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Edward Leonard O'Neill was born on April 12, 1946, in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. He was a great football player, signed to play in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a defensive player, but they cut him before the season started.
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Before turning to acting, Ed worked as a substitute teacher at Ursuline High School.
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After his frustrating attempt to get into the NFL, he participated in the play Knockout, where it was discovered by director William Friedkin. William gave him his first role and made his film debut Cruising, with Al Pacino as the star.
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In 1986 he played "Detective Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle" in the telefilm Popeye Doyle. This character originally appeared in the movie The French Connection, starring Gene Hackman.
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In that same year, he was also invited to auditions for his first major role, that of "Al Bundy" in the comedy. Married… with Children. The sitcom premiered in primetime on the Fox network on April 5, 1987, and after 11 seasons it came to an end on June 9, 1997.
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Along with his participation in Married… with Children, also appeared in other projects such as Wayne's World and The Little Giants. He is very good at being the tough guy!
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In 1997 he shared credits with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie in The Bone Collector, where he played "Detective Paulie Sellitto."
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In 2002 he participated in 22 episodes of the series of Dragnet, where he played "Lt. Joe Friday". The series was produced by Dick Wolf, who is also the producer of the Law and Order franchise, and also shared credits with Eva Longoria.
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In 2007 he gave life to "Bill Jacks", in the series John From Cincinnati from HBO. There he starred alongside actor Luke Perry.
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After brief series appearances and few film projects, Ed nailed beloved grouchy "Jay Pritchett" once again in his career in the comedy Modern Family. During 11 seasons the series was awarded 22 Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe!
If you are a fan who did not miss a single episode of Modern Family you will surely know very well the history of the actors who give life to their characters. This time we will review the career of actor Ed O'Neill, who played "Jay Pritchett" in this hit ABC series.
This beloved actor is also an old wolf of the screens, with over 40 years of experience he is a great example in the industry.