Ed O'Neill Biography

Early Life and Education of Ed O'Neill

O'Neill was born as Edward Leonard O'Neil on April 12, 1946, in Youngstown, Ohio. He is the son born to Edward Phillip O'Neill and Ruth Ann. His father, Edward was a  steel mill worker and truck driver whereas mother, Ruth was a homemaker and social worker. He is American and belongs to the White ethnicity. 

O'Neil was raised in an Irish American Catholic family. He joined  Ursuline High School and later went to Worthington High School. He also won a football scholarship to Ohio University. He majored in history from the University.

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O'Neill attended the Youngstown State University, where he played as a defensive lineman. He completed his graduation in 1969. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the American football team, Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969 but later was removed at the training camp.

O'Neil worked in a series of several odd jobs like trucking at hotels and steel mills. He also teaches at the school and during that period he realizes acting is his career.

Ed O'Neill's Career

O'Neill made his acting debut in 1979 in the Broadway play Knockout. Later, he made his brief appearances on the small screen like Red Lobster, The Equalizer, Popeye Doyle.

In 1986, O'Neil got his first lead role in Fox Network’s sitcom 'Married…with Children.’ He appeared in 11 seasons of the series until 1997.

O'Neil has appeared in several movies and TV series, Disorganized Crime (1989), Spanish Prisoner (1997), Bone Collector (1999), Twenty Good Years (2006), Big Apple, Spartan, John from Cincinnati, Family Guy (2015) and many more.

O'Neill portrayed the lead role of Jay Pritchett in the ABC’s mockumentary sitcom, Modern Family in 2009. He was cast alongside Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Rico Rodriguez, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, and Jeremy Maguire. The series has been running successfully and currently, the series is running its ninth season.

Here's Ed O'Neill appearing on The Ellen Show:

O'Neil gained more popularity among international audiences after working in The Modern Family. Besides, he has given his voice to Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Finding Dory (2016).

Ed O'Neill's Personal Life

O'Neill, age 71, is happily married and has two children. He married actress Catherine Rusoff in 1986. The duo exchanged a vow at an intimate ceremony in the presence of their closed ones. In 1989, the pair separated but they reconciled after years in 1993. The pair has a strong bond of relationship from that time.

The couple is proud parents of two daughters, Claire O'Neill (born in 1996) and Sophia O'Neill (born in 1999). Currently, O'Neill resides in Los Angeles along with his wife and children. He is enjoying his blissful married life for 31 years.

O'Neill was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by his friend writer/director John Milius. He trained the martial art for 22 years and received his black belt in 2007. He cites getting a black belt was the greatest achievement of his life.

Ed O'Neill's Net Worth

O'Neill is one of the successful and highest paid Hollywood stars. He is active in the film industry since 1980 and has appeared in around 50 movies. His estimated net worth is $65 million as of 2019.

O'Neil charged $200,000 per episode for Modern Family and succeeds to earn over $11 million per season. He owned Honda S2000 which costs $17,370. 

Modern Family is one of the most viewed American TV series. The series gained more than 10 million viewers in its every season. In 2012, the series became the tenth-highest revenue-generating show with earning $2.13 million.

Besides, his movies did an impressive job at the box office. Some of his high grossing movies include The Bone Collector ($151.5 m), Wayne's World ($183.1 m), The Good Son ($60.6 m), Finding Dory ($1.029 b) and many more.