Chris O'Donnell

O'Donnell was born in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, Illinois, the son of Julie Ann Rohs von Brecht and William Charles O'Donnell Sr., a general manager of WBBM-AM.{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019490/bio |title=Chris O'Donnell Biography – Yahoo! Movies |publisher=Movies.yahoo.com |access-date=May 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209123324/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019490/bio |archive-date=February 9, 2011 }}{{cite web |last=Kessler |first=Mike |url=http://triblocal.com/winnetka-northfield/community/stories/2010/12/william-c-odonnell-dies-at-88/ |title=William C. O'Donnell dies at 88 — Winnetka & Northfield news, photos and events — |publisher=Triblocal.com |date=2010-12-08 |access-date=2013-01-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614083824/http://triblocal.com/winnetka-northfield/community/stories/2010/12/william-c-odonnell-dies-at-88/ |archive-date=June 14, 2012 |url-status=dead }} He is the youngest of seven children, with four sisters and two brothers, and is of German and Irish descent.{{cite news| url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SAEC&p_theme=saec&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAFE753A9C74029&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D | title=Express-News Archives : MySA.com | first1=Bob | last1=Polunsky}}{{cite news| url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-6330360_ITM | work=Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service | title=Actor's roles range from the birds & the bees to just a bird – Robin.(Originated from The Virginian-Pilot) | date=April 13, 1995}} O'Donnell was raised in a Catholic family and attended Catholic schools.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013110445/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5932797/chris_odonnells_personal_high/|title=Music News|archivedate=October 13, 2007|magazine=Rolling Stone}} He graduated from Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois in 1988.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-02-10-0202100032-story.html|title=Actor Chris O'Donnell sells seldom-used townhouse here|website=Chicago Tribune}}{{Cite web|url=https://en.newsner.com/news/chris-odonnell-from-ncis-la-age-net-worth-family-children/|title=Chris O'Donnell from 'NCIS LA': Age, net worth, family, children|date=November 26, 2021}}

O'Donnell attended Boston College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in marketing in 1992.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2013/03/19/boston-college-150-symphony-hall-concert/|title=Boston College to Celebrate 150 Years with Concert at Symphony Hall|date=March 19, 2013}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.boston.com/uncategorized/noprimarytagmatch/2013/03/24/chris-odonnell-helps-boston-college-celebrate-150-years/|title=Chris O'Donnell helps Boston College celebrate 150 years|website=www.boston.com}} He had begun modeling at the age of 13 so he was comfortable in front of cameras, and also had already made commercials.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbs.com/shows/watch_magazine/photos/1008350/ncis-los-angeles-chris-o-donnell-tees-up-for-a-playful-photo-shoot/|title=Watch! Magazine Photos on CBS|via=www.cbs.com}}

O'Donnell had already appeared in numerous commercials as a teenager, advertising Cap'n Crunch cereal and Fruit Roll-Ups snacks. In a McDonald's fast food commercial, he served NBA great Michael Jordan.

An early television series role was an appearance on the TV series Jack and Mike in 1986. In the early 1990s, he appeared in several films including Men Don't Leave (1990), starring Jessica Lange; Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), appearing again with Kathy Bates from Men Don't Leave; School Ties (1992); and Scent of a Woman (1992) with Al Pacino. For the latter he received two nominations: one for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor-Motion Picture (which was won by Gene Hackman for Unforgiven), and one for a Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor (which he won). He was also named one of the 12 Promising New Actors of 1992 in John Willis's Screen World, Vol. 44.

