Keir O'Donnell
Encyclopedia
Keir O'Donnell is an Australian actor best known for his roles in the comedy films Wedding Crashers
and Paul Blart: Mall Cop. He also had guest appearances in episodes of the television series Lost
, CSI
, and The Closer
.
, United States. He has one sibling, a brother, Patrick, who is eighteen months older.
in Harvard, Massachusetts. The Bromfield School has a renowned drama department, and he was involved in numerous productions both on the festival circuit and in community theater. In 1996 he was awarded a Massachusetts High School Drama Guild Acting Scholarship. Upon graduation he joined the first class of the newly created four-year classical theatre acting conservatory at The Hartt School in Hartford, Connecticut. The Hartt School of Theatre was established by Malcolm Morrison and Alan Rust (North Carolina School of the Arts). At the Hartt School he performed in numerous plays including Three Sisters, Lysistrata, Twelfth Night, Philadelphia Here I Come, and played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet
opposite Hannah Mello, founder of B.Mello Productions. He graduated in 2000 and was promptly accepted into the prestigious Hartford Stage Co. Regional Theatre under the tutelage of Michael Wilson. While there he appeared in Macbeth
and A Christmas Carol
.
At the beginning of 2001 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue work in film and television. In the fall of 2001 he was cast as a lead in the US premiere of The Man Who Never Yet Saw Woman's Nakedness by Moritz Rinke, at The Odyssey Theatre in West Los Angeles. The performances were produced in cooperation with The Goethe Institute. It was well received and became a "Pick of the Week" in LA Weekly.
's Wedding Crashers
. The film went on to become the highest grossing R-Rated comedy of all time.
Not long after Crashers, Vince Vaughn
invited O'Donnell to join him on the road for his Wild West Comedy Tour, a tour that hit 30 cities in 30 days across the country.
O'Donnell would appear on stage with Vaughn as a special guest doing improv skits. The tour was filmed and can be seen as the documentary: Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show
. In 2002, he played the role of Todd Jarvis in the movie Splat! He was a troubled teen who played paintball to help him succeed. Later he re-teamed with Vince Vaughn for Universal Pictures
' The Break-Up
, also starring Jennifer Aniston
. O'Donnell costarred in the indie comedy Flakes with Aaron Stanford and Zooey Deschanel
. It was premiered at the 2007 South By Southwest Film Festival. O'Donnell plays a car thief who shows Tim Robbins
how to disable car alarms in director/writer Henry Bean
's second film Noise. The film was featured at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival.
He appeared as "Veck Simms" in the 2009 film Paul Blart: Mall Cop alongside Kevin James. O'Donnell plays Veck Simms, a security guard trainee, who turns out to be a bad guy and attempts to take over the mall. He appeared in the 2010 romantic comedy When in Rome, with Kristen Bell
and Josh Duhamel
. The same year he had a cameo in The Mother of Invention
.
show Lost (episode 10), an episode of the CBS
show CSI (episode "Up in Smoke"), and ab episode of The Closer
("No Good Deed"). He has made several appearances on the first season of the FX series Sons of Anarchy
. He appeared in an episode of the FX TV show, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
in the episode "Mac and Charlie Die pt. 2", which aired on 2 October 2008.
O'Donnell was part of the main cast of the ABC
documentary-style dramedy television series My Generation
, which premiered in Fall 2010, and was canceled after two episodes.
In 2011, he had a recurring role on the Showtime series United States of Tara, appearing for the second half of the third season as Evan, Kate's love interest.
Wedding Crashers
Wedding Crashers is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin. It stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Diora Baird, Jane Seymour, and an uncredited Will Ferrell....
and Paul Blart: Mall Cop. He also had guest appearances in episodes of the television series Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, CSI
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
, and The Closer
The Closer
The Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...
.
Early life
O'Donnell was born on 8 November 1978, in Sydney, Australia to an Australian father of Irish descent and an English mother. He grew up in the suburb of St. Ives, outside of Sydney. When he was eight years old he and his family moved to Harvard, MassachusettsHarvard, Massachusetts
Harvard is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. A farming community settled in 1658 and incorporated in 1732, it has been home to several non-traditional communities, such as Harvard Shaker Village and the utopian Transcendentalist center Fruitlands...
, United States. He has one sibling, a brother, Patrick, who is eighteen months older.
Early career
O'Donnell attended high school at The Bromfield SchoolThe Bromfield School
The Bromfield School is a public school located in Harvard, Massachusetts. Founded in 1878 by Margaret Bromfield Blanchard, the school's student population is approximately 750, in grades 6–12...
in Harvard, Massachusetts. The Bromfield School has a renowned drama department, and he was involved in numerous productions both on the festival circuit and in community theater. In 1996 he was awarded a Massachusetts High School Drama Guild Acting Scholarship. Upon graduation he joined the first class of the newly created four-year classical theatre acting conservatory at The Hartt School in Hartford, Connecticut. The Hartt School of Theatre was established by Malcolm Morrison and Alan Rust (North Carolina School of the Arts). At the Hartt School he performed in numerous plays including Three Sisters, Lysistrata, Twelfth Night, Philadelphia Here I Come, and played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
opposite Hannah Mello, founder of B.Mello Productions. He graduated in 2000 and was promptly accepted into the prestigious Hartford Stage Co. Regional Theatre under the tutelage of Michael Wilson. While there he appeared in Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
and A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
.
