Ed O'Neill

In his three-hour interview, Ed O'Neill discusses entering acting in his early thirties. He talks of his love of theater and speaks of several plays he was in before landing a role on the soap opera Another World. He recalls several guest appearances on television shows in the early 1980s and explains how starring in the play Of Mice and Men led to getting cast in his most iconic role, that of "Al Bundy" on Married...With Children. O'Neill describes shooting the pilot of the show, meeting fellow cast members, and what a typical work week on the program was like. He comments on how changes with the writing/production staff affected the show and shares that the series never had a last show/wrap-up episode. He discusses his roles in the movies Dutch and Wayne's World and outlines several David Milch series on which he worked, including Big Apple and John from Cincinnati. O'Neill also recalls his role as "Joe Friday" in the 2003 reboot of Dragnet and then details his role as "Jay Pritchett" on Modern Family. He recounts how he was approached for the series, what it's like working with the ensemble cast, and discusses some of his favorite moments from the program. Nancy Harrington conducted the interview on April 3, 2013 in Beverly Hills, CA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

Ed O'Neill on being considered for the role of "Steven Keaton" on Family Ties

00:29

Ed O'Neill on how he's like his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy"

00:57

Ed O'Neill on appearing in the "Wayne's World" movies

01:26

Ed O'Neill on contemplating how to play the role of "Jay Pritchett" on Modern Family

01:26

Ed O'Neill on why Modern Family resonates with fans

01:10

Ed O'Neill on how he was supposed to appear David Milch's Deadwood

04:46

Ed O'Neill on how he was cast in John from Cincinnati after he was not cast in Deadwood

03:06

Ed O'Neill on working with David Milch again in John from Cincinnati

03:03

Ed O'Neill on how he was cast in John from Cincinnati after he was not cast in Deadwood

03:06

Ed O'Neill on a John from Cincinnati rewrite and how he responded to it

02:19

Ed O'Neill on how starring in the play "Of Mice and Men" led to getting cast on Married...With Children

07:00

Ed O'Neill on how Married...With Children was described to him, and originally passing on the show

03:35

Ed O'Neill on the premise of Married...With Children and the success of the show

04:06

Ed O'Neill on how he's like his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy"

00:57

Ed O'Neill on shooting the pilot of Married...With Children

01:19

Ed O'Neill on his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy" and his strengths and weaknesses; on how "Al" evolved over the years

02:59

Ed O'Neill on his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy's" walk and stance

01:00

Ed O'Neill on audience reaction to Married...With Children

02:06

Ed O'Neill on having his image on Married...With Children merchandise and promotions

03:47

Ed O'Neill on a typical work week on Married...With Children and shooting in front of a live audience

02:33

Ed O'Neill on his input on his Married...With Children character "Al Bundy," the atmosphere on set, and not getting along with a certain cast member

06:42

Ed O'Neill on working with Daivd Faustino, "Bud Bundy" on Married...With Children

00:41

Ed O'Neill on censorship issues on Married...With Children and the Terry Rakolta campaign

02:06

Ed O'Neill on working with Katey Sagal, "Peg Bundy" on Married...With Children

01:00

Ed O'Neill on his favorite episodes of Married...With Children

02:27

Ed O'Neill on how co-creator Michael Moye leaving the show affected Married...With Children

01:01

Ed O'Neill on why Married...With Children ended and never doing a "last show" wrap-up for the series

02:53

Ed O'Neill on where "Al Bundy" would be today

00:45

Ed O'Neill on the legacy of Married...With Children

00:53

Ed O'Neill on how he was cast on Modern Family

05:10

Ed O'Neill on contemplating how to play the role of "Jay Pritchett" on Modern Family

01:26

Ed O'Neill on meeting Modern Family's Sofia Vergara and the rest of the cast

01:38

Ed O'Neill on shooting the pilot for Modern Family

02:22

Ed O'Neill on the style of shooting (single camera) and production on Modern Family

01:53

Ed O'Neill on working with Modern Family creators Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd

01:13

Ed O'Neill on his Modern Family character "Jay Pritchett" and his style of acting

