Chris O'Donnell

Christopher Eugene O'Donnell (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor. After modeling and acting in numerous commercials as a teenager, he made his film debut in the comedy-drama film Men Don't Leave (1990). Following supporting roles in the films Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and School Ties (1992), O'Donnell had his breakout with a starring role in the drama film Scent of a Woman (1992), which earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.

After starring roles in the films The Three Musketeers (1993) and Circle of Friends (1995), O'Donnell received further mainstream recognition for his role as Dick Grayson / Robin in the DC Comics superhero films Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), as well as his portrayal of writer Ernest Hemingway in the romantic drama film In Love and War (1996). In the 2000s, O'Donnell starred in the films Vertical Limit (2000), Kinsey (2004), and Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008), and had a main role as Jack McAuliffe in the TNT television miniseries The Company (2007).

From the late 2000s to the early 2020s, O'Donnell had a main role as G. Callen on all fourteen seasons of the CBS police procedural series NCIS: Los Angeles (2009–2023). He also starred in the spy comedy film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010), and will have a main role as Don Sharpe on the upcoming ABC series 9-1-1: Nashville (2025).

Early life

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is the youngest of seven children, with four sisters and two brothers, and is of German and Irish descent.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> O'Donnell was raised in a Catholic family and attended Catholic schools.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> He graduated from Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois in 1988.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

O'Donnell attended Boston College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in marketing in 1992.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He had begun modeling at the age of 13 so he was comfortable in front of cameras, and also had already made commercials.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="auto"/>

Career

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,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> he starred in Circle of Friends (1995) with Minnie Driver,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mad Love (1995) with Drew Barrymore,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and In Love and War (1996) with Sandra Bullock.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

O'Donnell played the character of Dick Grayson/Robin in Batman Forever, in which Barrymore also had a role.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

O'Donnell had a starring role in 1996's The Chamber, based on the John Grisham novel of the same name.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He reprised his role as Robin in 1997's Batman & Robin.<ref name=":1" /> Although it was a box-office success, the movie was critically panned.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> O'Donnell later said that he did not believe it turned out well.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but he turned it down as being too similar to his role in Batman Forever.Template:Citation needed Will Smith played this role.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1" /> He also appeared in the 2004 episode of Two and a Half Men, entitled "An Old Flame with a New Wick."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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,Template:Citation needed and only two episodes were aired.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was subsequently cast as veterinarian Finn Dandridge on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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

O'Donnell and Mark Harmon 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2008, O'Donnell appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl as the titular character's father Jack Kittredge,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and in Max Payne as Jason Colvin.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

From 2009-2023, O'Donnell starred on NCIS: Los Angeles, a spinoff of NCIS, as G. Callen,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2010, O'Donnell appeared in the sequel to the 2001 movie Cats & Dogs, The Revenge of Kitty Galore.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life

O'Donnell married Caroline Fentress in April 1997 at St. Patrick Church in Washington, D.C.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite magazine</ref> They have five children together.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Men Don't Leave	Chris Macauley
1991	Fried Green Tomatoes	Buddy Threadgoode
1992	School Ties	Chris Reece
	Scent of a Woman	Charlie Simms	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor
1993	The Three Musketeers	D'Artagnan
1994	Blue Sky	Glenn Johnson
1995	Circle of Friends	Jack Foley
	Mad Love	Matt Leland
	Batman Forever	Dick Grayson/Robin
1996	The Chamber	Adam Hall
	In Love and War	Ernest "Ernie" Hemingway
1997	Batman & Robin	Dick Grayson/Robin
1999	Cookie's Fortune	Jason Brown
	The Bachelor	Jimmie Shannon
2000	Vertical Limit	Peter Garrett
2002	29 Palms	The Hitman
2004	Kinsey	Wardell Pomeroy
2005	The Sisters	David Turzin
2008	Kit Kittredge: An American Girl	Jack Kittredge
	Max Payne	Jason Colvin
2010	Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore	Shane
	A Little Help	Bob Pehlke
2016	PG	Max	Short film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1986	Jack and Mike	Evan	Episode: "Cry Uncle"
2003	The Practice	Brad Stanfield	4 episodes
2004	Two and a Half Men	Bill Shrader	Episode: "An Old Flame with a New Wick"
	The Amazing Westermans		TV movie
2005	Head Cases	Jason Payne	2 episodes
2006	Grey's Anatomy	Dr. Finn "McVet" Dandridge	9 episodes
2007	The Company	Jack McAuliffe	TV miniseries
2009 & 2023	NCIS	G. Callen	3 episodes
2009–2023	NCIS: Los Angeles		323 episodes Nominated – People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Crime Drama Actor (2017)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2010	WWII in HD: The Air War	John Gibbons	Voice
2012	Hawaii Five-0	G. Callen	Episode: "Pa Make Loa"
2013	Who Do You Think You Are?	Himself	Episode: "Chris O'Donnell"
2014	Robot Chicken	Mr. Fantastic / Commander Rex Kling	Voice; Episode: "Catdog on a Stick"
2017	American Dad!	G. Callen	Voice; Episode: "Casino Normale"
2017 & 2021	The Price Is Right	Himself	2 episodes
2023	NCIS: Hawaiʻi	G. Callen	Episode: "Deep Fake"
	Bupkis	Pete's Agent	Episode: "Crispytown"; uncredited
2025–present	9-1-1: Nashville	Don Sharpe	Main role

External links

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• Feature article on O'Donnell in June 2008 issue of Men's Vogue