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 ''Happy Gilmore'' is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, produced by Robert Simonds, and starring Adam Sandler in the title role, with Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen and Carl Weathers. The film follows the namesak ...

'', 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 ''Grease 2'' is a 1982 American Musical film, musical romantic comedy film, and a standalone sequel to the Grease (film), 1978 film ''Grease'', adapted from the 1971 Grease (musical), musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Orig ...

'' (1982), Darryl Dickinson opposite his former fiancée

Geena Davis Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Davis made her acting debut in the satirical romantic comedy ''Toots ...

in ''

Thelma & Louise ''Thelma & Louise'' is a 1991 American crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri. The film stars Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis as Louise and Thelma, two friends who embark on a road trip that ends up in unforese ...

'' (1991),

Ward Cleaver Ward Cleaver Jr. is a fictional character in the American television sitcom '' Leave It to Beaver''. Ward and his wife, June, are often invoked as archetypal suburban parents of the 1950s baby boomers. At the start of the show, the couple are t ...

in the film adaptation , and Tappy Tibbons in ''

Requiem for a Dream ''Requiem for a Dream'' is a 2000 American psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher McDonald, and Marlon Wayans. It is based on the 1978 novel of the same ...

'' (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 Good Advice may refer to: *Good Advice (film), ''Good Advice'' (film), a 2001 film *Good Advice (album), ''Good Advice'' (album), by Basia Bulat, 2016 *Good Advice (TV series), ''Good Advice'' (TV series), 1993 *Good Advice (song), "Good Advice" (s ...

'' (1993–1994, CBS), ''

Family Law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriag ...

'' (1999–2002, CBS), '' Cracking Up'' (2004, FOX) and ''

Harry's Law ''Harry's Law'' is an American legal comedy drama series created by David E. Kelley, and starring Kathy Bates, which ran for two seasons on NBC from January 17, 2011, to May 27, 2012. On May 11, 2012, NBC announced that ''Harry's Law'' would ...

'', (2011–2012, NBC). McDonald has portrayed several notable real-life people, including game show host Jack Barry in , mountaineer

Jon Krakauer Jon Krakauer (born April 12, 1954) is an American writer and mountaineer. He is the author of bestselling nonfiction books—'' Into the Wild''; '' Into Thin Air''; '' Under the Banner of Heaven''; and '' Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pa ...

in '' Into Thin Air: Death on Everest'' on ABC (1997), sportscaster

Mel Allen Mel Allen (born Melvin Allen Israel; February 14, 1913 – June 16, 1996) was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, 1 ...

in the HBO film '' 61*'' (2001), Yankee legend

Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (; born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, ; November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "the Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career ...

in ESPN's '' The Bronx Is Burning'' (2007), U.S. Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty on HBO's ''

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter for the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. The series sta ...

'' (2010–2012), Texas revolution soldier Henry Karnes in

History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...

'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 This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Prior to 1988 the category was not gender specific, thus was called Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series. These awards, l ...

for his role as casino CEO Marty Ghilain on the

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

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 Romulus is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 3,203 at the 2020 census. The town is named after the mythical founder of Rome, Romulus, a name assigned by a clerk with an interest in the classics. It is part o ...

. He graduated from Romulus Central School in 1973 and later earned a degree from Hobart College in

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

where he played football and soccer. He was also a member of the

Kappa Alpha Society The Kappa Alpha Society () is a North American social college fraternity. Founded in 1825, it was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It is considered to be the oldest national, secret, Greek-letter social fraterni ...

. His younger brother, actor and singer Daniel McDonald, died of

brain cancer A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cance ...

in February 2007. He is a prominent fan of the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

and a friend of former Bills quarterback

Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers o ...

. McDonald was engaged to future ''

'' co-star

for a period in the mid-80s until 1985, when she left him for

Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum ( ; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and ''Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. 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 ''The Dating Game'' is an American television game show that first aired on December 20, 1965, and was the first of many shows created and packaged by Chuck Barris from the 1960s through the 1980s. ABC dropped the show on July 6, 1973, but it ...

''. McDonald has numerous film and television roles, often as a

supporting actor A supporting actor or supporting actress is an actor who performs a role in a play or film below that of the leading actor(s), and above that of a bit part. In recognition of important nature of this work, the theater and film industries give ...

and often portraying villains. His credits include ''

'' (1982), ''

Breakin' ''Breakin (also known as ''Breakdance'' in the United Kingdom and ''Break Street '84'' in other regions) is a 1984 American breakdancing-themed musical film, musical film directed by Joel Silberg and written by Charles Parker and Allen DeBev ...

'' (1984), ''

Where the Boys Are '84 Where may refer to: * Where?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * where (command), a shell command * Where.com, a provider of location-based applications via mobile phones * ''Where'' (magazine), a series of magazines for tourists * "Where?", a ...

'' (1984), '' The Boys Next Door'' (1985), '' Outrageous Fortune'' (1987), ''

'' (1991), '' Fatal Instinct'' (1993), '' Grumpy Old Men'' (1993), ''

Quiz Show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating and narrating whe ...

'' (1994), the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

film '' The Tuskegee Airmen'' (1995), ''

'' (1996), ''

Celtic Pride ''Celtic Pride'' is a 1996 American sports comedy film written by Judd Apatow and Colin Quinn, and directed by Tom DeCerchio. It stars Daniel Stern and Dan Aykroyd as Mike O'Hara and Jimmy Flaherty, two passionate Boston Celtics fans, and Damo ...

'' (1996), ''

House Arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...

