Jerry O'Connell

Biography

Jerry O'Connell (born February 17, 1974, in Manhattan, New York) is an American actor who has worked in film and television, and has also written and produced. His career began in childhood and has stayed active for more than three decades, moving between mainstream films, television series and some stage work. He is best known for the science fiction series of the 1990s and for several commercially successful comedies of the early 2000s.

The son of an art teacher and an advertising agency art director, he grew up in Manhattan alongside his younger brother, the actor Charlie O'Connell. His first notable role came at eleven, in Rob Reiner's Stand by Me (1986), where he played Vern Tessio. He had already done cookie commercials as a young child. He then starred in the science fiction comedy My Secret Identity (1988-1991) as a teenager with superhuman powers, and later appeared in Calendar Girl (1993) opposite Jason Priestley.

He studied film at New York University from 1991 to 1994, where he also fenced and captained the sabre squad. He left before graduating, in 1999. Around the same time, he was cast in Sliders as Quinn Mallory. The series ran for three seasons on Fox and two on Sci-Fi Channel, and O'Connell also worked as a producer in its fourth season and wrote and directed episodes.

His move into mainstream film came with Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire (1996), starring Tom Cruise. Scream 2 (1997) and Brian De Palma's Mission to Mars (2000) followed, then hit comedies such as Tomcats (2001) and Kangaroo Jack (2003), which became a box office success during its release season in the United States. He also wrote the screenplay for First Daughter (2004), directed by Forest Whitaker, and served as its producer.

He returned to television as Detective Woody Hoyt on the NBC drama Crossing Jordan (2002-2007). Later he took guest roles on Las Vegas, Ugly Betty and Samantha Who?, and starred in the short-lived Do Not Disturb (2008), cancelled after three episodes. On film he appeared in the poorly reviewed Obsessed (2009) and in Alexandre Aja's Piranha 3D (2010), which was generally well received. He has also worked on Broadway and in other television projects, and in 2021 joined The Talk as a permanent co-host and hosted a new syndicated Pictionary.

In his personal life he married actress Rebecca Romijn in 2007, and the couple have twin daughters born in 2008. He remains active in television and digital media, and his career shows how a child actor can build a varied, recognisable body of work without becoming a leading star.

Key films

• Stand by Me (1986): his first major role, as Vern Tessio, in Rob Reiner's coming-of-age story.
• Jerry Maguire (1996): his breakout into mainstream film, opposite Tom Cruise in Cameron Crowe's romantic comedy.
• Mission to Mars (2000): a supporting part in the science fiction blockbuster directed by Brian De Palma.
• Kangaroo Jack (2003): a family comedy that was a box office hit in its opening season.
• Piranha 3D (2010): a role in Alexandre Aja's remake, which earned largely positive reviews.