Mike O'Malley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike O'Malley
Born	Michael Edward O'Malley (1966-10-31) October 31, 1966 (age 58) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	University of New Hampshire
Occupation	Actor writer producer
Years active	1991–present
Children	3

Michael Edward O'Malley (born October 31, 1966) is an American actor, writer, and TV producer. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in New Hampshire.

In the early 1990s, Mike O'Malley hosted popular children's game shows like Get the Picture and Nickelodeon Guts. Later, he moved to Los Angeles to act in TV shows and movies. He is well-known for playing Jimmy Hughes in the CBS series Yes, Dear from 2000 to 2006. He also received an Emmy Award nomination for his role as Burt Hummel on the Fox show Glee.

Mike O'Malley has appeared in many other TV shows, including My Name Is Earl, Raising Hope, and Parks and Recreation. He has also been in films such as Deep Impact, Eat, Pray, Love, and Sully. Besides acting, he writes plays and has created TV series like Survivor's Remorse.

Early Life and Education

Mike O'Malley was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He spent his childhood in Nashua, New Hampshire. His mother, Marianne, worked as a career counselor. His father, Tony O'Malley, was an executive in the defense industry.

O'Malley finished high school at Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua in 1984. He then went on to study theater at the University of New Hampshire, graduating in 1988. He was also part of the Kappa Sigma fraternity during his college years.

Career Highlights

Mike O'Malley's career includes many roles in television and film. He is also known for his writing and producing work.

Television Roles

O'Malley's first big break was hosting the Nickelodeon game show Get the Picture in 1991. The next year, he became the host of Nickelodeon Guts, which later became Global GUTS, from 1992 to 1995. After GUTS ended, he moved to Los Angeles to focus on acting.

He starred in the series Life with Roger from 1996 to 1997. In 1999, he had his own show called The Mike O'Malley Show, but it was canceled after only a few episodes aired. In the 1990s, he was also "The Rick" in commercials for ESPN. This character returned in ads for ESPN+ in 2018.

From 2000 to 2006, O'Malley played Jimmy Hughes in the CBS comedy Yes, Dear. He played this role again in 2013 on the show Raising Hope. He also voiced Darryl MacPherson in Baby Blues from 2000 to 2002.

In 2006, he appeared as a police officer on My Name Is Earl. In 2009, O'Malley began playing Burt Hummel, a recurring character on Glee. His performance earned him a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. He also won a Teen Choice Award for Best Parental Unit in 2010 for his role on Glee.

He also had a recurring role on Parenthood starting in 2010. More recently, he has been a regular on the TNT series Snowpiercer.

Film Appearances

Mike O'Malley made his film debut in the 1998 movie Deep Impact. In this film, he played the astronomy teacher of a character played by Elijah Wood. He then had a supporting role in the comedy Pushing Tin.

In 2005, O'Malley was in the movie The Perfect Man. He also had supporting roles in Leatherheads and Meet Dave in 2007. He was interviewed in the film City of Champions: The Best of Boston Sports.

In 2009, O'Malley took part in the documentary film The People Speak. His other film roles include Eat Pray Love, Cedar Rapids, Concussion, and Sully.

Writing and Producing Work

Mike O'Malley is also a talented playwright. Two of his plays, Three Years from Thirty and Diverting Devotion, have been published and performed Off-Broadway. Another play, Searching for Certainty, was produced in Los Angeles in 2003.

He directed the final episode of Yes, Dear, the show he starred in. He also wrote the screenplay for the film Certainty, which is based on his play Searching for Certainty. This film won several awards at the Boston Film Festival in 2011.

O'Malley was a writer and producer for the Showtime series Shameless. He also co-wrote the musical Escape to Margaritaville, which features songs by Jimmy Buffett. This show was on Broadway from February to July 2018.

He created the basketball comedy series Survivor's Remorse for Starz. He was also a writer and executive producer for that show. Currently, he is an executive producer and showrunner for the series Heels, where he also has a recurring acting role.

Personal Life

Mike O'Malley lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Lisa, who works as a school psychologist. They have three children together.

His younger sister, Kerry O'Malley, is also an actress and has performed on Broadway. The siblings even worked together in the first season of Snowpiercer.

O'Malley is a big fan of the Boston band Buffalo Tom. He is good friends with their lead singer, Bill Janovitz. He is also a huge fan of Boston sports teams, including the Boston Red Sox, the NHL's Boston Bruins, and the NFL's New England Patriots. In 2006, he threw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.

In 2006, O'Malley gave the commencement speech at his old university, the University of New Hampshire. He also received an honorary degree from the university.

Acting Credits

Film

Television

Writing and Producing Credits

Film

Television

Theatre

• Three Years from Thirty (1994)
• Diverting Devotion (1996)
• Searching for Certainty (2003)
• Escape to Margaritaville (2017)