10 of Ed O'Neill's Best Roles: From 'Finding Dory' to 'Modern Family'
Dutch
Ed O'Neill plays the title role of Dutch Dooley in the film Dutch, which follows the life of a man dating a divorcee whose child disapproves of him. The 1991 movie also stars Ethan Embry, JoBeth Williams, Ari Meyers, E. G. Daily, Christopher McDonald, Kathleen Freeman and L. Scott Caldwell.
Finding Dory
Finding Dory explores the life of a regal blue tang named Dory, who suffers from memory loss every 10 seconds after getting separated from her parents. She embarks on her journey with Marlin and Nemo to find them.
O'Neill voices octopus Hank in the film and stars alongside Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks and Hayden Rolence, to name a few.
John from Cincinnati
HBO series John from Cincinnati tells the story of people residing in the surfing community of Imperial Beach, Calif. For 10 episodes, O'Neill portrays a retired police officer named Bill Jacks, whose house in the series is filled with birds. While he often babbles, he converses with the pets from time to time.
K-9
The 1989 Rod Daniel-directed film K-9 follows the franchise's materials and continues the story of San Diego police Detective Michael Dooley (Jim Belushi), who receives a drug-sniffing dog from his boss, Sergeant Brannigan (O'Neill), to help him with his mission to bust an international drug lord.
L.A. Dragnet
O'Neill launches an investigation into the homicides happening in the Los Angeles area as L.A. Dragnet's Lt. Joe Friday and works with another detective, Frank Smith.
Through the series, O'Neill manages to show more of his side when he plays the role of a cop or detective, and he offers a dramatic performance in every episode.
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Little Giants
Based on the story created by Robert Shallcross and James Ferguson, Little Giants chronicles the two Ohio-based brothers working as the coaches of rival football teams. The siblings hold totally opposite groups, challenging them while they push the athletes to their limits.
Because of O'Neill's background as a football player, he perfectly portrays the role while speaking like a real coach.
Married... with Children
Fox's longest-running live-action sitcom, Married... with Children, revolves around a Chicago family and its patriarch whose wife does not work on house chores. O'Neill's character, Al Bundy, protects and defends them against anyone.
Married... with Children earned O'Neill two nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy/Musical at the 1992 and 1993 Golden Globe Awards.
Modern Family
O'Neill's most famous TV show yet, Modern Family, tackles the lives of the members of one big family. The 77-year-old actor appears in the series as Jay Pritchett and joins cast members Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Rico Rodriguez, Reid Ewing, Jeremy Maguire and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons.
His performance earned him several accolades over the years, including the Innovator Award at the 2009 TV Land Awards and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the Screen Actors Guild Awards from 2010 to 2013.
Sun Dogs
Released in 2017, Sun Dogs is about a young man who hopes to become part of the military but ends up in an adventure that teaches him how to save lives in another way.
O'Neill plays the role of Bob Garrity, Ned's stepfather.
Wreck-It Ralph
Mr. Litwak (O'Neill) owns an arcade where video game characters suddenly interact through a power strip. Wreck-It Ralph focuses on an arcade game villain who dreams of becoming a hero in real life.