Kevin Connolly (actor)
| Kevin Connolly | |
|---|---|
|
Connolly at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2007 | |
| Born |
March 5, 1974[1] Patchogue, New York, U.S.[2] |
| Occupation | Actor, Director |
| Years active | 1990–present |
Kevin Connolly (born March 5, 1974) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his role as Eric Murphy in the HBO series Entourage, and his role as the eldest son Ryan Malloy in the 1990s television sitcom Unhappily Ever After.
Life and career
Connolly was born in Patchogue, New York, the son of Eileen J. (née McMahon) and John Connolly.[3][4] He is of Irish descent.[4] Kevin graduated Patchogue-Medford High School in 1992.[5][6]
He began his career at age six, appearing in television commercials, including the popular "Betcha bite a chip" campaign for Chips Ahoy!. In 1990, he landed his first film role, as Chickie in Rocky V. Two years later, Connolly was cast as Shaun Kelly in the film adaptation of Myron Levoy's novel Alan & Naomi, and co-starred with Tobey Maguire in the short-lived Fox sitcom Great Scott!. His appearance in the series later earned him a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television Series. He portrayed Dabney Coleman's son in the comedy film The Beverly Hillbillies. Connolly continued guest starring in television series including Wings, Getting By and the medical drama ER.
From 1995–96, Connolly starred in Don's Plum alongside future collaborators Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio. Later that year, he landed the role of Ryan Malloy on the situation comedy Unhappily Ever After. The series also marked Connolly's directorial debut when he directed six episodes in its fourth season. In 2007, Connolly made his full-length movie directorial debut with the film Gardener of Eden, which premiered in April 2007 at the Tribeca Film Festival.[7]
Connolly's best-known role is the character Eric Murphy, better known as "E", on HBO's show Entourage. E is the manager and best friend of Vincent Chase, who is played by Adrian Grenier. In 2009, Connolly received a nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy, and in September 2011 the show ended with its eighth season. In 2015, Connolly reprised his role as Eric in the Entourage film adaptation.[8]
In addition to television work, Connolly has appeared in several major motion pictures including Antwone Fisher, Secretariat, John Q and The Notebook. In August 2007, he signed on to play a supporting character in He's Just Not That Into You, which was released in 2009.
In October 2008, Connolly was hired to direct his first music video for rap artist The Game, featuring R&B artist Ne-Yo. The video is for the song "Camera Phone" from The Game's album LAX.[9]
Connolly attended the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles and announced the final pick of the first round for the New York Islanders.[10] He also directed the documentary film Big Shot, which screened at the 2013 TriBeCa Film Festival and the 2013 Hamptons International Film Festival [11] The film revisits the fraud perpetrated by would-be Islanders owner John Spano in 1996.
In September 2015, it was announced that Connolly would direct The Life and Death of John Gotti, a film about infamous mobster John Gotti and his son, John A. Gotti, who succeeded him. Academy Award-nominee, John Travolta is set to play the former.[12]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Rocky V | Chickie | |
| 1992 | Alan & Naomi | Shaun Kelly | |
| 1993 | Beverly Hillbillies, TheThe Beverly Hillbillies | Morgan Drysdale | |
| 1995 | Angus | Andy | |
| 1997 | Sub Down | Petty Officer Holliday | Alternative title: Sub Down: Take the Dive |
| 1999 | Tyrone | Sam Adams | Alternative title: Bad Trip |
| 2000 | Up, Up and Away | Malcolm | TV movie |
| 2001 | Drum Solo | ||
| Don's Plum | Jeremy | ||
| 2002 | Devious Beings | Casey | |
| John Q | Steve Maguire | ||
| Antwone Fisher | Slim | ||
| 2004 | Notebook, TheThe Notebook | Fin | |
| 2005 | Check Up, TheThe Check Up | Mike | |
| 2009 | He's Just Not That into You | Conor Barry | |
| Ugly Truth, TheThe Ugly Truth | Jim Ryan | ||
| 2010 | Secretariat | Bill Nack | |
| 2014 | Reach Me | Roger | |
| 2015 | Entourage | Eric 'E' Murphy |
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Great Scott! | Larry O'Donnell | Series regular, 13 episodes Nominated—Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor Co-Starring in a Television Series |
| 1993 | Wings | Scotty Nelson | Episode: "Joe Blows: Part 1" |
| 1994 | Getting By | Spider | Episode: "It Takes a Thief" |
| 1995–1999 | Unhappily Ever After | Ryan Malloy | Series regular, 100 episodes, also director (6 episodes) |
| 2001 | First Years | Joe | 5 episodes |
| 2004–2011 | Entourage | Eric 'E' Murphy | Series regular, 96 episodes, also director (2 episodes) Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Chemistry - Television (Shared with the cast of Entourage) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (Shared with the cast of Entourage) (2007, 2008) Nominated—Satellite Award for Outstanding Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical |
| 2007 | Robot Chicken | Psychiatrist Cowboy Curtis Leonard Baker |
Episode: "More Blood, More Chocolate" |
| 2014 | Friends with Better Lives | Bobby Lutz | Series regular |
| 2016 | Pitch | Charlie Graham | Recurring role |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997–1999 | Unhappily Ever After | 6 episodes |
| 2003 | Whatever We Do | Film |
| 2007 | Gardener of Eden | Film |
| 2008 | Camera Phone - The Game ft. Ne-Yo | Music video |
| 2010–2011 | Entourage | 2 episodes: "Porn Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" "Second to Last" |
| 2013 | ESPN 30 for 30 | Big Shot |
| 2014 | Dear Eleanor | Film |
| 2017 | The Life and Death of John Gotti | Film |
References
- ↑ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly (1197). Mar 9, 2012. p. 26.
- ↑ E!Online; Kevin Connolly profile
- ↑ Playboy asks Kevin Connolly 20 Questions As Only Playboy Can! Archived July 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- 1 2 Kelly, Antoinette (2009-07-23). "'Entourage' premiere dedicated to Kevin Connolly's late Irish mother". Irish Central. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
- ↑ "Kevin Connolly heads home to Long Island.....". The Insider. February 1, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2010.("He was even the homecoming king in '92 at Patchogue-Medford High School.")
- ↑ La Monica, Mark (June 11, 2006). "A rocky start? Hardly". Newsday. Retrieved February 9, 2010.("After graduating from high school in 1992...")
- ↑ "DiCaprio, The Gardener of Eden Premiere And The Real Entourage", The Huffington Post, April 27, 2007, Retrieved on August 16, 2007
- ↑ "Connolly 'crucified' for Entourage spoiler". Belfast Telegraph. January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ↑ Mark, Dagostino (2008-10-03). "Kevin Connolly to Direct The Game and Ne-Yo's Video". people.com. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
- ↑ Brooks, Larry (2011-03-28). "'Entourage' star is allowed on Islanders bench". New York Post. Retrieved 2011-07-08.
- ↑ Fall Season 2013: Episode 5 | In the Mixx. Inthemixxshow.com (2013-10-17). Retrieved on 2014-06-05.
- ↑ Gettell, Oliver. "Kevin Connolly to direct John Travolta in resurrected Gotti biopic". Retrieved 9 September 2015.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kevin Connolly (actor). |
- Kevin Connolly at the Internet Movie Database
- Profile on HBO.com
- Kevin Connolly in the Hot Seat. Interview by Alison Rosen of Time Out New York