedy film '' Caddyshack''. He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role as Ben, the oldest son of a Marine aviator in '' The Great Santini'' (1979) starring Robert Duvall, who was also nominated for an Academy Award for the film. He played a Marine in the CBS miniseries '' A Rumor of War'' (1980) as the friend of Brad Davis' character, Philip Caputo. O’Keefe played the lead role in the 1982 film '' Split Image'' as a college athlete who is lured into a religious cult by a beautiful girl ( Karen Allen). He appeared in the

movie '' The Slugger's Wife'' (1985) as Darryl Palmer, a baseball player for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

who enjoys the fame and fringe benefits of bachelor life until he meets rock singer Debby Huston, falls in love, and decides to settle down. He appeared in the thriller film '' The Glass House'' and starred with Tommy Lee Jones in the

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

pirate adventure ''Savage Islands''. O'Keefe appeared with George Clooney in '' Michael Clayton''. He has appeared twice with

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

, as his son in '' Ironweed'' and as the father of a murdered girl in '' The Pledge''. He appeared in the film '' Frozen River''. He played the district attorney Calvin Beckett in the film '' American Violet''. O'Keefe's

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

credits include '' Side Man'' (1998), '' Mass Appeal'' (1981), '' Fifth of July'' (1980), and ''Reckless'' with Mary-Louise Parker (2004). He starred in the play '' A Few Good Men'' in 1992 with a national tour as Lt. Jg. Daniel Kaffee. O'Keefe's highest-profile television role was as Fred, the husband of Jackie Harris ( Laurie Metcalf) on the ABC series '' Roseanne'' from 1993 to 1995. He played the husband in the series '' Life's Work'' from 1996 to 1997. Additional television credits include the lead role of Simon MacHeath in the short-lived

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

-based series '' Against the Law'', which aired on Fox during the 1990–91 season, and the role of Ron Steffey in the 1992 CBS drama ''

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

''. O'Keefe has guest-starred on '' Saving Grace'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Criminal Minds'', '' The Closer'', '' Law & Order'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

'', '' M*A*S*H'', '' Ghost Whisperer'', ''Brothers and Sisters'', '' Leverage'', '' Blue Bloods'' and ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural mountainous Western Virginia of the Appalachian Mountains / Allegheny Mountains / Blue Ridge Mountains chain, during the economic hardships and mass unemp ...

''. In 2014, he appeared in a recurring role in '' Homeland'' as CIA agent and former interim station chief John Redmond and as Detective Winslow in the Amazon Prime original TV series '' Sneaky Pete''.

Personal life

O'Keefe was married to rock/blues singer Bonnie Raitt from April 27, 1991, to November 1999, when they divorced. O'Keefe married actress Emily Donahoe in 2011. O'Keefe and Donahoe have a son. O'Keefe has been a practicing Zen Buddhist since 1981.

Filmography

Film

Sources: Hollywood.com TCM"Michael O'Keefe Filmography"
tcm.com, retrieved December 6, 2017

Television

Sources: Hollywood.com"Michael O'Keefe Credits"
hollywood.com, retrieved December 6, 2017 TCM

Awards and nominations

;

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

* 1981: Nominated, "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" – ''The Great Santini''" ''The Great Santini'' Awards"
tcm.com, retrieved December 7, 2017 ; CableACE Award * 1987: Nominated, "Best Actor in a Dramatic Series" – ''The Hitchhiker'' ;

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

* 1981: Nominated, "New Male Star of the Year in a Motion Picture" – ''The Great Santini''

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:OKeefe, Michael 1955 births Living people American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American Zen Buddhists American people of Irish descent Male actors from New York (state) Bonnie Raitt 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni Converts to Buddhism from Roman Catholicism New York University alumni Bennington College alumni People from Larchmont, New York Male actors from Mount Vernon, New York Former Roman Catholics Mamaroneck High School alumni American activists Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival award winners 20th-century American Buddhists 21st-century American Buddhists