Michael O’Neill is one of the most consistently GOOD actors you will see. His portrayal of Gary Clark in the season 6 finale of Grey’s Anatomy was a masterpiece. He became a show favorite in West Wing. He had an important part in Scandal’s final season. He plays gave a heartbreaking portrayal of a chaplain in the Sundance award-winning film Clemency. Now he is in what is predicted to be a major hit – Council of Dads.
We talk with Michael about the new show, where he plays AA sponsor Larry, and why he loves the part so much. We also chat about the award-winning film Clemency, how it personally affected him, and how wonderful Aldis Hodge was in it. And how that role on Grey’s Anatomy changed him personally
Plus, how Michael felt about Sons of Anarchy and Sea Biscuit, and what he appreciated about Al Pacino. You will love this guy… I promise!
Click on the player below to hear the chat with Michael and Pam
About Michael:
Renowned actor Michael O’Neill will soon be seen as “Larry Mills” in the highly anticipated new NBC drama series, COUNCIL OF DADS premiering March 24th. His current roles are as “Chaplain Kendricks” in the critically acclaimed feature film, CLEMENCY, which won the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize and “Senator Mitchell Chapin” in Season 2 of TOM CLANCY’S JACK RYAN on Amazon. Other recent appearances for O’Neill include the series’ THE ROMANOFFS, THE RESIDENT, 11.22.63, SHOOTER, S.W.A.T. and a five episode arc in the final season of SCANDAL. Previous television credits include his four season role on the award winning Sundance TV series, RECTIFY, the CBS series, EXTANT with Halle Berry and A&E’s BATES MOTEL. O’Neill’s memorable TV roles include GREY’S ANATOMY and fan favorite “Special Agent Ron Butterfield” on THE WEST WING, as well as NECESSARY ROUGHNESS, VEGAS, THE GRIM SLEEPER, NCIS, SONS OF ANARCHY and THE UNIT. In feature films, O’Neill played FDA Agent “Richard Barkley” in the award winning DALLAS BUYERS CLUB and his vast credits include J. EDGAR, GREEN ZONE, TRANSFORMERS, SECONDHAND LIONS, TRAFFIC, SEA OF LOVE and SEABISCUIT. O’Neill also recently completed two feature films, THE STAND AT PAXTON COUNTY and INDIVISIBLE.
A native of Alabama, O’Neill has a degree in Economics from Auburn University and will be the Winter 2019 Commencement Speaker. He was also the 2018 commencement speaker at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. He began his acting career under the mentorship of Will Geer, and his daughter Ellen, at the Theatricum Botanicum in Los Angeles. He is married to Mary O’Keefe O’Neill and they have three wonderful daughters, Ella, Annie and Molly. O’Neill has served on the Board of the Hollywood Branch of the Screen Actors Guild and has often participated in the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s BookPALS program, reading to elementary school children. He has also been involved in Teach for America, Habitat for Humanity, and Focus on Recovery in Birmingham.
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About Melissa: For more than a decade, Melissa has been developing and producing motion pictures and television. Her particular expertise is to create narrative stories around non-fiction subjects. Truth is stranger than fiction.