Facts About Ed O’Neill
He’s perhaps the most famous TV father in the last 35 years.
Going way back into the Wayback Machine, I remember, when TV dads knew their stuff. Ward Clever and Jim Anderson were prime examples. Even the series which featured Jim Anderson was known as, “Father Knows Best.” Since that time, TV dads have seen a serious decline in their effectiveness.
Carrying the banner for subsequent TV dads is Ed O’Neill. Ed has played the patriarchal father in two series, “Married with Children,” and “Modern Family.” Ed’s Al Bundy character was a deeply, deeply, deeply flawed father and husband.
Having said that, you got the impression that somewhere, way down deep, he loved his kids. And maybe even Peg. Even when presented with opportunities, Al didn’t cheat on Peg.
As for his Jay Pritchett character, he played a more successful, more outwardly decent man, but not one without quirks. So, now on to some things you didn’t know about Ed O’Neill.
1: Ed’s father was Edward Phillip O’Neill, who was a steel worker and a truck driver.
And that just feels right.
