Terry O'Quinn Bio - Terry O'Quinn Biography

Terry O'Quinn: Biography

Terry O'Quinn is known for his roles as Peter Watts on Millenium, F.B.I Assistant Director Kendall on Alias, Captain Thomas Boone on JAG, General Omar Santiago on Harsh Realm, and John Locke on the hit show Lost.

Terry O'Quinn has also done guest appearances on The West Wing, Miami Vice, and The X-Files and has appeared in movies such as Old School, Ghosts of Mississippi, The Rocketeer, and The X-Files.

Terry O'Quinn: (about writing on "Lost") I think the writers respond to what they see in the cast big time, not necessarily in terms of story points but certainly in terms of performance points and where they take the character.(edit)
Terry O'Quinn: (on his own action figure) Well I haven't seen it. That was never one of dreams to be an action figure so I don't know. Somebody asked me if I hoped the action figure had props and I said yeah, a little gun to shoot himself (laugh). Or if you get one, buy him and release him in the garden with a little knife where he can hunt mice.(edit)
Terry O'Quinn: (on his character in "Lost", season two) A button-pusher? No. Never. I've been doing this since I was in college and before that I did nothing. The button pushing was a whole new experience for me and I found it very dissatisfying and I was unhappy for Locke. Locke was unhappy and I was very sympathetic.(edit)
Terry O'Quinn: (during his 2007 Emmy win for "Lost") I think about my castmates and my crewmates represented here by the great and glorious Michael Emerson and I realize why I have the best job in the world. (edit)
Terry O'Quinn: Really, I think of fame as distracting, it's something you have to get around.(edit)
Terry O'Quinn: I have two concerns with my work: having good things to act, and getting paid. In that order. Although if you're not getting paid well, that order can change. But that's what I'm concerned about. Good scenes. Decent money.(edit)
Terry O'Quinn: (about his cast on "Lost") I love working with Sawyer, I love working with Dominic Monaghan, I love working with Matthew, I like working with Ian. It's a bunch of good actors. My favorite person to greet when I get to work that would have to be Evangeline. She's a great hugger.(edit)
Terry O'Quinn: I don't really think about films or TV I did in terms of what was particularly good work. I tend to remember the experience more than the work.(edit)
Terry O'Quinn: (Locke is the character he plays on "Lost") I'd like to be more like Locke sometimes. I'm certainly a believer in what goes around, comes around. (edit)
Terry O'Quinn: (John Locke is the character he plays on "Lost") I believe it enhances the quality of life to believe in magic and the mystical. I like to think there are a lot of different powers and serendipitous things. We stop thinking that every person that crosses our path crosses our path for a reason and are potentially something powerful. When we stop thinking that way, life becomes less interesting and John Locke wants life to be that way. So do I, but it takes some effort.(edit)
Terry O'Quinn: I don't think I could play a character that I couldn't relate to somehow. I'm not unfamiliar with frustration, anger, shame, helplessness and a load of other emotions that make up our psycho-soup. I try to focus on that frustration, that sense of unfairness, and multiply it.(edit)
Terry O'Quinn: I so rarely turned down a role, that I can't say I have any regrets in that regard. There were many roles that I would rather not have done, but having a home and family requires that we sometimes do things we would rather not.(edit)
Terry O'Quinn: (about relating to his character on "Lost", John Locke) I can relate to somebody wanting to have something to believe in.(edit)
Terry O'Quinn: (making his assumptions on his character on "Lost" without knowing his true direction) It's almost as if Locke thinks of the Island possesses some sort of consciousness, and believes in it's benevolence, or at least it's rightness. Hey, I'm curious too. (edit)

