By Joseph Martinez - 

In celebration of many successful years in entertainment, Ed O’Neill was honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 30th, 2011.       

Ed O’Neill is best known for his role as Al Bundy, on FOX Network’s long running sitcom, “Married…With Children.” The role prompted two Golden Globe Award nominations. He is currently seen on the award-winning ABC sitcom “Modern Family” in the role of Jay Pritchett, for which he received Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.  Fox Home Entertainment will release   “Modern Family” Season 2 on Blu-ray and DVD September 20th.

Born to an Irish Catholic family on April 12, in Youngstown, Ohio, O’Neill attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and Youngstown State University. Signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was cut in training camp and worked as a Social Studies teacher before becoming an actor. He has appeared in several movies including “The Bone Collector,” “Little Giants,” “Dutch,” the “Wayne’s World” series, and various films for Pulitzer Prize-winning screenwriter David Mamet including “The Spanish Prisoner,” “Spartan,” and the indie film “Redbelt.”          

Besides his roles on “Married…With Children,” and “Modern Family” O’Neill’s television credits include the reincarnation of Sgt. Joe Friday on Dick Wolf’s remake of “Dragnet,” the recurring role of Baker (D-PA), a potential Vice Presidential candidate on the NBC drama “The West Wing,” the role of Detective Michael Mooney on David Milch’s CBS series, “Big Apple,” and most recently that of a retired cop on HBO’s “John from Cincinnati,” from the creator/producer of “NYPD Blue” and “Deadwood.” O’Neill’s talent also took him to Broadway starring in productions “Lakeboat” and “Keep your Pantheon.”  (Photo © 2011 Joe Martinez / PictureLux)

Ed O'Neill Trivia Per IMDB:

• Was nearly cast as "Sam Malone" in the TV show "Cheers" (1982); the role went to Ted Danson instead.
• Taught Social Studies in Youngstown before acting.
• Expected "Married with Children" (1987) to be canceled within the first 6 episodes.
• Was considered for the role of patriarch "Steven Keaton" in "Family Ties" (1982); the role went to Michael Gross instead.
• He graduated from Ursuline High School
• Often plays cops on TV shows or movies. On an episode of "Married with Children" (1987), he dreamed that he was a detective.
• Learned (and still practices) Brazilian Ju-Jitsu from the famous Gracie family.
• The first actor from Fox to host "Saturday Night Live" (1975) in 1990; three years later his "Married with Children" (1987) co-star, Christina Applegate hosted the show.
• Invented the popular sandwich called the "Boone" at the famous Se-port Deli in Setauket, New York.
• Plays handball.
• Has two young daughters.
• In 2007 Ed earned his black belt in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu after 15 years of training.
• O'Neill was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969 as an outside linebacker. He was released before the start of the 1969 regular season.
• Lives in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California.
• Irish-American