Jerry O’Connell

Jerry O'Connell
O'Connell in June 2013
Born	Jeremiah O'Connell (1974-02-17) February 17, 1974 (age 43) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University
Occupation	Actor, screenwriter, producer, director
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Rebecca Romijn (m. 2007)
Children	2
Relatives	Charlie O'Connell (brother)

Jeremiah "Jerry" O'Connell (born February 17, 1974) is an American actor, known for his roles as Quinn Mallory in the TV series Sliders, Andrew Clements in My Secret Identity, Vern Tessio in the film Stand by Me (1986), Frank Cushman in Jerry Maguire (1996), Derek in Scream 2 (1997), Charlie Carbone in Kangaroo Jack (2003), and Detective Woody Hoyt on the drama Crossing Jordan. He starred as Pete Kaczmarek in the CBS TV series The Defenders until its cancellation in 2011. He also had a starring role in the comedy horror film Piranha 3D (2010).

O'Connell was born in Manhattan, the son of Linda, an art teacher, and Michael O'Connell, an advertising agency art director. His maternal grandfather, Charles S. Witkowski, was mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey. He is of half Irish, one quarter Italian, and one quarter Polish, ancestry. O'Connell was raised in Manhattan with his younger brother, actor Charlie O'Connell. As a teenager, he attended Manhattan's Professional Children's School. He attended New York University (NYU) from 1991–95, majoring in film. While there, he studied screen writing and competed on the NYU fencing team, serving a stint as captain of the sabre squad. He graduated in 1995.

O'Connell began his acting career at a young age. As a child, he did commercial work for Duncan Hines cookies. Shortly after turning eleven, he landed his first feature film role, as the character Vern Tessio in Stephen King's Stand by Me. In 1987, O'Connell appeared on a commercial for Frosted Flakes. O'Connell starred in the Canadian science fiction sitcom My Secret Identity from 1988 to 1991 as the teen hero who develops superhuman traits. During a summer break from NYU, Jerry starred in the feature film Calendar Girl alongside Jason Priestley and Gabriel Olds. He also appeared in the short-lived ABC sitcom, Camp Wilder with Jay Mohr and Hilary Swank in 1992. In his Junior year, O'Connell auditioned for the TV pilot Sliders (also filmed in Canada). He was offered the role of Quinn Mallory in the series, which ran for three seasons on Fox and two seasons on the Syfy Channel. He served as producer during his fourth and final season, and is credited with writing and directing several episodes.