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Michael O'Neill

Michael O'Neill

Known For Acting
Birthday May 29, 1947 (78)
Birthplace Montgomery, Alabama, USA
Popularity 1 (history)
Updated Jul 31, 2025 (Update)
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Michael O'Neill (born May 29, 1951) is an American actor. With a career stretching through three decades, he usually portrays senior law enforcement or military officers. He is perhaps best known for his role as Special agent Ron Butterfield, the head of Pres ... ident Josiah Bartlet's Secret Service detail, on The West Wing. He played CTU Administrative Director Richard Walsh in the first two episodes of 24. He played Sgt. Maj. Ron Cheals in the CBS action-drama series The Unit. He starred in the Season Six 2 part Finale of Grey's Anatomy as the broken widower who holds the hospital hostage with a 9mm while pursuing the doctors responsible for unplugging his wife. His most notable film performances occur in Seabiscuit, Secondhand Lions, Transformers, Dancer, Texas Pop 81, Traffic, Sea of Love, A Quiet Little Marriage, Nothing But the Truth, and Green Zone. O'Neill graduated from Auburn University in 1974. After attending Auburn he spent time under the tutelage of actor Will Geer and his daughter, Ellen, at Theatricum Botanicum in Los Angeles before moving to New York to pursue his career there.

Known For

Filmography

Bride Hard

Bride Hard

2025

as Frank

Air

Air

2023

as Joe Dean

Cold Call

Cold Call

2021

as Christian

The Stand at Paxton County

The Stand at Paxton County

2020

as Dell Connelly

Clemency

Clemency

2019

as Chaplain David Kendricks

Danger One

Danger One

2018

as Beckwith

Indivisible

Indivisible

2018

as Chaplain Rogers

The Grim Sleeper

The Grim Sleeper

2014

as Detective Simms

Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club

2013

as Richard Barkley

J. Edgar

J. Edgar

2011

as Senator McKellar

Green Zone

Green Zone

2010

as Colonel Bethel

A Quiet Little Marriage

A Quiet Little Marriage

2008

as Bruce

Nothing But the Truth

Nothing But the Truth

2008

as CIA Director

Crazy

Crazy

2008

as Ralph Christianson

Transformers

Transformers

2007

as Tom Banacheck

American Crime

American Crime

2004

as Sheriff Smyth

Around the Bend

Around the Bend

2004

as Cowboy

Secondhand Lions

Secondhand Lions

2003

as Ralph

Dreamcatcher

Dreamcatcher

2003

as General Matheson

Seabiscuit

Seabiscuit

2003

as Mr. Pollard

The Legend of Bagger Vance

The Legend of Bagger Vance

2000

as O.B. Keeler

Traffic

Traffic

2000

as Lawyer Rodman

ATF

ATF

1999

as ATF Asst. Director Ben Walker

The Mod Squad

The Mod Squad

1999

as Greene

Dancer, Texas Pop. 81

Dancer, Texas Pop. 81

1998

as Mr. Lusk

The Sunchaser

The Sunchaser

1996

as Agent Moreland

Awake to Danger

Awake to Danger

1995

as Detective Brickman

Bushwhacked

Bushwhacked

1995

as Jon Jordan

Beyond Betrayal

Beyond Betrayal

1994

as Ray Pasquerello

Blind Justice

Blind Justice

1994

as Spencer Heymen

For Their Own Good

For Their Own Good

1993

as Clark Thompson

Jennifer Eight

Jennifer Eight

1992

as Serato

Lorenzo's Oil

Lorenzo's Oil

1992

as School Psychologist

An Unremarkable Life

An Unremarkable Life

1989

as Michael

Sea of Love

Sea of Love

1989

as Raymond Brown

Ghost Story

Ghost Story

1981

as Churchill

No data available

No data available

The Emperor's Club

The Emperor's Club

2002

Co-Producer

Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

The West Wing

as Ron Butterfield

Episodes: 16

First Aired: Sep 22, 1999

Rectify

as Senator Roland Foulkes

Episodes: 15

First Aired: Apr 22, 2013

Extant

as Alan Sparks

Episodes: 13

First Aired: Jul 09, 2014

Bates Motel

as Nick Ford

Episodes: 8

First Aired: Mar 18, 2013

Echoes

as Victor McCleary

Episodes: 7

First Aired: Aug 19, 2022

Scandal

as Lonnie Mencken

Episodes: 5

First Aired: Apr 05, 2012

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan

as Senator Mitchell Chapin

Episodes: 5

First Aired: Aug 30, 2018

Messiah

as Cameron Collier

Episodes: 5

First Aired: Jan 01, 2020

Grey's Anatomy

as Gary Clark

Episodes: 4

First Aired: Mar 27, 2005

