Christopher McDonald

Christopher McDonald (born February 15, 1955) is an American actor.

McDonald is best known for playing the villainous professional golfer Shooter McGavin in the 1996 comedy '' Happy Gilmore'', a role he’d later reprise in 2025’s sequel '' Happy Gilmore 2''. Other notable starring roles for McDonald in film include "T-Birds" member Goose McKenzie in ''Grease 2'' (1982), Darryl Dickinson opposite his former fiancée Geena Davis in '' Thelma & Louise'' (1991), Ward Cleaver in the film adaptation , and Tappy Tibbons in '' Requiem for a Dream'' (2000). Along with numerous independent and small-budget film roles, he played supporting characters in box-office hits , , , '' The House Bunny'' (2008) and .

On television, McDonald was a series regular on network TV shows '' Walter & Emily'' (1991–1992, NBC), ''Good Advice'' (1993–1994, CBS), ''Family Law'' (1999–2002, CBS), '' Cracking Up'' (2004, FOX) and '' Harry's Law'', (2011–2012, NBC).

McDonald has portrayed several notable real-life people, including game show host Jack Barry in , mountaineer Jon Krakauer in '' Into Thin Air: Death on Everest'' on ABC (1997), sportscaster Mel Allen in the HBO film '' 61*'' (2001), Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio in ESPN's '' The Bronx Is Burning'' (2007), U.S. Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty on HBO's '' Boardwalk Empire'' (2010–2012), Texas revolution soldier Henry Karnes in History Channel's '' Texas Rising'' (2015), and Clinton lawyer Robert S. Bennett on FX's '' Impeachment: American Crime Story'' (2021).

In 2022, McDonald was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as casino CEO Marty Ghilain on the HBO Max show '' Hacks''.

Personal life

McDonald was born in New York City, to Patricia, a nursing professor and real estate agent, and James R. McDonald, an educator and high school principal.

Of Irish descent and a practicing Catholic, he and his siblings were raised in Romulus, New York. He graduated from Romulus Central School in 1973 and later earned a degree from Hobart College in Geneva, New York where he played football and soccer. He was also a member of the Kappa Alpha Society. His younger brother, actor and singer Daniel McDonald, died of brain cancer in February 2007. He is a prominent fan of the Buffalo Bills and a friend of former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly.

McDonald was engaged to future '' Thelma & Louise'' co-star Geena Davis for a period in the mid-80s until 1985, when she left him for Jeff Goldblum. He met actress Lupe Gidley in 1989 when they performed together in a theatre production in New Mexico. They married in 1992 and have three daughters and one son.

Career

In 1978, McDonald appeared, as a contestant, on '' The Dating Game''. McDonald has numerous film and television roles, often as a supporting actor and often portraying villains. His credits include ''Grease 2'' (1982), ''Breakin''' (1984), '' Where the Boys Are '84'' (1984), '' The Boys Next Door'' (1985), '' Outrageous Fortune'' (1987), '' Thelma & Louise'' (1991), '' Fatal Instinct'' (1993), '' Grumpy Old Men'' (1993), '' Quiz Show'' (1994), the HBO film '' The Tuskegee Airmen'' (1995), '' Happy Gilmore'' (1996), '' Celtic Pride'' (1996), ''House Arrest'' (1996), '' Flubber'' (1997), '' Dirty Work'' (1998), ''The Faculty'' (1998), '' The Skulls'' (2000), '' The Perfect Storm'' (2000), '' Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams'' (2002), '' Broken Flowers'' (2005), '' Rumor Has It'' (2005), '' American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile'' (2006), '' American Pie Presents: Beta House'' (2007), and '' Superhero Movie'' (2008). In 1994, he starred in the film '' Terminal Velocity'' as an aggressive Russian mafia villain. He was featured as Ward Cleaver in the film version of '' Leave It to Beaver'' (1997). He also played Tappy Tibbons in '' Requiem for a Dream'' (2000), and was in '' The House Bunny'' (2008) and '' About Last Night'' (2014).

In television, along with a starring role on the television series '' Walter & Emily'' (1991–1992), ''Family Law'' (1999–2002), '' Cracking Up'' (2004–2006), and recurring roles on '' North Shore'' (2004), '' Veronica's Closet'' (1997–1999), ''Good Advice'' (1993–1994), and '' Harry's Law'' (2011–2012), McDonald has also made guest appearances on Matlock, ''Cheers'', '' Riptide'', '' Knight Rider'', ''The Sopranos'', ''Psych'', both the 1985 and the 2002 versions of '' The Twilight Zone'', '' Home Improvement'', ''Las Vegas'', the ''Law & Order'' franchise, '' Stargate Universe'', and '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. He also played the eponymous lead in Peter Gabriel's 2002 music video for the song "The Barry Williams Show".

McDonald has also done voice work, including Jor-El in '' Superman: The Animated Series'' and ''Justice League Unlimited,'' and an older version of Superman in '' Batman Beyond''. He also voiced the determined government agent Kent Mansley in the animated film '' The Iron Giant'' (1999). He subbed for Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg in '' The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning'' (2007). In 2009, McDonald lent his voice talents in the Thomas Nelson audio Bible production known as ''The Word of Promise''. In this dramatized audio, McDonald played the role of Luke.

McDonald replaced Robert De Niro in the '' Midnight Run'' film franchise, playing Jack Walsh in three 1994 films: '' Another Midnight Run'', '' Midnight Runaround'', and '' Midnight Run for Your Life''. He portrayed mountaineer Jon Krakauer in the ABC film '' Into Thin Air: Death on Everest'' (1997), famous baseball broadcaster Mel Allen in the HBO film '' 61*'' (2001), baseball player Joe DiMaggio in the ESPN original series '' The Bronx Is Burning'' (2007) and U.S. Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty on HBO's '' Boardwalk Empire'' (2010–2012). In October 2013, McDonald started filming for ''A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island''. Under the title '' The Crash'', it was released direct-to-video in 2017. McDonald also played Texas revolution soldier Henry Karnes in History Channel's '' Texas Rising'' (2015), and Clinton lawyer Robert S. Bennett on FX's '' Impeachment: American Crime Story'' (2021).

McDonald appeared as Murphy in the Broadway show '' The Front Page'' at the Broadhurst Theater, which opened in late 2016.

In 2021, McDonald joined the cast of '' Hacks'' on HBO Max as Las Vegas casino owner Marty Ghilain, where he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role. In May 2021, he was cast in the Disney+ series '' Secret Invasion'', set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which premiered in 2023. In 2023, McDonald appeared in the music video for country music duo The Reklaws' song " Honky Tonkin' About" with Drake Milligan.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Christopher
1955 births
Living people
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
Catholics from New York (state)
Hobart and William Smith Colleges alumni
Hobart Statesmen football players
Male actors from New York City
People from Romulus, New York
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American people of Irish descent