Click Here

Chris O'Donnell

Person Score

 
8.4 Great
158 votes

Your Score

Rate now!

Biography

Recent Role:
Special Agent G. Callen on NCIS: Los Angeles
Gender:
Male
Born:
6-26-1970
Birthplace:
Winnetka, Illinois, USA
Birth Name:
Christopher Eugene O'Donnell
Hollywood's resident Golden Boy in the '90s, Chris O'Donnell has portrayed everything from a blind man's sitter to the sword-bearing ally of the Three Musketeers to the Dark Knight's sidekick and even to Ernest Hemingway himself. Although his celebrity status took quite a plunge in the early 2000's when he focused his time and energy towards building a family, O'Donnell has masterfully resurrected his acting career, this time by conquering the world of television. Audiences worldwide would fondly remember him as veterinarian Dr. Finn Dandridge in the third season of the the ABC hit medical… More drama Grey's Anatomy and NCIS Special Agent G. Callen from the Los Angeles branch of the naval crime unit on NCIS: Los Angeles. Just as in the case of some of his Hollywood contemporaries, Chris' career has come full circle and has made another significant stride in establishing himself as one of the top leading men in the industry.

Chris O'Donnell, his two brothers, and four sisters were raised by their mother Julie, a realtor, and William, Sr., a radio manager, in a devout Catholic home environment. He was enrolled in Catholic schools like Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois where he graduated from high school in 1988. Chris then earned his Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Boston College, where he also met his wife Caroline Fentress, the sister of his college roommate. While his acting career began appearing in commercials and getting modeling gigs even at the age of 12, O'Donnell made his feature film debut when he was 20 as the rebellious son of Jessica Lange in the 1990 drama Men Don't Leave. He followed that up with a cameo on the Academy-award-nominated film Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and as the Anti-Semitist roommate of Brendan Fraser in School Ties (1992).

In 1992, Chris landed his breakthrough role as Charlie Simms, the aide and eyes of Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman. His brilliant performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination, a testament to the versatility and talent O'Donnell possessed as a young actor. The following year, he teamed up with the trio of Charlie Sheen, Oliver Platt, and Kiefer Sutherland as the swashbuckling swordsman D'Artagnan in The Three Musketeers. He appeared in three romantic dramas (Blue Sky, Circle of Friends, and Mad Love) before he donned his cape and tights as Robin the Boy Wonder and partnered with Gotham City's premier crime fighter in Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997). His other notable film roles included the young aspiring lawyer Adam Hall in courtroom suspense drama The Chamber (1996), Ernest Hemingway in the World War I drama In Love and War (1996), and the title character, Jimmie Shannon in the romantic comedy The Bachelor (1999).

After more than a dozen films throughout the '90s, O'Donnell took a break from the business and tended to his growing family. In the fickle world of show business, Chris had difficulty repositioning himself in the film industry as he attempted his return. In 2003, he instead took on the role of Brad Stanfield, a man accused of murdering his pregnant wife and unborn son, in a four-episode arc during the beginning of The Practice's 8th season. His comeback bid came in full swing when in 2006, O'Donnell was cast as animal doctor Dr. Finn Dandridge on Grey's Anatomy, where he played rival to Seattle Grace neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd (played by Patrick Dempsey) for the affection of intern Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo). He also portrayed the idealistic and naive CIA agent Jack McAuliffe in the 2007 TNT three-part miniseries presentation, The Company, which starred veteran actors Alfred Molina and Michael Keaton. In 2009, Chris was hired as NCIS Special Agent G. Callen in back-to-back episodes of NCIS, which served as the setup for the series spin-off, NCIS: Los Angeles.

From the Forums

More Topics▸
More Topics

Chris O'Donnell News

More▸

Fans' Reviews

More Reviews▸
  •  
    10 Perfect

    Chris O'Donnell is gorgeous!! Like his acting and will continue to watch the show. Love to watch him and Hetty and hope this relationship continues to blossom. I really like Chris in Grey's Anatomy as well. loved his hair in it a bit longer then ncis.

    hide show

    I watch this show because I think Chris O'Donnell is amazing. He is a great actor and is awesome to look at. Gorgeous! I am really enjoying the show and love the relationship with Callen and Hetty. Chris makes the show and I will continue watching. Want to see more of him and Hetty and would like to see his hair just a tiny bit longer. Love Love the show.

    Do you agree?
     
    Report Abuse
    shoneydog Added Nov 16, 2011 All my reviews
  •  
    8.5 Great

    Good actor poorly used

    hide show

    Chris O'Donnell is a very very good actor when he has the possibility to show his skill. I still remember how touching and excellent he was in "Scent of a woman", where he had to face nothing less than Al Pacino. He was really good in "The chamber", facing Gene Hackman that time, but even more in "Mad love", in a heart-breaking role. And in his short part in "Green fried tomatoes" he was stunning, leaving a bitter taste for losing him so soon. But this role is not his role or, at least, it's not the right role to show what he can do. He has a great sensitiveness I saw just in one episode (when he thought he found his sister) and never again. And the show as a whole has so little depth that it's impossible for any actor to show little more than how to draw a gun or how to run. It would be great to see him in something better than this less than mediocre series.

    Do you agree?
     
    Report Abuse
    iretos Added Sep 30, 2011 All my reviews
  •  
    6 Fair
    empty hide show

    Other than "School Ties," I cannot think of a single quality movie that Chris O'Donnell has done. I don't think the man is a bad actor, I just think that he choses his roles poorly. I mean, who would want to play Robin in a Batman sequel? He tried to pull off the leading man in a romantic comedy thing, but that didn't really get him anywhere.

    Do you agree?
     
    Report Abuse
    amauriel Added Feb 6, 2007 All my reviews
 

Top Contributors

What is a TV.com Contributor?