How Ed O'Neill Achieved a Net Worth of $65 Million
Ed O'Neill is a comedian and actor best known for his roles in sitcoms, such as 'Married… with Children' and 'Modern Family.' The award-winning actor began his career in 1980, and he has achieved financial success throughout his career. It is now estimated that Ed O'Neill's net worth is $65 million. Here is an overview of his career and how Ed O'Neill accrued his wealth.
Ed O'Neill's Early Life
Edward Leonard O'Neill was born in Ohio on April 12, 1946. He attended Ursuline High School, where he showed talent in sports and was on his high school's football team. He then moved to Worthington High School, where he earned the nickname Ed O'Winner due to his success on the pitch.
After earning a football scholarship to Ohio University, O'Neill majored in history. However, he spent more time partying and playing football than studying, so he left after his sophomore year and transferred to Youngstown State University. In 1969, O'Neill was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, he was cut during training camp. Therefore, his dream to have a career in football had come to an end. Prior to becoming an actor, O'Neill spent a brief spell working as a substitute social studies teacher at his former school, Ursuline High School.
His Career in Television
While at Youngstown State University, O'Neill became a member of the theater program. He continued to act after leaving university. His first stage acting role was playing a boxer in the Broadway play 'Knockout.' Director William Friedkin saw him in this play, and it led to O'Neill landing a small role in the film 'Cruising' in 1980'.
Appearing in the film led to him landing roles in various commercials and small parts in various television series and made-for-television films. He also continued to appear in stage productions. However, O'Neill's big break did not come until 1987 when he landed the role of Al Bundy in 'Married… with Children'.
It was a role he continued to play for ten years, and he appeared in 259 episodes of the sitcom. While appearing in 'Married… with Children,' O'Neill continued to play small roles in other series and films. When the sitcom ended, his next major television role was playing Relish the Troll King in nine episodes in the 2000 series 'The 10th Kingdom.'
A year later, he played Detective Michael Mooney in eight episodes of 'Big Apple.' The police theme continued when O'Neill landed the role of Lieutenant Joe Friday in 'L.A. Dragnet,' which was a role he played in 22 episodes between 2003 and 2004. He also had roles in four episodes of 'The West Wing' between 2004 and 2005, and he played Bill Jacks in 10 episodes of 'John from Cincinnati' in 2007.
Modern Family
Other than playing Al Bundy in 'Married… with Children', the other role for which Ed O'Neill is best known is playing Jay Pritchett in 'Modern Family'. He appeared in 250 episodes between 2009 and 2020 when the sitcom came to an end.
While playing Jay Pritchett, O'Neill continued to take on other small roles. He appeared as himself in 'Real Husbands of Hollywood,' and his most recent role was playing Burt Maxsome in a 2019 episode of 'Weird City.'
O'Neill has won multiple awards for his career in television. For his performance in 'Married… with Children,' he won the TV Land Innovator Award. For his performance in 'Modern Family,' he has won four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Ed O'Neill's Film Career
O'Neill's film career also began in 1980 when he played a small part in the film 'Cruising,' which starred Al Pacino. During the 1980s, he also had small parts in 'The Dogs of War.' 'Disorganized Crime,' and 'K-9.' He continued to appear in films throughout the 1990s, and it was during this decade that he played some of his most notable film roles.
He played Glen in the 1992 comedy film 'Wayne's World,' which was a role he reprieved a year later in 'Wayne's World 2.' O'Neill also played Detective Paulie Sellitto in the 1999 thriller movie 'The Bone Collector.' Other films in which he had roles in the 1990s included 'Sibling Rivalry,' 'Dutch,' 'Blue Chips,' 'Little Giants,' 'Prefontaine,' and 'the Spanish Prisoner.'
Since 2000, O'Neill has played multiple roles in films. Some of the films in which he has appeared include "Lucky Numbers,' 'Nobody's Baby,' 'Spartan,'' Redbelt,' 'Entourage,' and 'Sun Dogs.' Most recently, he played Dale in the 2020 film 'The Last Shift.'
His Career as a Voice Actor
Ed O'Neill has also worked as a voice actor at various stages of his career, providing voices for both film and television. He first provided the voice of a panicking man in a 2009 episode of 'WordGirl.'
Since then, he has provided voices for characters on television series including 'Handy Manny,' 'The Penguins of Madagascar,' 'Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil,' and 'Family Guy.'
In film, he provided the voice of Mr. Litwak in the 2012 animation 'Wreck-It Ralph' and its 2018 sequel 'Ralph Breaks the Internet.' He also provided the voice of Hank in the 2016 animated film' Finding Dory.'
Ed O'Neill's Net Worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Ed O’Neill’s net worth is $65 million. He has accrued his wealth as an actor in multiple television series and films. During the first seven years of his career, Ed O'Neill was just getting by as an actor, and he certainly wasn't a wealthy man. It was only when he landed the role of Al Bundy in 'Married… with Children' in 1987 that he rose in prominence and began to make a lot of money from his acting career.
His Personal Life
In his personal life, Ed O'Neill is married to Catherine Rusoff. The couple married in 1986, and they have two daughters together. Since 2016, the family has lived in a property in Los Angeles.
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Written by Allen Lee
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