When an 11-year-old O'Connell made his film debut as a chunky goofball in 1986's
Stand by Me, no one — not even the actor himself — imagined that he would one day become a Hollywood heartthrob and land looker Rebecca Romijn as his better half. O'Connell was already slimming down during his three-year stint as a teen with superpowers on
My Secret Identity, and by the mid-'90s he was in great shape on the sci-fi show
Sliders. With sparkling blue eyes, a killer smile and a well-toned physique, O'Connell made a bid for big-screen success, starring in a couple of horny comedies, tackling a few dramatic supporting parts and even branching out into screenwriting with 2004's
First Daughter. But the small screen remained his primary medium, with a plum role as a hunky cop on
Crossing Jordan keeping him in the public eye.
Jerry O'Connell Fast Facts:
- Began taking acting classes at age 6.
- Competed on New York University's fencing team.
- Suggested using live cockroaches rather than fake rubber ones for a scene in 1996's Joe's Apartment in which his mouth was filled with the critters.
- Played the "heartbreaker" in Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker" video.
- Sold his first feature script, First Daughter, in 1999 (released in 2004).
- Modeled for a 2005 Perry Ellis clothing campaign.
- Jerry O'Connell Relationships:
- Charlie O'Connell - Brother
- Charlie Tamara Tulip O'Connell - Daughter
- Dolly Rebecca Rose O'Connell - Daughter
- Linda O'Connell - Mother
- Michael O'Connell - Father
- Rebecca Romijn - Wife
- College:
- New York University, New York, NY (BFA, 1995); attends Southwestern Law School, Los Angeles, CA
