Ed O’Neill from Modern Family is a seasoned actor with years of experience in theatre, film, and television. The despondent father of Al Bundy on the ABC comedy Married… with Children and the affluent patriarch Jay Pritchett on the show Modern Family from the 1980s and 1990s, however, have characterized him as an actor.
About Modern Family
In 2009, Modern Family premiered on television and remained there for nearly ten years. It concluded in 2020 with its eleventh season. The popular series is considered one of the finest contemporary sitcoms.
It received both critical and popular acclaim. The series took home 22 Primetime Emmy Awards, six Writers Guild of America Awards, and a Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.
The cast of Modern Family is arguably what draws viewers in the most. As a result of their roles in the program, all the performers developed strong on-screen chemistry. The cast garnered multiple individual honors and established themselves as prominent personalities in pop culture.
The cast members have quite diverse backgrounds and have provided some information you might not know. Here are 7 fascinating details about the Modern Family cast.
Uh-oh. #modernfamily #jay pic.twitter.com/1TcLRxaYug
— Comedy Central NL (@ComedyCentralNL) April 30, 2018
Ed O’Neill’s Early Life
On the 12th of April 1946, in Youngstown, Ohio, Edward Leonard “Ed” O’Neill, an American actor, was born into a Catholic Irish-American household. Edward Phillip O’Neill’s father worked as a truck driver and steel mill employee. His mom, Ruth Ann (née Quinlan), was a housewife. O’Neill played football as a student at Ursuline High School. He started working when he was 14 and later went to a steel plant.
O’Neill attended Ohio University on a football scholarship. He majored in history and joined the Mu chapter of the fraternity Delta Tau Delta. Following his second year, he graduated from the university. He acknowledges that he neglected his studies in favor of socializing and playing sports. He also had a dispute with his coach.
O’Neill changed schools and played defensive line for Youngstown State University. He joined the Delta Sigma chapter, thereafter, pledging Delta Sigma Phi as an undergraduate. Many people say he was a big party animal.
Ed O’Neill’s Personal Life
Catherine Rusoff, an actress, is O’Neill’s wife. They had two kids and have been residing in Los Angeles since 2016.
Ed O’Neill has practiced Brazilian jiu-jitsu for 22 years under the guidance of Rorion Gracie after becoming exposed to it by his friend and fellow writer/director John Milius. He obtained his black belt in December 2007. O’Neill claims that earning his black belt is “the biggest accomplishment of my lifetime, apart from my children” in the 2012 television documentary I Am Bruce Lee.
Ed O’Neill’s Professional Football Career
The Pittsburgh Steelers recruited O’Neill as just an undrafted free agent in 1969 while working with new head coach Chuck Noll. Still, he was released during training camp after losing out to fellow rookie defensive linemen “Mean Joe” Greene as well as L. C. Greenwood for a squad position. Both were instrumental in the Steel Curtain defense’s triumph for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s.
Later, O’Neill portrayed an unsuccessful high school football player on Married… with Children who frequently reflected on his “glorious days” at Polk High (“I once had a game with four touchdowns.”).
Terry Bradshaw, a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and former star quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, established two guest appearances on that program as part of this concept. Subsequently, Bradshaw made a cameo in Ed O’Neill’s Modern Family. Before becoming an actor, Ed O Neill served as a replacement social studies teacher at Ursuline High School, where he attended high school.
Ed O’Neill’s Acting Career
O’Neill is most well-known for his portrayal of Al Bundy in Married… with Children. Married… with Children debuted on April 5, 1987 and ran until June 9, 1997. It was the very first primetime television program to run upon that Fox Network as just a midseason alternative.
Younger viewers may recognize him as Jay Pritchett, the patriarch of a multigenerational, multicultural household in the ABC-TV popular series Modern Family. He has also received two Screen Actors Guild Awards and nominations for 2 Emmy Awards as an outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for the same.
After “Married… with Children”
Ed had many film appearances during and after the popularity of Married… with Children, along With the Bone Collector, Little Giants, as well as Dutch. He also had supporting roles in Wayne’s World & Wayne’s World 2, as well as a role in The 10th Kingdom portraying Relish the Troll King.
