Editing Ed O'Neill (section)

=== 1987–2008: ''Married with Children'' and other roles ===
In 1984, while playing the role of Lennie in a stage production of [[John Steinbeck]]'s ''[[Of Mice and Men (play)|Of Mice and Men]]'' at [[Hartford Stage]] in [[Hartford, Connecticut]], he was seen by a casting agent from the [[Fox television network]] and was asked to audition for the role of [[Al Bundy]]<ref name=Interview>{{cite web|title=Interview with Ed O'Neil| website=[[YouTube]] | date=January 8, 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGD83M4e0vc?t=1155 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/GGD83M4e0vc |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=January 8, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="hartfordstage"></ref><ref name="eisen"></ref> in ''[[Married... with Children]]'', a proposed sitcom about a dysfunctional family living in [[Chicago]].<ref name=Biography.com /> He won the part because, during the audition, he simply slumped his shoulders and sighed as he was about to walk through the front door of the home.<ref name="E!" /> ''Married... with Children'' led off the first night of Fox's primetime lineup on April 5, 1987, concluding after 11 seasons on June 9, 1997.

During this time O'Neill starred in several films, including the family films ''[[Dutch (1991 film)|Dutch]]'' (1991) and ''[[Little Giants]]'' (1994).<ref name="credits">{{cite web |title= Ed O'Neill|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ed_oneill|access-date= June 4, 2024|publisher= [[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> He also had small parts in the comedy films ''[[Wayne's World (film)|Wayne's World]]'' (1992), and ''[[Wayne's World 2]]'' (1993).<ref name="credits" /> He appeared as [[Trolls (The 10th Kingdom)|Relish the Troll King]] in ''[[The 10th Kingdom]]'' (2000). He took roles in the drama films ''[[Prefontaine (film)|Prefontaine]]'' (1997), ''[[The Spanish Prisoner]]'' (1997), and ''[[The Bone Collector]]'' (1999).<ref name="credits" /> O'Neill made a brief appearance on the comedy variety show ''[[In Living Color]]'', playing the "Dirty Dozens" champion who defeats the challenger, played by [[Jamie Foxx]] in 1994. He also made a cameo on the sitcom ''[[8 Simple Rules]]'' as the ex-boyfriend of [[8 Simple Rules#Cate S. Hennessy|Cate S. Hennessy]] (played by [[Katey Sagal]], who portrayed O'Neill's wife Peggy Bundy on ''Married... with Children'').<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.looper.com/838510/the-married-with-children-reunion-you-likely-forgot-happened-on-8-simple-rules/|title= The Married With Children Reunion You Likely Forgot Happened On 8 Simple Rules|website= Looper|date= April 20, 2022|accessdate= June 4, 2024}}</ref> He appeared in the movie ''[[The Adventures of Ford Fairlane]]'' with [[Andrew Dice Clay]]. During the mid-1990s, he had a string of appearances in commercials for [[MCI Communications|1-800-COLLECT]].

''[[Law & Order]]'' franchise creator [[Dick Wolf]] cast O'Neill as Sergeant [[Joe Friday]] in his [[Dragnet (franchise)#L.A. Dragnet (2003)|2003 update]] of [[Jack Webb]]'s long-running [[Dragnet (franchise)|''Dragnet'' media franchise]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://ew.com/article/2002/10/07/ed-oneill-will-star-dick-wolfs-dragnet/|title= Ed O'Neill will star in Dick Wolf's ''Dragnet''|magazine= [[Entertainment Weekly]]|accessdate= June 4, 2024}}</ref> The series was canceled by [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] in its second season. O'Neill went on to appear as Governor Eric Baker, a recurring character on the [[NBC]] political drama series ''[[The West Wing]]'' from 2004 to 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.businessinsider.com/celebrities-you-forgot-were-on-the-west-wing-2021-8|title= 48 celebrities you may have forgotten were on 'The West Wing'|website= [[Business Insider]]|accessdate= June 4, 2024}}</ref> O'Neill also played Bill on [[HBO]]'s television series ''[[John from Cincinnati]]''. In 2008, O'Neill appeared in an advertisement for then-presidential candidate [[Barack Obama]] as "Al the Shoesalesman".<ref>{{YouTube|99HzP6BQm5Y|Al the Shoesalesman Gets a Tax Cut}}</ref> In January 2009, O'Neill reunited with [[David Faustino]] (Bud Bundy from ''Married... with Children'') for two episodes of Faustino's show ''[[Star-ving]]''.<ref name="ama">{{cite video|title=Star-ving: The Complete First Season|people=[[David Faustino|Faustino, David]]|url=https://www.amazon.com/Star-ving-Complete-Season-David-Faustino/dp/B002HMDSOY|publisher=[[Sony Pictures]]|format=[[NTSC]]|year=2009|asin=B002HMDSOY|access-date=March 15, 2012}}</ref> O'Neill also appeared with the entire cast of ''Married... with Children'' again when they were honored at the 7th Annual [[TV Land Award]] show in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/tv-land-awards-idUKRTXEADL/|title= TV Land Awards|website= Reuters|accessdate= June 4, 2024}}</ref>