Michael Jeremiah "Jerry" O'Connell was born on February 17, 1974 in New York City to a British father and an American mother. He was raised in Manhattan and at a very young age started his acting career. As a young boy he appeared in commercials for Duncan Hines cookies and by the time he was eleven, he starred in Rob Reiner's Stand By Me. In his teen years he appeared on the series My Secret Identity and spent his time shooting and attending Manhattan's Professional Children's School. In 1992, O'Connell attended New York University to major in film, study screen writing and compete on the NYU fencing team. However, he dropped out in 1995, just as he was a few credits away from graduation. His television appearances started during his summers away from NYU, and he appeared in the feature film Calendar Girl with Jason Priestly and Gabriel Olds. He also appeared in the short-lived ABC sitcom, Camp Wilder with Jay Mohr and Hilary Swank. During his third year in college, O'Connell auditioned for the TV pilot of Sliders. He was given the role of Quinn Mallory in the series and by the fourth and final season, he had written and directed several episodes of the series. His movie appearances include those in Body Shots, Mission to Mars, Tomcats, and Kangaroo Jack. His latest television appearances include those in
Crossing Jordan and
Las Vegas . In 2007 O'Connell was cast for the role of Laird on Carpoolers.
Laird is played by Jerry O'Connell on ABC's Carpoolers. Laird is a recently divorced playboy who is one fourth of the carpooling gang. Everyday, Laird shares a car--and his thoughts--to three other suburban men from different backgrounds. In this daily commute they find friends in each other as they commiserate about their lives, jobs and families.
(Photo courtesy of ABC)