08:30

Ed O'Neill on the relationship between "Jay and Gloria Pritchett" on Modern Family

01:54

Ed O'Neill on the relationship between "Jay Pritchett" and his children on Modern Family

01:05

Ed O'Neill on the relationship between "Jay Pritchett" and his son, "Mitchell Pritchett" on Modern Family

02:00

Ed O'Neill on the relationship between "Jay Pritchett" and his son-in-law, "Phil Dunphy" (played by Ty Burrell) on Modern Family

01:10

Ed O'Neill on the relationship between "Jay Pritchett" and his stepson, "Manny Delgado" (played by Rico Rodriguez) on Modern Family

03:11

Ed O'Neill on balancing humor and the touching moments on Modern Family

01:08

Ed O'Neill on his favorite scenes on Modern Family (with Jesse Tyler Ferguson)

02:17

Ed O'Neill on taking himself out of the lead actor category for Emmy nominations for his work on Modern Family

03:04

Ed O'Neill on why Modern Family resonates with fans

01:10

Ed O'Neill on his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy"

01:19

Ed O'Neill on how he's like his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy"

00:57

Ed O'Neill on his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy" and his strengths, weaknesses, stance, and catchphrases

03:59

Ed O'Neill on his Modern Family character, "Jay Pritchett"

02:33

Ed O'Neill on his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy"

01:19

Ed O'Neill on how he's like his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy"

00:57

Ed O'Neill on his Married... with Children character, "Al Bundy" and his strengths, weaknesses, stance, and catchphrases

03:59

Ed O'Neill on audience reaction to Married...With Children

02:06

Ed O'Neill on his Modern Family character, "Jay Pritchett"

02:33

Ed O'Neill on audience reaction to Married...With Children

02:06

Ed O'Neill on censorship issues on Married...With Children and the Terry Rakolta campaign

02:06

Ed O'Neill on getting recognized by fans

00:56

Ed O'Neill on his audition process

02:55

Ed O'Neill on his style of acting

05:57

Ed O'Neill on his approach to acting

03:43

Ed O'Neill on advice for aspiring actors

00:58

Ed O'Neill on his audition process

02:55

Ed O'Neill on his style of acting

05:57

Ed O'Neill on his approach to acting

03:43

Ed O'Neill on advice for aspiring actors

00:58

Ed O'Neill on getting cast in Married... with Children; on his character, "Al Bundy"

20:56

Ed O'Neill on a typical work week, the cast, and the legacy of Married...With Children

28:47

Ed O'Neill on getting cast on Modern Family, working with the cast, and the characters' relationships

39:16

Ed O'Neill on Barry Diller's thoughts on casting choices for Married... with Children

00:47

Ed O'Neill on Barry Diller vetoing a promotional idea for "Dutch"

02:12

Ed O'Neill on how he was cast on Modern Family

05:10

Ed O'Neill on working with Modern Family creators Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd

01:13

Ed O'Neill on working with Daivd Faustino, "Bud Bundy" on Married...With Children

06:07

Ed O'Neill on reuniting with the cast of  Married...With Children on David Faustino's web series

01:01

Ed O'Neill on his role in David Milch's Big Apple

05:56

Ed O'Neill on working with David Milch again in John from Cincinnati

08:00

Ed O'Neill on how he was cast in John from Cincinnati after he was not cast in Deadwood

03:06

Ed O'Neill on a John from Cincinnati rewrite and how he responded to it

02:19

Ed O'Neill on meeting Katey Sagal, "Peg Bundy" on Married... with Children

00:49

Ed O'Neill on working with Katey Sagal, "Peg Bundy" on Married...With Children

13:40

Ed O'Neill on auditioning for Married... with Children creators Michael Moye and Ron Leavitt

02:23

Ed O'Neill on how co-creator Michael Moye leaving the show affected Married...With Children

01:01

Ed O'Neill on auditioning for Married... with Children creators Michael Moye and Ron Leavitt

02:23

Ed O'Neill on how co-creator Michael Moye leaving the show affected Married...With Children

01:01

Ed O'Neill on how he was cast on Modern Family

05:10

Ed O'Neill on working with Modern Family creators Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd

01:13