Before working on Lost, Terry and his wife, Lori lived in Finkburg, Maryland. (edit)
Terry has a black belt in Karate.(edit)
His real name is Terrance Quinn, but he lengthened his name to distinguish himself from actor Terry Quinn.(edit)
Terry did the audio commentary for Lost's "Walkabout" episode in the Lost: Complete First Season DVD set. It was written by David Fury and directed by Jack Bender.(edit)
In 2006 and 2008, O'Quinn was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television for Lost. He won the award for the same role in 2005. In 1988, he was also nominated for a Saturn Best Actor Award for The Stepfather.(edit)
O'Quinn attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.(edit)
The scenes Terry enjoys playing the most in Lost are the ones where he gets to talk to another character about "normal" things and about human emotion.(edit)
O'Quinn's other film credits include Without a Trace (1993), The Jogger (1990), The Forgotten One (1990), Prisoners of the Sun (1991), My Samurai (1992), Lipstick Camera (1994), and The Shadow Conspiracy (1997).(edit)
O'Quinn first appeared in a feature film in Heaven's Gate in 1980. His primetime television debut was on the 1985 TV-movie Right to Kill, which was directed by John Erman.(edit)
Terry's favorite character from Lost is Kate.(edit)
Terry claims to get his inspiration from music, literature, people and nature.(edit)
Terry learned to throw and handle knives for his role in Lost.(edit)
Terry is the seventh among 11 siblings. He has a brother named Thomas Anthony who is also an actor.(edit)
Terry first began his acting career in 1980.(edit)
Terry played a part in JAG as Admiral Thomas Boone, Boone was also the name of a character on Lost. (edit)
After Lost began airing, Terry and his wife Lori decided to follow the example of O'Quinn's co-stars and moved to Hawaii, where the series is shot.(edit)
Terry O'Quinn holds the unique distinction of having played three different characters within the X-Files continuum.(edit)
Terry has had roles in both of J.J. Abrams' hit television series, Alias (2001) and Lost (2004).(edit)
All together Terry has been in more films and television shows than any other cast member on Lost.(edit)
Terry was one of People Magazine's Sexiest Men Alive, 2006. He is found in the "Sexy at every age, Age 54".(edit)
Terry has an Irish Terrier named 'Reggie.'(edit)
Terry has appeared in episodes of two different television series with the same name. Both Millenium and Lost have had episodes featuring Terry called "Walkabout".(edit)
Terry is 6 feet 1.5 inches (1.87 metres) tall. He has green eyes. Terry has been bald since his early twenties.(edit)
Terry has appeared in the Broadway plays Foxfire (1982-1983) and The Curse of the Aching Heart (1982) along with the off-Broadway play Richard III. His other Shakespeare production credit is appearing in Much Ado About Nothing.(edit)
Terry first realized his love for acting at Central Michigan University in the early 70's.(edit)
He was concerned about how few lines his character had in the pilot of Lost, but said to himself "I've got to have faith."(edit)
When asked what the Island Monster on Lost looks like, he said "It looks like a camera on a stick."(edit)
Although friendly while on set, Terry doesn't socialize much with other Lost cast members outside of business. He wants them to see him the way their characters see Locke.(edit)
Terry is a huge Neil Young fan and can do a perfect impression of him.(edit)
He is a talented guitarist and singer, and often entertains the cast and crew of Lost.(edit)
Terry has been an experienced percussionist since high school. (edit)
He is an Irish American.(edit)
J.J. Abrams, who is a fan of Terry and has worked with him before, offered him the role of Locke in Lost without an audition. (edit)
Terry has two grown sons who live on the US West Coast. Their names are Oliver (born in 1984) and Hunter (born in 1986).(edit)
In 2005, Terry had been married to his wife, Lori, for 25 years. Lori is a horse trainer. They met while he was working on the movie Heaven's Gate.(edit)
Terry received an Emmy nomination in 2005 for his role as John Locke on Lost. He won the Emmy for "Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series" in 2007 for the same role.(edit)
Terry, whose nickname is "Mister Ten Thirteen", is good friends with 1013 Production's Chris Carter, having appeared in most of his work: as a guest star in two episodes of The X-Files, a supporting role in The X-Files, and recurring roles on "Harsh Realm" and Millenium.(edit)