A professional football player and a fantastic actor, this is the mix you get when talking about Ed O’Neill!
Ed has been on the screens for over three decades, starting with simple commercials and reaching stardom just a few years later.
As of July 2024, his fortune is estimated at around $65 million, consistently rising!
However, his humble beginnings don’t match where he is now. That’s why I want to share how Ed O’Neill went from a small-town boy to a footballer and, now, the fantastic actor we know. Let’s get started!
Ed O’Neill’s Early Life
When looking at Ed O’Neil’s life growing up, it makes perfect sense to wonder how he ended up here!
His ancestors were Irish immigrants who settled in the U.S. in the 19th century. As for him, O’Neill was born in April 1946 in Ohio. His mother was a social worker and a housewife, while his father drove trucks and worked as a steel mill worker.
His childhood was pretty regular, and he continued all his years of education until he got into Ohio University on a football scholarship.
Ed decided to transfer to Youngstown State University when he was a sophomore and played there as their defensive lineman for two seasons.
When O’Neill’s attempt at becoming a professional NFL player didn’t pan out, he went back to college and joined the theater program!
He tried looking for acting gigs while in the program but had to earn a living somehow, so he became a substitute teacher for a while at a local high school.
When he felt no opportunities for an acting career in Youngstown, he packed his bags and moved to New York.
And that, dear reader, is how his world turned from footballing to acting!
Acting Career
It took Ed a few years to land an acting gig, but he finally made it to play opposite Danny Aiello in the play Knockout.
His performance was impressive enough to warrant praise, with a critic describing Ed’s performance as a “frightening presence.”
O’Neil landed his next role opposite the great Al Pacino in the film Cruising because of his role in that play. The roles poured in after that!
He got several deals, including one in the Red Lobster commercial 1985. However, his most significant role was yet to come.
In 1984, while he was playing in a stage production of Of Mice and Men, a casting agent from Fox Television spotted him.
He was asked to audition for the role of Al Bundy in Married…with Children, and that was that! He did great in the audition, won the role, and the sitcom aired for 11 seasons.
O’Neill worked on several other projects while playing Al Bundy. For instance, he acted in Wayne’s World, the first and second movies, Little Giants, and The Spanish Prisoner.
Later, he returned to the sitcom scene with his character Jay Pritchett on ABC’s Modern Family. The show started in 2009 and continued for another 11 seasons, ending in 2020!
He also did some voice acting for successful movies such as Wreck-It Ralph and Finding Dory.
Personal Life
Despite being a famous star, Ed O’Neill is a relatively private person who doesn’t often speak about himself or his family.
I discovered, however, that he married actress Catherine Rusoff in 2016, and they have two daughters together.
There’s also one thing that O’Neil did talk about publicly: His love for Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He practiced Brazilian jiu-jitsu for more than 15 years before getting his black belt—he didn’t stop after that.
Net Worth
Throughout his career, Ed O’Neill managed to earn around $65 million! He used to make a couple of grand in Married…with Children, but when working on Modern Family, he earned around $100–$150,000 per episode.
His salary increased over time; by 2020, he was making almost half a million per episode. Of course, this number doesn’t include any rerun royalties he makes.
Final Words
Ed O’Neils net worth story is truly fascinating. Initially, he wanted to pursue a football career and become a professional player, but he didn’t cut.
Did that bring him down, though? Possibly, but he didn’t give up on being among the best, even if it’s in another career!
Today, he has almost $65 million, and the number gets bigger and bigger so long as his shows are loved and watched!
