
Michael O'Neill
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Michael O'Neill (born May 29, 1951) is an American actor. With a career stretching through three decades, he usually portrays senior law enforcement or military officers. He is perhaps best known for his role as Special agent Ron Butterfield, the head of President Josiah Bartlet's Secret Service detail, on The West Wing. He played CTU Administrative Director Richard Walsh in the first two episodes of 24. He played Sgt. Maj. Ron Cheals in the CBS action-drama series The Unit. He starred in the Season Six 2 part Finale of Grey's Anatomy as the broken widower who holds the hospital hostage with a 9mm while pursuing the doctors responsible for unplugging his wife. His most notable film performances occur in Seabiscuit, Secondhand Lions, Transformers, Dancer, Texas Pop 81, Traffic, Sea of Love, A Quiet Little Marriage, Nothing But the Truth, and Green Zone. O'Neill graduated from Auburn University in 1974. After attending Auburn he spent time under the tutelage of actor Will Geer and his daughter, Ellen, at Theatricum Botanicum in Los Angeles before moving to New York to pursue his career there.
Gallery

Known For
Acting History
2025
War of the Worlds as Secretary of Defense Walter Crystal
2025Bride Hard as Frank
2025Happy Face as D.A. Craig Calloway
2024Happy's Place as Jim Jackoway
2023Air as Joe Dean
2022Fire Country as Harlan Denbo
2022Echoes as Victor McCleary
2022Outer Range as Judge Pettigrew
2021Cold Call as Christian
2020The Stand at Paxton County as Dell Connelly
2020Messiah as Cameron Collier
2019Clemency as Chaplain David Kendricks
2018Indivisible as Chaplain Rogers
2018The Romanoffs as Ron Hopkins
2018Danger One as Beckwith
2018Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan as Senator Mitchell Chapin
2018The Resident as Joshua Williams
2017S.W.A.T. as Carl Luca
2016Shooter as Ray Brooks
2016This Is Us as Arlo
201611.22.63 as Arliss Price
2014Manhattan as Psychiatrist
2014Extant as Alan Sparks
2014The Grim Sleeper as Detective Simms
2013Dallas Buyers Club as Richard Barkley
2013Rectify as Senator Roland Foulkes
2013Bates Motel as Nick Ford
2012Scandal as Lonnie Mencken
2011J. Edgar as Senator McKellar
2010Law & Order: LA as Jeb Monroe
2010Rizzoli & Isles as Jonathan McKnight
2010The Glades as Trent Staley
2010Green Zone as Colonel Bethel
2010Flying Lessons as Chief Dobbs
2009FlashForward as CIA Director Keller
2009NCIS: Los Angeles as Ret. U.S. Army General Richard Collins
2008Nothing But the Truth as CIA Director
2008Leverage as Judge Roy
2008A Quiet Little Marriage as Bruce
2008The Mentalist as Sheriff Nelson
2008Fringe as Sheriff Velchik
2008Sons of Anarchy as Anthony Franklin
2008Crazy as Ralph Christianson
2007Transformers as Tom Banacheck
2007Army Wives as Reverend Bankerd
2006The Nine as Pete Burton
2006The Unit as Ron Cheals
2005Commander in Chief as Congressman Wilcox
2005Ghost Whisperer as Nolan
2005Criminal Minds as Det. Yarbough
2005Close to Home as Don Wheeler
2005Prison Break as Herb Stanton
2005Grey's Anatomy as Gary Clark
2005Numb3rs as Boyd Keene
2004Around the Bend as Cowboy
2004Boston Legal as Dr. Robert McLean
2004LAX as Alonso Mathews
2004American Crime as Sheriff Smyth
2003NCIS as Riley McCallister
2003Secondhand Lions as Ralph
2003Seabiscuit as Mr. Pollard
2003Dreamcatcher as Gen. Matheson
2002Without a Trace as Thomas Shannon
2002CSI: Miami as Jerry Blackburn
200124 as Richard Welsh
200124 as Richard Walsh
2001Crossing Jordan as Chris Benz
2000Traffic as Lawyer Rodman
2000The Legend of Bagger Vance as O.B. Keeler
2000Boston Public as Dr. Bernard Colbert
1999Roswell as Philip Evans
1999The West Wing as Ron Butterfield
1999ATF as ATF Asst. Director Ben Walker
1999The Mod Squad as Greene
1998Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 as Mr. Lusk
1998Virtual Obsession
1998Standoff as Cult Leader (Voice)
1997Ally McBeal as Dr. Colbert
1997The Shining as Daniel Edwards (uncredited)
1997The Practice as Judge Robert Temple
1996Millennium as County Prosecutor Calvin Smith
1996The Sunchaser as Agent Moreland
1995JAG as Commander Bradley
1995Bushwhacked as Jon Jordan
1995Awake to Danger as Detective Brickman
1994Beyond Betrayal as Ray Pasquerello
1994ER as Col. Ken Kilner
1994Chicago Hope
1994One West Waikiki
1994Blind Justice as Spencer Heymen
1993Victim of Love: The Shannon Mohr Story as Dick Britton
1993Diagnosis: Murder as Sheriff Buck O'Hara
1993The X-Files as Patrol Captain Van Gelder
1993For Their Own Good as Clark Thompson
1992Lorenzo's Oil as School Psychologist
1992Jennifer Eight as Serato
1992The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag as Jergens
1989An Unremarkable Life as Michael
1989Sea of Love as Raymond Brown
1981Ghost Story as Churchill