At the beginning of 2001 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue work in film and television. In the fall of 2001 he was cast as a lead in the US premiere of The Man Who Never Yet Saw Woman's Nakedness by Moritz Rinke, at The Odyssey Theatre in West Los Angeles. The performances were produced in cooperation with The Goethe Institute. It was well received and became a "Pick of the Week" in LA Weekly.
Feature films
After several student and independent films, O'Donnell landed the role of Todd Cleary in New Line CinemaNew Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
's Wedding Crashers
Wedding Crashers
Wedding Crashers is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin. It stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Diora Baird, Jane Seymour, and an uncredited Will Ferrell....
. The film went on to become the highest grossing R-Rated comedy of all time.
Not long after Crashers, Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
invited O'Donnell to join him on the road for his Wild West Comedy Tour, a tour that hit 30 cities in 30 days across the country.
O'Donnell would appear on stage with Vaughn as a special guest doing improv skits. The tour was filmed and can be seen as the documentary: Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show
Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland
Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights – Hollywood to the Heartland is a comedy documentary film directed by Ari Sandel and follows the 30 day comedy of tour of several stand up comedians. It premiered September 8, 2006 at the Toronto International Film Festival...
. In 2002, he played the role of Todd Jarvis in the movie Splat! He was a troubled teen who played paintball to help him succeed. Later he re-teamed with Vince Vaughn for Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
' The Break-Up
The Break-Up
The Break-Up is a 2006 American comedy-drama romance film directed by Peyton Reed, starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. It was written by Jay Lavender and Jeremy Garelick and produced by Universal Pictures.-Plot:...
, also starring Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
. O'Donnell costarred in the indie comedy Flakes with Aaron Stanford and Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress, musician, and singer-songwriter. In 1999, Deschanel made her film debut in Mumford, followed by her breakout role as young protagonist William Miller's troubled older sister Anita in Cameron Crowe's 2000 semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous...
. It was premiered at the 2007 South By Southwest Film Festival. O'Donnell plays a car thief who shows Tim Robbins
Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
how to disable car alarms in director/writer Henry Bean
Henry Bean
Henry Bean is an American screenwriter, film director, producer, novelist, and actor.Most famous as a screenwriter, Bean wrote the screenplays for Internal Affairs, Deep Cover, Venus Rising, The Believer , Basic Instinct 2 and Noise.Bean...
's second film Noise. The film was featured at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival.
He appeared as "Veck Simms" in the 2009 film Paul Blart: Mall Cop alongside Kevin James. O'Donnell plays Veck Simms, a security guard trainee, who turns out to be a bad guy and attempts to take over the mall. He appeared in the 2010 romantic comedy When in Rome, with Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
and Josh Duhamel
Josh Duhamel
Joshua David "Josh" Duhamel is an American actor and former fashion model. He first achieved acting success in 1999 as Leo du Pres on ABC's All My Children and later as the chief of security, Danny McCoy, on NBC's Las Vegas...
. The same year he had a cameo in The Mother of Invention
The Mother of Invention
The Mother of Invention is a 2009 American "mockumentary" style comedy film directed by Joseph M. Petrick & Andrew Bowser, the screenplay by Petrick. The film starred Bowser, Jimmi Simpson, Kevin Corrigan, Mark Boone Junior, Dee Wallace, Craig Anton, Ruby Wendell, F. Jason Whitaker and Chris Hardwick...
.
Television work
O'Donnell has also been in numerous television projects including the hit ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
show Lost (episode 10), an episode of the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
show CSI (episode "Up in Smoke"), and ab episode of The Closer
The Closer
The Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...
("No Good Deed"). He has made several appearances on the first season of the FX series Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
. He appeared in an episode of the FX TV show, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
in the episode "Mac and Charlie Die pt. 2", which aired on 2 October 2008.
O'Donnell was part of the main cast of the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
documentary-style dramedy television series My Generation
My Generation (TV series)
My Generation is an American mockumentary television series that aired on the ABC network in the fall of 2010. The one-hour comedy-drama, produced by ABC Studios, follows a group of high school classmates in Austin, Texas in 2000, then revisits them ten years after graduation...
, which premiered in Fall 2010, and was canceled after two episodes.