After appearing in the film Blue Sky (1994), reuniting him with Jessica Lange,{{Cite web |title=Blue Sky |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/blue-sky/cast/2000106159/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}} he starred in Circle of Friends (1995) with Minnie Driver,{{Cite web |title=Circle of Friends |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/circle-of-friends/cast/2000343512/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}} Mad Love (1995) with Drew Barrymore,{{Cite web |title=Mad Love |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/mad-love/cast/2030103311/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}} and In Love and War (1996) with Sandra Bullock.{{Cite web |title=In Love and War {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1074467-in_love_and_war |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}

O'Donnell played the character of Dick Grayson/Robin in Batman Forever, in which Barrymore also had a role.{{Cite web |title=Batman Forever |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/batman-forever/cast/2030281509/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}} Reportedly, the field of candidates for the role of Robin included Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Corey Haim, Toby Stephens, and Scott Speedman.{{Cite web |last=Hutchinson |first=Sam |date=2020-09-01 |title=Robin: 10 Actors Who Almost Played The Boy Wonder |url=https://www.cbr.com/dc-robin-actors-almost-played-boy-wonder/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=CBR |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Rachel |date=2024-12-14 |title=10 Actors Who Almost Played Robin in 'Batman Forever' |url=https://movieweb.com/actors-almost-played-robin-batman-forever/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=MovieWeb |language=en}}

Casting directors narrowed their choices to O'Donnell and DiCaprio, and finally selected O'Donnell. He reportedly was considered by 20th Century Fox studios to play the lead role of Jack Dawson in Titanic (1997), but that role was won by DiCaprio.{{cite web |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/titanic-casting-james-cameron-christian-bale_n_1619006|title='Titanic' Casting: What Other Stars Were Considered For James Cameron's Masterpiece? |date=June 22, 2012 |website=HuffPost|access-date=November 11, 2019}}

O'Donnell had a starring role in 1996's The Chamber, based on the John Grisham novel of the same name.{{Cite web |title=Chris O'Donnell |url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/chris-odonnell/credits/3000054765/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}} He reprised his role as Robin in 1997's Batman & Robin. Although it was a box-office success, the movie was critically panned.{{Cite web |title=Batman & Robin Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/batman-robin/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=www.metacritic.com |language=en}} O'Donnell later said that he did not believe it turned out well.{{cite web |url=https://sllambe.medium.com/batman-forever-20-years-later-chris-o-donnell-looks-back-on-the-franchise-b958be46fe6f|title=‘Batman Forever’ 20 Years Later: Chris O’Donnell Looks Back on the Franchise|date=June 16, 2015}}

O'Donnell did not appear in another movie for two years. He was the choice of one of the producers for the role of James Darrell Edwards III/Agent J in Men in Black (1997),{{Cite web |last=Guerrasio |first=Jason |title='Men in Black' director says he purposely downplayed the movie to Chris O'Donnell so he could cast Will Smith instead |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/men-in-black-director-sabotaged-chris-odonnell-meeting-will-smith-2022-7 |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} but he turned it down as being too similar to his role in Batman Forever.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} Will Smith played this role.{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119654/trivia | title=Trivia for Men in Black | publisher=at the Internet Movie Database | access-date=October 21, 2007 }} The subsequent films Cookie's Fortune (1999) and The Bachelor (1999) were moderately successful, while Vertical Limit (2000) was a box office hit.

Following a four-year hiatus, O'Donnell returned in 2004 with the film Kinsey. He also appeared in the 2004 episode of Two and a Half Men, entitled "An Old Flame with a New Wick."{{Cite web |title=Two and a Half Men: Season 1, Episode 18 {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/two-and-a-half-men/s01/e18#cast-and-crew |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}

O'Donnell took a lead role in the Fox Network television series Head Cases in 2005. The show was the first of the fall 2005 season to be canceled,{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} and only two episodes were aired.{{Cite web |last=Mitovich |first=Ryan Schwartz,Matt Webb |date=2024-11-28 |title=Talking Turkeys: Revisit TV’s Shortest-Lived Series of All Time! |url=https://tvline.com/lists/tv-shows-cancelled-quickly-short-lived-series-photos/hank/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=TVLine |language=en-US}} He was subsequently cast as veterinarian Finn Dandridge on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.{{Cite web |title=Chris O'Donnell on the Possibilty of Returning to 'Grey's Anatomy' |url=https://www.etonline.com/chris-odonnells-daughters-friends-just-discovered-he-was-on-greys-anatomy-exclusive-163007 |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Entertainment Tonight |language=en-US}}

