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BIO
CHRISTOPHER McDONALD is a versatile actor who has worked with an impressive list of Hollywood’s top film directors on a wide range of projects that have garnered both box-office and critical success. His unique ability to capture a gamut of characters keeps him in high demand.
Recently starring in Home Run Race, The Perfect Storm, and Requiem for a Dream, there are few actors in Hollywood who appear in more major motion pictures. Chris is also starring as Rex Weller in"Family Law" on CBS.
From The Five Aces to The Iron Giant, Chris has had an impressive career with a wide range of roles.
In 1997, McDonald was seen starring as Ward Cleaver in the feature film adaptation of the television classic Leave It to Beaver, and will be seen opposite Greg Kinnear and Lauren Holly in Rysher Entertainment’s romantic comedy A Smile Like Yours.
In Lawn Dogs, which screened to critical acclaim at both the 1997 Cannes Film Festival and the 1997 Toronto Film Festival, McDonald stars opposite Kathleen Quinlan. The film, directed by John Duigan, is set for release later this year. McDonald will also star with Stanley Tucci in Rysher Entertainment’s The Eighteenth Angel, an intellectual thriller set in the Italian countryside.
McDonald currently stars in the recurring role of Bryce, Kirstie Alley’s estranged husband, in NBC’s new series Veronica’s Closet. In addition, he recently starred as Jon Krakauer in the ABC made-for-television movie Into Thin Air: Death on Everest, an adaptation of Krakauer’s bestseller, Into Thin Air.
McDonald recently starred opposite Adam Sandler in Universal Pictures’ hit comedy Happy Gilmore as golf pro Shooter McGavin; with Ray Liotta and Linda Fiorentino in MGM’s Unforgettable for director John Dahl; and opposite Halle Berry in Rich Man’s Wife.
Additionally, McDonald starred as Jack Berry, the infamous host in Quiz Show, for director Robert Redford; and as Geena Davis’ selfishly concerned husband in Thelma & Louise. Other film credits include Grumpy Old Men, HBO’s Tuskegee Airmen, Chances Are, Outrageous Fortune, Wild Orchid 2: Two Shades of Blue, Grease II, The Boys Next Door, and Dutch.
Born and raised in New York City, McDonald is one of seven children. His father was an actor who later went into education and continues to direct community theatre in upstate New York. McDonald studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, as well as the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and the Stella Adler Acting Conservatory in New York.
McDonald’s theatre credits include the Obie Award-winning musical, Nightclub Cantina; Hay Fever; Final Touches, for which he won the Dramalogue Best Actor Award; Bounders, which won the L.A. Weekly and Robby Awards for Best Ensemble Cast; and the Los Angeles Theatre Center’s productions of Hamlet, Othello, and The Taming of the Shrew.
McDonald resides in Southern California with his wife and three children.