Christopher Eugene O'Donnell (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor. After modeling and acting in numerous commercials as a teenager, he made his film debut in the comedy-drama film Men Don't Leave (1990). Following supporting roles in the films Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and School Ties (1992), O'Donnell had his breakout with a starring role in the drama film Scent of a Woman (1992), which earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.
After starring roles in the films The Three Musketeers (1993) and Circle of Friends (1995), O'Donnell received further mainstream recognition for his role as Dick Grayson / Robin in the DC Comics superhero films Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), as well as his portrayal of writer Ernest Hemingway in the romantic drama film In Love and War (1996). In the 2000s, O'Donnell starred in the films Vertical Limit (2000), Kinsey (2004), and Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008), and had a main role as Jack McAuliffe in the TNT television miniseries The Company (2007).
O'Donnell starred in the main role of G. Callen on all fourteen seasons of the CBS police procedural series NCIS: Los Angeles (2009–2023). He also starred in the spy comedy film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010), and has a main role as Don Hart on the ABC series 9-1-1: Nashville (2025–present).
Contents
Early life
O'Donnell was born in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, Illinois, the son of Julie Ann Rohs von Brecht and William Charles O'Donnell Sr., a general manager of WBBM-AM. He is the youngest of seven children, with four sisters and two brothers, and is of German and Irish descent. He grew up in a Catholic family and attended Catholic schools. He graduated from Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, in 1988.
O'Donnell attended Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing in 1992. He had begun modeling at the age of 13 so he was comfortable in front of cameras and also had made commercials.
Career
O'Donnell appeared in numerous commercials as a teenager, advertising Cap'n Crunch cereal and Fruit Roll-Ups snacks. In a McDonald's fast food commercial, he served NBA great Michael Jordan. An early television series role was an appearance on the TV series Jack and Mike in 1986. In the early 1990s, he appeared in several films including Men Don't Leave (1990), starring Jessica Lange; Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), appearing again with Kathy Bates from Men Don't Leave; School Ties (1992); and Scent of a Woman (1992) with Al Pacino. For the latter he received two nominations: one for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor-Motion Picture (which was won by Gene Hackman for Unforgiven), and one for a Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor (which he won). He was also named one of the 12 Promising New Actors of 1992 in John Willis's Screen World, Vol. 44.
After appearing in the film Blue Sky (1994), reuniting him with Jessica Lange, he starred in Circle of Friends (1995) with Minnie Driver, Mad Love (1995) with Drew Barrymore, and In Love and War (1996) with Sandra Bullock. O'Donnell played the character of Dick Grayson/Robin in Batman Forever, in which Barrymore also had a role. Reportedly, the field of candidates for the role of Robin included Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Corey Haim, Toby Stephens, and Scott Speedman.
Casting directors narrowed their choices to O'Donnell and DiCaprio, and finally selected O'Donnell. He reportedly was considered by 20th Century Fox studios to play the lead role of Jack Dawson in Titanic (1997), but that role was won by DiCaprio. O'Donnell had a starring role in 1996's The Chamber, based on the John Grisham novel of the same name. He reprised his role as Robin in 1997's Batman & Robin. Although it was a box-office success, the movie was critically panned and regularly appears on the list of films considered the worst. O'Donnell later said that he did not believe it turned out well.
O'Donnell did not appear in another movie for two years. He was the choice of one of the producers for the role of James Darrell Edwards III/Agent J in Men in Black (1997), but he turned it down as being too similar to his role in Batman Forever. Will Smith played this role. The subsequent films Cookie's Fortune (1999) and The Bachelor (1999) were moderately successful, while Vertical Limit (2000) was a box office hit.
Personal life
O'Donnell married Caroline Fentress in April 1997 at St. Patrick Church in Washington, D.C. They have five children.