Spotlight on: Ed O'Neill

Lights off, spotlight on! Time to see in which series this actor portrayed a character. In his younger years, Ed O'Neill seemed to be prematurely confronted with the later called 'Rachel' syndrome. The actor has long been associated with his iconic character Al Bundy in Married ... with Children, just like Jennifer Aniston was always associated with Rachel after friends. A stereotypical American man with a woman who spends too much money, two children who make it even more difficult for him and neighbors who would rather lose him than be near him.

In a whopping eleven seasons, consisting of 259 episodes, Al Bundy fought against women, tried to get his children out of the house or tried to acquire some mone. He also ruthlessly lashed out at his feminist neighbor. It is a series that you either find extremely successful or difficult to tolerate. There seems to be no real middle grounds, although the fact that the series has been extremely successful can't be denied.

O'Neill played some smaller roles in the years that followed. Yet it was incredibly difficult for him to not be seen as Al Bundy. In The 10th Kingdom, for example, he was a bleak troll king and sent his three children - almost as incapable as Kelly Bundy - in a fairy tale world after a prince who was turned into a dog. An amusing series, but one where O'Neill played an unrecognizable role due to his heavy makeup. A role that also looked suspiciously like his character from Married ... with Children.

Modern time

We jump to 2009, twelve years after Al Bundy. The actor born in Youngstown, Ohio, United States has secured a new role in a sitcom. A role that would quickly get rid of his "Rachel" syndrome. In the immensely popular comedy series Modern Family, O'Neill portrays Jay Pritchett. As the patriarch of the rather dysfunctional family, he has found a much younger woman in Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofia Vergara). The innovative approach of the series - with direct contact with the camera - and the non-use of steadicams has resulted in ten seasons, so far. Although Modern Family is almost ending, a spin-off seems to be in the making.

With a track record of almost forty years, O'Neill has left its mark on the American comedy genre. With two completely different and yet similar roles in this genre - in series that were both very innovative for their time - O'Neill has proven himself irreplaceable.

Are you a fan? Click this link for more (guest) roles that Ed O'Neill has played.