On the comic variety show In Living Color, O’Neill makes a brief cameo as the “Dirty Dozens” champion who triumphs over the opponent, portrayed by Jamie Foxx. Additionally, he appeared in a cameo on the comedy 8 Simple Rules as the ex-boyfriend of Ate S. Hennessy (who was represented by Katey Sagal on Married with Children as O’Neill’s TV wife Peg Bundy).
Additionally, he starred alongside Andrew Dice Clay in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane as well as Al Pacino in Cruising. He made many appearances in ads for MCI Communications’ 1-800-COLLECT in the middle of the 1990s.
Ed was chosen as Sgt. Joe Friday for Dick Wolf’s 2003 adaptation of Jack Webb’s legendary TV crime series Dragnet. Dick Wolf is the creator of the Law & Order franchise. In season 2, ABC decided to discontinue the show. Later, O’Neill made recurring character appearances as the fictitious Governor Eric Baker (D-PA) here on NBC political drama series The West Wing.
At the conclusion of the series, Baker—a strong contender for the Democratic presidential nomination—took over as Matt Santos’ vice president. In the HBO tv show John From Cincinnati, O’Neill also portrayed Bill. O’Neill appeared on “Al the Shoesalesman”, a commercial for Barack Obama, who was running for president at the time.
O’Neill and David Faustino (Bud Bundy of Married with Children) collaborated on two episodes of Faustino’s television series Star-ving around January 2009. He also made a second appearance with the Married with Children entire cast while they were recognized at the Dr. Phil-hosted 7th Annual TV Land Awards in 2009.
Modern Family’s Ed O’Neill’s Net Worth
Ed O’Neill, an American actor, and comedian has had a whopping $65 million in wealth since around August 2022. I assure you, that’s a lot of money!
Tremendous wealth has been amassed by actor Ed O’Neil thanks to his spectacular acting career. Similar to that, a portion of his side hustles, such as brand endorsements and holdings of real estate, contributed a few million to his overall net worth. The man has acted in some of the best-known and well-liked TV series ever. Additionally, he earns a lot of money as a voice actor.
Ed O’Neill’s Modern Family Income
Ed received a salary for each episode for the show’s first several seasons that ranged from $30,000 to $150,000. But between 2014 and 2018, his pay was increased to $200,000 due to the program’s popularity. Corresponding to that, from 2018 to 2020, Ed received a handsome $500,000 every episode for his work.
In terms of season revenue, that comes to almost $12 million, and that’s only before rerun royalties.
Reruns? Correct?
Oh, yes. Serving as one of the initial stars, Ed O’Neill earns a respectable sum from the show’s repeats. When the show was rebroadcasted in 2013, the USA network invested about $1.8 million for each episode, which was just one network’s commitment. We think Ed O’Neill earns north of $10 million per year from the repeats, even if the precise amount has not been disclosed.
Facts You May Not Know Regarding Modern Family’s Ed O’Neill
- He was given the nickname Ed O’Winner following his football team winning the state title.
- Ed worked at a steel plant for 4 years.
- Until he realized how many lines he needed to record, O’Neill was unaware that he was the central protagonist in Disney’s Finding Dory.
- Ed received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on the 30th of August 2011.
Luv me some #EdONeill 💯
Who else thinks this guy👇🏼 #Rocks❓ pic.twitter.com/K3ucXbzdJQ— ЩΣПDӨᄂYПП (@wendeeluvz) May 6, 2022
FAQs
Q1. Who had an audition for Al Bundy?
Sam Kinison was given the opportunity to play Al Bundy inside Married… With Children during the audition process, but he declined.
Q2. The Married with Children cast, did they get along?
No, Al Bundy (Ed O’Neill) and Mary (Amanda Bearse) didn’t always seem to get along on site.
Q3. Was Ed O’Neill an NFL player?
Ed did not take part in the NFL competition. He didn’t advance after being cut during training camp.
