Mike O'Malley - Biography

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Since the early 1990s, New England native Mike O'Malley has slowing been building a career as both and actor and writer, which culminated in his own eponymous NBC sitcom "The Mike O'Malley Show" (1999- ), co-starring his real-life sister Kerry. Dark-haired, with an affable screen presence, he made his primetime acting debut as a cop in a 1991 episode of NBC's "Law & Order". Soon thereafter, he was tapped to host the Nickelodeon game show "Get the Picture" (1991) and the following year's sports/adventure series "Nickelodeon GUTS". Turning to his writing, O'Malley had his first play, "Three Years From Thirty", produced in 1994 and has subsequently enjoyed success as both a playwright and a performer. He scored his first real acting breakthrough as the co-star of "Life with Roger" (The WB, 1996-97), a short-lived sitcom in which he played a homeless would-be suicide who moves in with the physician (Maurice Godin) who talked him down off a bridge, wreaking havoc in the doctor's life. He and Godin shared a nice chemistry and despite material that, on occasion, was less than stellar, managed likable characterizations. The performer also garnered attention as 'The Rick', a sports fanatic featured in a popular commercial campaign for ESPN. The pilot for his NBC sitcom appeared to play off that character but as critics found the effort unfocused, the series was reworked. O'Malley even went so far as to issue a 19-page "manifesto" to the sitcom's writing staff, offering suggestions on how to beef up the humor. In the show, O'Malley was cast as a thirtysomething paramedic confronting the shallowness of his lifestyle. As the actor told a gathering of critics: "The character is trying to take his life more seriously, but not himself. I'm trying to amplify and make audible some of the introspection men have and don't openly express." It was all for naught as the series only aired twice before falling victim to cancellation. Undaunted, O'Malley attempted the genre again in the fall of 2000, this time co-starring in the ensemble of CBS' "Yes, Dear" which focused on two young couples and their decidedly different approaches to marriage and child-rearing.

O'Malley made the leap to the big screen as an astronomy teacher in the hit "Deep Impact" (1998). He followed with the leading role of a commitment-shy flower wholesaler in the indie "Above Freezing" (also 1998) and returned to supporting parts as an air traffic controller in the forgettable "Pushing Tin" (1999) and as a preppy cocaine addict in rehab alongside Sandra Bullock in "28 Days" (2000).