Jerry O'Connell

A veteran of the stage and screen from an early age, actor Jerry O’Connell, best known for his roles in the TV series Sliders and Crossing Jordan, proves that second acts are far from impossible for Hollywood actors who began their careers as children. O'Connell first gained recognition among film fans as "that fat kid from Stand By Me," when he starred in the 1986 Rob Reiner film at the age of eleven - then experienced a massive physical transformation. Several years and many lost pounds later, O'Connell emerged as a tall, handsome screen lothario, a development that provoked substantial commentary from both film critics and any number of lay viewers.

Born in Jeremiah O’Connell in New York City, he enrolled in acting classes at the age of six. He obtained his first professional assignments acting in commercials when he was ten, and a year later made his film debut in the critically acclaimed Stand By Me. Though somewhat overshadowed by the presence of teen idol co-stars River Phoenix and Corey Feldman, O'Connell still managed to win a place in the coming-of-age pantheon. After Stand By Me, he appeared in the memorable syndicated television series My Secret Identity (as a high schooler with superpowers) and enrolled at Manhattan's Professional Children's School. Following his graduation, he attended New York University, where he attained a B.A. in Film and Television in 1995. While still an NYU student, O'Connell appeared in the eminently forgettable Jason Priestley vehicle Calendar Girl (1993).

After his college graduation, O'Connell began to pursue acting full-time. He achieved his second career highpoint starring in the cult sci-fi adventure series "Sliders" playing Quinn Mallory a physics grad student who unwittingly creates a doorway to parallel universes.

In 1996, the actor's popularity grew beyond the confines of television when he starred in both Joe's Apartment and Jerry Maguire. The latter film was a particular success, and O'Connell began to land steady film assignments once again. Next up was the slasher movie Scream 2 (1997), in which he played Neve Campbell's boyfriend. After an uncredited role in the Jennifer Love Hewitt vehicle Can't Hardly Wait (1998), O'Connell returned to television to star as a young Vietnam War soldier in the miniseries The '60s in 1999. That same year, he starred as a neanderthal-like jock in Body Shots, a film about the search for love and/or a lay amongst a group of Los Angeles twentysomethings.

Returning to television, he found a comfortable niche playing the recurring role of Det. Woody Hoyt on the NBC crime series "Crossing Jordan" (2001-07) for several seasons. O'Connell returned to the big screen as one of a down-on-their-luck duo of losers who run afoul of both the Mafia and a troublesome marsupial in "Kangaroo Jack" (2003). After being one of many celebrities to jump aboard the poker bandwagon by appearing on "Celebrity Poker Showdown" (Bravo, 2003- ), O'Connell voiced Captain Marvel for an episode of "Justice League Unlimited" (Cartoon Network, 2003-06).

O'Connell trekked back to the small screen for one of the three lead roles in the fall 2007 sitcom Carpoolers - about a cadre of male buddies who share rides to and from work each day.

In 2008, O'Connell poked fun at Tom Cruise and Scientology with a viral Internet parody that led to another satirizing Hillary Clinton during the presidential primary campaign. Meanwhile, he tried his hand at another sitcom, "Do Not Disturb" (Fox, 2008), but the much-maligned comedy set in a hotel failed to attract an audience and was axed from the schedule after only three episodes. His personal life, however, fared better when he and wife Rebecca Romijn had twins at the end of 2008.

O'Connell enrolled in Southwestern Law School, located in Los Angeles, in August 2009.