File:Mark Harmon and Chris ODonnell (8 March 2009) 6.jpg filming in 2009]]

O'Donnell was featured in the TNT miniseries The Company as CIA case officer Jack McAuliffe, a character who progressed from spoonfed Yale elitist to jaded, post-Cold War cynic.{{Cite web |title=The Company |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/the-company/cast/1000210197/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}} In 2008, O'Donnell appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl as the titular character's father Jack Kittredge,{{Cite web |title=Kit Kittredge: An American Girl |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/kit-kittredge-an-american-girl/cast/2000132306/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}} and in Max Payne as Jason Colvin.{{Cite web |title=Max Payne |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/max-payne/cast/2030296100/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}}

From 2009-2023, O'Donnell starred on NCIS: Los Angeles, a spinoff of NCIS, as G. Callen,{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRRRE51Q13620090227 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107002102/http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRRRE51Q13620090227 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 7, 2016 |title=O'Donnell nabs lead role in "NCIS" spin-off |date=February 27, 2009 |access-date=February 27, 2009 |work=Reuters |first=Nellie |last=Andreeva}} an NCIS Special Agent in charge of the Office of Special Projects Team stationed in Los Angeles. CBS describes Callen as "a chameleon who transforms himself into whomever he needs to be to infiltrate the criminal underworld."{{cite web |title=NCIS Los Angeles |url=http://www.cbs.com/primetime/ncis_los_angeles/about/ |publisher=CBS |access-date=August 11, 2009}}

In 2010, O'Donnell appeared in the sequel to the 2001 movie Cats & Dogs, The Revenge of Kitty Galore.{{Cite web |last=Radish |first=Christina |date=2010-07-29 |title=Chris O’Donnell Interview CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE |url=https://collider.com/chris-odonnell-interview-cats-dogs-the-revenge-of-kitty-galore-ncis-los-angeles/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Collider |language=en}}

O'Donnell married Caroline Fentress in April 1997 at St. Patrick Church in Washington, D.C.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/chris-odonnells-personal-high-170746/|title=Chris O'Donnell's Personal High|last1=Smith|first1=Russel Scott|date=2000-12-08|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-03}} They have five children together.{{cite web|last=Chiu |first=Alexis |url=https://people.com/parents/chris-odonnell-and-wife-have-fifth-baby/|title=Chris O'Donnell and Wife Have Fifth Baby|work=People |date=December 18, 2007 |access-date=November 5, 2019}}{{cite news|title=Chris O'Donnell's Daughter Steals the Show on 'NCIS: Los Angeles' Set|url=http://www.etonline.com/tv/173851_chris_o_donnell_daughter_steals_the_show_on_ncis_los_angeles_set/|publisher=ET Online|date=October 12, 2015}}{{cite web |last1=Donahue |first1=Wendy |title=Johnnie-O label finds sweet spot between East and West Coast prep |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sc-fash-1201-johnnie-o-mens-style-20141125-story.html |website=chicagotribune.com |access-date=November 5, 2019 |date=November 25, 2014}}

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080531155455/http://www.mensvogue.com/clothing/articles/2008/06/odonnell Feature article on O'Donnell in June 2008 issue of Men's Vogue]

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Category:1970 births

Category:Male actors from Illinois

Category:American male film actors

Category:American people of German descent

Category:American people of Irish descent

Category:American male television actors

Category:Boston College alumni

Category:Living people

Category:Loyola Academy alumni

Category:People from Winnetka, Illinois

Category:20th-century American male actors

Category:21st-century American male actors

Category:People from Northfield, Illinois

Category:People from Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles

Category:People from Islesboro, Maine

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