Edward Phillip "Ed" O'Neill, Jr. (born April 12, 1946) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the main character, Al Bundy, on the Fox TV Network sitcom Married... with Children, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes. He can currently be seen on the award-winning ABC sitcom Modern Family in the role of Jay Pritchett, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
O'Neill was born into an Irish Catholic family in Youngstown, Ohio. His mother, Ruth Ann (née Quinlan), was a homemaker and social worker, and his father, Edward Phillip O'Neill, Sr., was a steel mill worker and truck driver. O'Neill attended Ursuline High School and won a football scholarship to Ohio University, where he majored in history. O'Neill left Ohio after his sophomore year: he spent more time playing sports and partying than studying and also feuded with his coach. He transferred to Youngstown State University, where he was a defensive lineman. O'Neill was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969, but was cut in training camp. Later, on Married... with Children, O'Neill played a former high-school football star who had failed to make it big and
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