In 2011, he had a recurring role on the Showtime series United States of Tara, appearing for the second half of the third season as Evan, Kate's love interest.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Disconnected | Son | |
| In Your Face | Todd Jarvis | ||
| 2004 | 8 Simple Rules 8 Simple Rules 8 Simple Rules is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 17, 2002, to April 15, 2005, with 76 episodes produced over three seasons. It is based on the self-improvement book of the same name. The show starred John Ritter until his death on September 11, 2003... |
Derek | Episode: "Mall in the Family" |
| Starkweather Starkweather (film) Starkweather is a 2004 film directed by Bryon Werner. Written by founder and prolific screenwriter Stephen Johnston whose scripts including and started the 'Serial Killer' sub genre. Brent Taylor and Shannon Lucio star... |
Bob Von Buch | ||
| Lost Lost (TV series) Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island... |
Thomas | Episode: "Raised by Another Raised by Another "Raised by Another" is the tenth episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Marita Grabiak and written by Lynne E. Litt. It first aired on December 1, 2004 on ABC... " |
|
| 2005 | Wedding Crashers Wedding Crashers Wedding Crashers is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin. It stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Diora Baird, Jane Seymour, and an uncredited Will Ferrell.... |
Todd Cleary | |
| Killer Instinct Killer Instinct (TV series) Killer Instinct is an American crime drama television series filmed in Vancouver that originally aired on the Fox Network. The pilot episode aired on September 23, 2005, and the final episode aired on December 2, 2005.... |
Chester | Episode: "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" | |
| 2006 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer... |
Ken Richmond | Episode: "Up in Smoke" |
| The Break-Up The Break-Up The Break-Up is a 2006 American comedy-drama romance film directed by Peyton Reed, starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. It was written by Jay Lavender and Jeremy Garelick and produced by Universal Pictures.-Plot:... |
Date (Paul) | ||
| The Closer The Closer The Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods... |
Gerald Curtis | Episode: "No Good Deed" | |
| Introducing Lennie Rose | Harper | TV movie | |
| 2007 | After Sex | David | |
| Flakes Flakes (film) Flakes is a 2007 American comedy film, directed by Michael Lehmann and starring Aaron Stanford and Zooey Deschanel. This film was written by Chris Poche & Karey Kirkpatrick-Plot:... |
Stuart | ||
| What We Do Is Secret What We Do Is Secret (film) What We Do Is Secret is a 2008 American biographical film about Darby Crash, singer of the late-1970s Los Angeles punk rock band the Germs. Rodger Grossman directed the film and wrote the screenplay, based on a story he had written with Michelle Baer Ghaffari, a friend of Crash's and co-producer of... |
Chris Ashford | ||
| It's a Mall World It's a Mall World It's a Mall World is an original short comedy series made exclusively for American Eagle Outfitters. The 13 episode series was written by Adam Green , directed by Milo Ventimiglia and produced by Russ Cundiff for Divide Pictures.The mini-episodes premiered August 1, 2007 and ran during episodes of... |
Dennis | TV mini-series | |
| Noise | Experienced Car Thief | ||
| Deadbox | Tucker | ||
| 2008 | Bar Starz | Dick | |
| Pathology Pathology (film) Pathology is a 2008 thriller horror film directed by Marc Schölermann and written by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the writers of Crank. The cast was announced on April 4, 2007 and filming started in May 2007... |
Ben Stravinsky | ||
| It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom... |
Jan | Episode: "America's Next Top Paddy's Billboard Model Contest" Episode: "Mac & Charlie Die: Part 2" |
|
| Amusement Amusement (film) Amusement is an American 2009 horror film directed by John Simpson and starring Katheryn Winnick, Laura Breckenridge and Jessica Lucas. The film went direct-to-video in January 2009... |
The Laugh | ||
| Sons of Anarchy Sons of Anarchy Sons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California... |
Lowell Harland | 4 episodes | |
| 2009 | Paul Blart: Mall Cop | Veck Sims | |
| FlashForward | Ned Ned | Episode: "Black Swan" | |
| Civil | Higgins | ||
| Taking Chances | Digger Morris | ||
| 2010 | The Runaways The Runaways (film) The Runaways is a 2010 American biographical film about the 1970s all-girl rock band of the same name. The film was written and directed by Floria Sigismondi, who based the screenplay on the book Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway by the band's original lead vocalist Cherie Currie... |
Rodney Bingenheimer | |
| When in Rome | Priest (Father Dino) | ||
| Complacent | Thomas | ||
| Ghosts/Aliens | Mike Stevens | TV movie | |
| Miss Nobody | Lj | Post Production | |
| The Mother of Invention The Mother of Invention The Mother of Invention is a 2009 American "mockumentary" style comedy film directed by Joseph M. Petrick & Andrew Bowser, the screenplay by Petrick. The film starred Bowser, Jimmi Simpson, Kevin Corrigan, Mark Boone Junior, Dee Wallace, Craig Anton, Ruby Wendell, F. Jason Whitaker and Chris Hardwick... |
Tears of a Child Villain | Also Associate Producer | |
| My Generation My Generation (TV series) My Generation is an American mockumentary television series that aired on the ABC network in the fall of 2010. The one-hour comedy-drama, produced by ABC Studios, follows a group of high school classmates in Austin, Texas in 2000, then revisits them ten years after graduation... |
Kenneth Finley | ||
| 2011 | United States of Tara | Evan | Episode: "The Road to Hell Is Paved with Breast Intentions" Episode: "The Electrifying & Magnanimous Return of Beaverlamp" Episode: "Chicken 'n' Corn" Episode: "Bryce Will Play" Episode: "Train Wreck" Episode: "Crunchy Ice" Episode: "The Good Parts" |