Kevin O'Connor (born January 1, 1968) is an American television personality. He has been the host of the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educ ...

home renovation The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...

series ''

This Old House ''This Old House'' is an American home improvement media brand with television shows, a magazine, and a websiteThisOldHouse.com. The brand is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The television series airs on the American television netwo ...

'' since replacing Steve Thomas in 2003.

Early life and education

O'Connor and his four brothers and two sisters grew up on various job sites led by his father, a civil engineer.Kevin O'Connor, Host
''This Old House'' Biographies. He grew up in

Maplewood, New Jersey Maplewood is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is an inner-ring suburban bedroom community of New York City in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's popula ...

. After graduating in 1986 from

Saint Benedict's Preparatory School St. Benedict's Preparatory School is a Catholic college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey run by the Benedictines. The school serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade on a urban campus. The school has been accredite ...

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest i ...

in 1990. He earned a Master's degree in Business Administration from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original ...

in 1999.

Career

O'Connor worked for

Fleet Bank FleetBoston Financial was a Boston, Massachusetts-based bank created in 1999 by the merger of Fleet Financial Group and BankBoston. In 2004 it merged with Bank of America; all of its banks and branches were converted to Bank of America. Histo ...

as a Vice President in the Sports Finance Group, then worked for

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...

as a Senior Vice President in the Commercial Real Estate Group. The producers of ''

'' approached him to become their new host following the departure of Steve Thomas. O'Connor and his wife, Kathleen, appeared on an episode of ''

Ask This Old House ''This Old House'' is an American home improvement media brand with television shows, a magazine, and a websiteThisOldHouse.com. The brand is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The television series airs on the American television networ ...

'' (Season 1, Episode 22), in which painting contractor Jim Clark assisted them with a

wallpaper Wallpaper is a material used in interior decoration to decorate the interior walls of domestic and public buildings. It is usually sold in rolls and is applied onto a wall using wallpaper paste. Wallpapers can come plain as "lining paper" (so ...

-removal project. O'Connor made his hosting debut on ''This Old House'' in Season 25, Episode 1. O'Connor, also the host of ''

'' and ''

Inside This Old House ''This Old House'' is an American home improvement media brand with television shows, a magazine, and a websiteThisOldHouse.com. The brand is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The television series airs on the American television networ ...

'', holds a position on the editorial board of the ''This Old House'' magazine, published by This Old House Ventures, Inc. In September 2011, O'Connor debuted as the author of his first book ''The Best Homes from This Old House''.

Personal life

O'Connor lives with his wife and their three children in an 1894 Queen Anne Victorian home in

Hamilton, Massachusetts Hamilton is a town in the eastern central portion of Essex County in eastern Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 7,561. Currently the town has no manufacturing industry and no industrially-zoned land. Thou ...

References

External links

*
Charles and Hudson interview with Kevin O'Connor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Kevin 1968 births American television hosts Boston University School of Management alumni College of the Holy Cross alumni Living people PBS people People from Hamilton, Massachusetts People from Maplewood, New Jersey St. Benedict's Preparatory School alumni This Old House