'' (1996), '' Flubber'' (1997), '' Dirty Work'' (1998), ''

The Faculty ''The Faculty'' is a 1998 American science fiction horror film directed and edited by Robert Rodriguez with a screenplay by Kevin Williamson. It stars Jordana Brewster in her film debut, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Ha ...

'' (1998), '' The Skulls'' (2000), '' The Perfect Storm'' (2000), '' Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams'' (2002), ''

Broken Flowers ''Broken Flowers'' is a 2005 French-American comedy drama, comedy-drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and produced by Jon Kilik and Stacey Smith. The film focuses on an aging "Don Juan" who embarks on a cross-country journey to track ...

'' (2005), ''

Rumor Has It Rumor Has It or Rumour Has It may refer to: Film and television * ''Rumor Has It'' (film), a 2005 romantic comedy film * ''Rumor Has It'' (game show), a 1993 game show on VH1 * ''Rumour Has It '', a 2016 series by Ndani TV * "Rumor Has It", a ...

'' (2005), '' American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile'' (2006), '' American Pie Presents: Beta House'' (2007), and ''

Superhero Movie ''Superhero Movie'' is a 2008 American superhero parody film written and directed by Craig Mazin, produced by Robert K. Weiss and David Zucker, and starring Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, Christopher McDonald, Kevin Hart, Brent Spiner, Jeffrey Ta ...

'' (2008). In 1994, he starred in the film ''

Terminal Velocity Terminal velocity is the maximum speed attainable by an object as it falls through a fluid (air is the most common example). It is reached when the sum of the drag force (''Fd'') and the buoyancy is equal to the downward force of gravity (''FG ...

'' as an aggressive Russian mafia villain. He was featured as

in the film version of ''

Leave It to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...

'' (1997). He also played Tappy Tibbons in ''

'' (2000), and was in '' The House Bunny'' (2008) and ''

About Last Night About Last Night may refer to: Film and television * ''About Last Night'' (1986 film), an American comedy-drama directed by Edward Zwick * ''About Last Night'' (2014 film), an American remake of the 1986 film, directed by Steve Pink * "About Las ...

'' (2014). In television, along with a starring role on the television series '' Walter & Emily'' (1991–1992), ''

'' (1999–2002), '' Cracking Up'' (2004–2006), and recurring roles on '' North Shore'' (2004), ''

Veronica's Closet ''Veronica's Closet'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman. It aired on NBC for three seasons, from September 25, 1997 to December 7, 2000. Kirstie Alley starred as Veronica "Ronnie" Chase, the owner an ...

'' (1997–1999), ''

'' (1993–1994), and ''

'' (2011–2012), McDonald has also made guest appearances on Matlock, ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American television sitcom, created by Glen and Les Charles, Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows, that aired on NBC for eleven seasons from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/C ...

'', '' Riptide'', ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American media franchise, entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three-television series: the original ''Knight Rider (1982 TV series), Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequ ...

'', ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'', ''

Psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened o ...

'', both the

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

and the

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

versions of ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'', ''

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

'', ''

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

'', the ''Law & Order'' franchise, ''

Stargate Universe ''Stargate Universe'' (often abbreviated as ''SGU'') is a military science fiction drama television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the An ...

'', and '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. He also played the eponymous lead in

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

's 2002 music video for the song "The Barry Williams Show". McDonald has also done voice work, including

Jor-El Jor-El is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in the Superman (comic strip), ''Superman'' newspaper comic strip in 1939. Jor-El is Supe ...

in '' Superman: The Animated Series'' and ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

,'' and an older version of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

in ''

Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (also known as ''Batman of the Future'' in Europe) is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, and serving as the sequel to both '' Batman: The Animated Series'' and '' The New Ba ...

''. He also voiced the determined government agent Kent Mansley in the animated film ''

The Iron Giant ''The Iron Giant'' is a 1999 American animated science fiction film directed by Brad Bird and produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation. It is loosely based on the 1968 novel '' The Iron Man'' by Ted Hughes (which was published in the United ...

'' (1999). He subbed for

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

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 Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

in the ''

Midnight Run ''Midnight Run'' is a 1988 American action comedy film directed by Martin Brest from a screenplay by George Gallo. It stars Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton (actor), John Ashton, Dennis Farina and Joe Pantoliano. In the ...

'' film franchise, playing Jack Walsh in three 1994 films: '' Another Midnight Run'', '' Midnight Runaround'', and '' Midnight Run for Your Life''. He portrayed mountaineer

in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

film '' Into Thin Air: Death on Everest'' (1997), famous baseball broadcaster

in the

film '' 61*'' (2001), baseball player

in the

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

original series '' The Bronx Is Burning'' (2007) and U.S. Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty on HBO's ''

'' (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 Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

in 2017. McDonald also played Texas revolution soldier Henry Karnes in

'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 ''The Front Page'' is a Broadway theatre, Broadway comedy about newspaper reporters on the police beat. Written by former Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, it was first produced in 1928 and has been adapted for the cinema severa ...

'' at the Broadhurst Theater, which opened in late 2016. In 2021, McDonald joined the cast of '' Hacks'' on

as Las Vegas casino owner Marty Ghilain, where he was nominated for a

for his role. In May 2021, he was cast in the

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

series ''

Secret Invasion "Secret Invasion" is a comic book fictional crossover, crossover storyline written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu, that ran through a self-titled eight-issue Limited series (comics), limited series and several ti ...

'', set in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

, which premiered in 2023. In 2023, McDonald appeared in the music video for

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

duo The Reklaws' song " Honky Tonkin' About" with Drake Milligan.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

References

External links

* * {{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