Boston Public

as Dr. Bernard Colbert

Episodes: 4

First Aired: Oct 23, 2000

The Nine

as Pete Burton

Episodes: 3

First Aired: Oct 04, 2006

NCIS

as Riley McCallister

Episodes: 3

First Aired: Sep 23, 2003

Shooter

as Ray Brooks

Episodes: 3

First Aired: Nov 15, 2016

S.W.A.T.

as Carl Luca

Episodes: 3

First Aired: Nov 02, 2017

Commander in Chief

as Congressman Wilcox

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Sep 27, 2005

Outer Range

as Judge Pettigrew

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Apr 14, 2022

Happy's Place

as Jim Jackoway

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Oct 18, 2024

This Is Us

as Arlo

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 20, 2016

JAG

as Commander Bradley

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 23, 1995

The X-Files

as Patrol Captain Van Gelder

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 10, 1993

Roswell

as Philip Evans

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 06, 1999

Ghost Whisperer

as Nolan

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 23, 2005

The Glades

as Trent Staley

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jul 11, 2010

Rizzoli & Isles

as Jonathan McKnight

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jul 12, 2010

24

as Richard Welsh

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 06, 2001

24

as Richard Walsh

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 06, 2001

FlashForward

as CIA Director Keller

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 24, 2009

Law & Order: LA

as Jeb Monroe

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 29, 2010

Diagnosis: Murder

as Sheriff Buck O'Hara

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 29, 1993

Manhattan

as Psychiatrist

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jul 27, 2014

Sons of Anarchy

as Anthony Franklin

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 03, 2008

The Mentalist

as Sheriff Nelson

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 23, 2008

11.22.63

as Arliss Price

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Feb 15, 2016

Fringe

as Sheriff Velchik

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 09, 2008

The Resident

as Joshua Williams

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 21, 2018

Prison Break

as Herb Stanton

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Aug 29, 2005

NCIS: Los Angeles

as Ret. U.S. Army General Richard Collins

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 22, 2009

ER

as Col. Ken Kilner

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1994

The Unit

as Ron Cheals

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Mar 07, 2006

Criminal Minds

as Det. Yarbough

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 22, 2005

Fire Country

as Harlan Denbo

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 07, 2022

Leverage

as Judge Roy

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Dec 07, 2008

The Romanoffs

as Ron Hopkins

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 11, 2018

Without a Trace

as Thomas Shannon

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 26, 2002

The Shining

as Daniel Edwards (uncredited)

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Apr 27, 1997

Crossing Jordan

as Chris Benz

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 24, 2001

LAX

as Alonso Mathews

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 13, 2004

Millennium

as County Prosecutor Calvin Smith

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 25, 1996

Chicago Hope

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 18, 1994

One West Waikiki

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Aug 04, 1994

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 6 11 17 8
2024 7 15 21 8
2024 8 14 27 8
2024 9 11 23 6
2024 10 11 17 8
2024 11 10 19 6
2024 12 11 19 6
2025 1 11 24 6
2025 2 8 21 1
2025 3 7 15 1
2025 4 1 1 1
2025 5 2 3 1
2025 6 1 2 1
2025 7 1 1 0
2025 8 2 3 1

Trending Rank


Year Month Avg Rank Max Rank
2025 7 614 581

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