Lawrence O'Donnell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lawrence O'Donnell
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O'Donnell at the Women's March along Fifth Avenue on January 21, 2017
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| Born |
Lawrence Francis O’Donnell Jr.
November 7, 1951 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Occupation |
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Notable credit(s)
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Political commentary: The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell The McLaughlin Group Morning Joe Television fictional series: The West Wing (producer, writer, actor) Big Love, Homeland (actor) |
| Spouse(s) |
Kathryn Harrold
(m. 1994; div. 2013) |
| Children | 1 |
Lawrence Francis O'Donnell Jr. (born November 7, 1951) is an American television host, writer, and political expert. He is best known for hosting The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC, a news and opinion show that airs on weeknights.
Before becoming a TV host, O'Donnell worked as a writer and producer for the popular NBC show The West Wing. He even played a small role on the show! He also created and was an executive producer for another NBC series called Mister Sterling. You might have also seen him as a character named Lee Hatcher in the HBO series Big Love.
O'Donnell started his career in politics in 1989. He worked as an assistant for U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He also led the staff for the Senate Finance Committee. He describes his political views as a "practical European socialist."
Contents
Lawrence O'Donnell's Early Life
Lawrence O'Donnell was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 7, 1951. His mother, Frances Marie, was an office manager, and his father, Lawrence Francis Sr., was a lawyer. Lawrence grew up in a Catholic family of Irish background.
He went to St. Sebastian's School and graduated in 1970. While there, he was the captain of the baseball team. He was also a wide receiver on their football team, which had an undefeated season. After high school, O'Donnell studied economics at Harvard College. He graduated from Harvard in 1976. During his time at Harvard, he wrote for the Harvard Lampoon, a well-known humor magazine.
Lawrence O'Donnell's Career Highlights
Becoming an Author
From 1977 to 1988, Lawrence O'Donnell worked as a writer. In 1983, he published a book called Deadly Force. This book was about a legal case involving police actions that led to a wrongful death. O'Donnell's father was the lawyer for the family in this case.
In 1986, Deadly Force was turned into a movie called A Case of Deadly Force. Richard Crenna played O'Donnell's father in the film, and Tate Donovan played Lawrence O'Donnell himself. O'Donnell was also an associate producer for the movie. Later, in 2017, O'Donnell released another book titled Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics.
Working in the U.S. Congress
From 1989 to 1995, O'Donnell worked for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He was a senior advisor to the Senator from 1989 to 1991. After that, he became the staff director for two important Senate committees that Moynihan led. These were the Environment and Public Works Committee (1992-1993) and the Finance Committee (1993-1995).
Lawrence O'Donnell's Television Work
Writing and Producing TV Shows
Lawrence O'Donnell was a big part of the TV drama The West Wing from 1999 to 2006. He wrote 16 episodes for the show. He also held many important roles behind the scenes, including executive story editor, co-producer, producer, and executive producer.
In 2001, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for his work on The West Wing. He was also nominated for the same award in 2006. In 2002, O'Donnell was a supervising producer and writer for First Monday. In 2003, he created, executive produced, and wrote for Mister Sterling.
Becoming a TV Host
In 2009, O'Donnell became a regular guest on Morning Joe, a show hosted by Joe Scarborough. He was known for his strong debate style. Sometimes, his discussions on air became very intense.
In 2009 and 2010, O'Donnell often filled in as a host for Countdown with Keith Olbermann. On September 27, 2010, he started hosting his own show on MSNBC called The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell. This show aired at 10 p.m. Eastern time. For a short period in 2011, his show moved to the 8 p.m. slot. However, it later returned to its original 10 p.m. time slot.
In 2017, a video clip was shared online that showed O'Donnell getting upset about noise during a live broadcast. He later apologized for his language on Twitter.
Acting Roles
Besides his work behind the scenes, O'Donnell has also acted in several TV shows. He played Lee Hatcher, a family lawyer, in the HBO series Big Love. On The West Wing, he appeared as President Josiah Bartlet's father in a flashback scene. He also played Judge Lawrence Barr in two episodes of Monk and appeared as himself on an episode of Showtime's Homeland.
Lawrence O'Donnell's Political Views
Lawrence O'Donnell has openly shared his political beliefs. In a 2005 interview, he described himself as a "practical European socialist." He repeated this idea on Morning Joe in 2010, saying, "I am not a progressive. I am not a liberal... I am a socialist. I live to the extreme left, the extreme left of you mere liberals."
He further explained his views in 2011 on The Last Word. He said, "I have been calling myself a socialist ever since I first read the definition of socialism in the first economics class I took in college."
Helping Others: The K.I.N.D. Fund
In 2010, Lawrence O'Donnell traveled to Malawi, a country in Africa. He wanted to help provide school desks for girls there, as many had never had desks before. MSNBC and UNICEF worked together to create the K.I.N.D. Fund, which stands for Kids in Need of Desks. Their goal was to deliver desks to schools in Malawi.
By 2023, the K.I.N.D. Fund had raised $40 million. This money helped provide desks and scholarships to support girls' education in Malawi. Since it started, the fund has given 330,000 desks to 1.1 million students. It has also provided scholarships for 27,600 girls.
Lawrence O'Donnell's Personal Life
Lawrence O'Donnell married Kathryn Harrold on February 14, 1994. They have one child together, named Elizabeth Buckley Harrold O'Donnell. The couple later divorced in 2013.
In April 2014, Lawrence and his brother Michael were in a car accident while on vacation in the British Virgin Islands. O'Donnell was injured but returned to his MSNBC show The Last Word in June, after two months of getting better.
In 2001, he received an honorary degree called a Doctor of Humane Letters from Suffolk University.
Images for kids
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O'Donnell at the Women's March in 2017
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O'Donnell (right) and actor Ed Asner in 2017
See also
- New Yorkers in journalism
