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Chris O'Donnell (born on 26 June, 1970 in Winnetka, Illinois, USA) is an American actor. O'Donnell played Robin in the Batman films, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.

Early life and personal life

Born the youngest of seven children (with four sisters and two brothers) in Winnetka, Illinois, O'Donnell's family was of Irish descent. [1] O'Donnell's family was Catholic, and he attended Catholic schools. He attended Loyola Academy for High School, in Willmette IL and graduated in 1988. He maintains friendships with a number of his Rambler classmates, many of whom attended his wedding.

He attended Boston College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in marketing. He subsequently attended law school at UCLA but did not graduate.

From the ages of thirteen to sixteen, he began modeling, and was featured in several commercials.

In December of 1996, O’Donnell proposed to his girlfriend Caroline Fentress, an elementary school teacher. He met her while in college; Fentress had a brother who was O'Donnell's roommate. A photo of O'Donnell and his bride appeared on the cover of People (magazine).

The couple have four children. Their daughter Lilly Ann was born September 1999 in New Zealand; their son Christopher Eugene was born October 24, 2000, and son Charles McHugh was born July 11, 2003 in Los Angeles, California. The couple recently announced the birth of their fourth child, a boy named Finley.

Career

O'Donnell was discovered when he was cast in a McDonald's commercial, in which he served Michael Jordan.

At the age of seventeen, he was offered a chance to audition for a part in the movie Men Don’t Leave, with Jessica Lange, and he won the role.

In the early 1990s, O'Donnell was a featured player in many successful movies such as Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and Scent of a Woman (1992).

With the success of Circle of Friends (1995), O'Donnell further cemented his place in Hollywood's A-list when he was chosen over Leonardo DiCaprio for the role of Robin in the hugely successful Batman Forever. The role of Robin was one of the most sought-after roles at that time. O'Donnell was part of a field that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Christian Bale (who went on to play the Dark Knight himself in "Batman Begins"), Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Tobey Stephens, and Scott Speedman. Producers narrowed their choices to DiCaprio and O'Donnell. At a comic book convention, they asked the young boys attending which actor could beat the other in a fistfight. When the boys overwhelmingly declared O'Donnell the winner, he was ultimately given the role.

O'Donnell followed that film with an appearance in the 1996 film The Chamber, based on the John Grisham novel. He subsequently appeared in the "Batman" sequel, Batman & Robin, in 1997. Critically panned, the movie turned out to be one of the largest box office failures in history.

O'Donnell did not appear in another movie for two years. His next appearance was in the Robert Altman film Cookie's Fortune, as part of the ensemble. His more mainstream comeback films The Bachelor (1999) and Vertical Limit (2000) were only moderately successful.

Following Vertical Limit, a four-year hiatus led many to believe he had met the same career fate of his Batman & Robin co-star Alicia Silverstone. However, in 2004, he appeared in the widely praised Kinsey.

Television appearances

O'Donnell is best known for his film appearances, but he has also taken several roles on television.

His first television role was an appearance on the series "Jack and Mike" in 1986.

O'Donnell took a lead role in the Fox Network television series "Head Cases" in 2005. The show was the first show of the fall 2005 season to be cancelled, and only two episodes were aired.

He was subsequently cast as veterinarian Finn Dandridge on the popular ABC drama Grey's Anatomy. O'Donnell appeared in the last six episodes of the 2005-2006 season, and is slated to make additional appearances in the 2006 season.

Filmography

Trivia and other facts

• In 1996, O'Donnell was chosen by People (magazine) as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world.
• In high school, he was voted "Most Likely to Run Off and Join the Circus".
• He was named one of the twelve Promising New Actors of 1992 in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 44.
• His sister Sally got him into the modeling business when she convinced a talent agent to see him.
• He was considered for the lead role in Spider-Man.
• O'Donnell is an avid golfer. He participated in a golf outing to help raise money for the Motion Picture and Television Fund in which they raised $500,000 in the year 2000.
• Had a small role as an extra in Dumb and Dumber

External links

• Chris O'Donnell webpage

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