Michael O'Keefe (born Raymond Peter O'Keefe Jr.; April 24, 1955) is an American actor known for his roles as Danny Noonan in Caddyshack, Ben Meechum in The Great Santini, for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and Darryl Palmer in the Neil Simon movie The Slugger's Wife. He also appeared as Fred on the television sitcom Roseanne from 1993 to 1995.
Early life
Raymond Peter O'Keefe Jr. was born in Mount Vernon, New York, the oldest of seven children in an Irish-American family.[1] He is the son of Stephanie (née Fitzpatrick) and Raymond Peter O'Keefe, who was a law professor at Fordham University and who also taught at St. Thomas University.[2][3] O'Keefe was raised in Larchmont, New York.[4]
He graduated from Mamaroneck High School.[5] He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and New York University. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Bennington College.[6]
Career
O'Keefe is known for his role as Danny Noonan in the comedy film Caddyshack.[7] He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role as Ben, the oldest son of a Marine aviator in The Great Santini (1979) starring Robert Duvall, who was also nominated for an Academy Award for the film.[8] He played a Marine in the CBS miniseries A Rumor of War (1980) as the friend of Brad Davis' character, Philip Caputo.[9]
O’Keefe played the lead role in the 1982 film Split Image as a college athlete who is lured into a religious cult by a beautiful girl (Karen Allen).[10] He appeared in the Neil Simon movie The Slugger's Wife (1985) as Darryl Palmer, a baseball player for the Atlanta Braves who enjoys the fame and fringe benefits of bachelor life until he meets rock singer Debby Huston, falls in love, and decides to settle down.
He appeared in the thriller film The Glass House and starred with Tommy Lee Jones in the 1983 pirate adventure Savage Islands. O'Keefe appeared with George Clooney in Michael Clayton. He has appeared twice with Jack Nicholson, as his son in Ironweed and as the father of a murdered girl in The Pledge. He appeared in the film Frozen River. He played the district attorney Calvin Beckett in the film American Violet.
O'Keefe's Broadway theatre credits include Side Man (1998),[11] Mass Appeal (1981),[12] Fifth of July (1980),[13] and Reckless with Mary-Louise Parker (2004).[14] He starred in the play A Few Good Men in 1992 with a national tour as Lt. Jg. Daniel Kaffee.[15]
O'Keefe's highest-profile television role was as Fred, the husband of Jackie Harris (Laurie Metcalf) on the ABC series Roseanne from 1993 to 1995. He played the husband in the series Life's Work from 1996 to 1997.[16] Additional television credits include the lead role of Simon MacHeath in the short-lived Boston-based series Against the Law, which aired on Fox during the 1990–91 season, and the role of Ron Steffey in the 1992 CBS drama Middle Ages.[17]
O'Keefe has guest-starred on Saving Grace, The West Wing, Criminal Minds, The Closer, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, House, M*A*S*H, Ghost Whisperer, Brothers and Sisters, Leverage, Blue Bloods and The Waltons.[18] In 2014, he appeared in a recurring role in Homeland as CIA agent and former interim station chief John Redmond[19] and as Detective Winslow in the Amazon Prime original TV series Sneaky Pete.[20][21]
Personal life
O'Keefe was married to rock/blues singer Bonnie Raitt from 1991 to 1999, when they divorced.[22][18][23]
O'Keefe married actress Emily Donahoe in 2011.[24] O'Keefe and Donahoe have a son.[25]
O'Keefe was a practicing Zen Buddhist between 1986 and 2024.[26] In 2024, he announced that he had renounced his vows as a Buddhist, citing disillusionment with the Zen Peacemakers Order and its founder Bernie Glassman as the reason.[27] In a later interview with Tricycle, O'Keefe expressed interest in Taoism and claimed to have taken vows with the Dragon Gate sect.[28]
Filmography
Film
Sources: Hollywood.com[18] TCM[29]
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Gray Lady Down | Harris | |
| 1979 | The Great Santini | Ben Meechum | Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor |
| 1980 | Caddyshack | Danny Noonan | |
| 1982 | Split Image | Danny "Joshua" Stetson | |
| 1983 | Nate and Hayes | Nathaniel Williamson | |
| 1984 | Finders Keepers | Michael Rangeloff | |
| 1985 | The Slugger's Wife | Darryl Palmer | |
| 1986 | The Whoopee Boys | Jake Bateman | |
| 1987 | Ironweed | Billy Phelan | |
| 1989 | The First Year | ||
| Bridge to Silence | Dan | ||
| 1990 | Fear | Jack Hays | |
| 1991 | Out of the Rain | Frank Reade | |
| 1993 | Me and Veronica | Michael | |
| 1994 | Kangaroo Court | Short film | |
| Nina Takes a Lover | Journalist | ||
| 1995 | Three Wishes | Adult Tom | |
| 1996 | Edie & Pen | Ken | |
| Ghosts of Mississippi | Merrida Coxwell | ||
| 2000 | Just One Night | Wayne | |
| 2001 | The Pledge | Duane Larsen | |
| Herman U. S. A. | Dennis | ||
| The Glass House | Dave Baker | ||
| Prancer Returns | Mr. James Klock | Direct-to-video | |
| 2002 | The Hot Chick | Richard Spencer | |
| 2003 | The Inner Circle | Jack Scott | |
| Delusion | Magritte | Short film | |
| 2007 | An American Crime | Reverend Bill Collier | |
| Cherry Crush | Detective Griffin | ||
| Michael Clayton | Barry Grissom | ||
| 2008 | Frozen River | State Trooper Finnerty | |
| Keith | Alan Ascher | ||
| Chasing 3000 | Dr. Stuart | ||
| 2009 | American Violet | Calvin Beckett | |
| 2011 | Atlas Shrugged: Part I | Hugh Akston | |
| Too Big to Fail | Chris Flowers | ||
| Apartment 143 | Dr. Helzer | ||
| 2012 | A Thousand Cuts | Frank | |
| 2013 | The Wait | Ben's Dad | |
| Finding Neighbors | Sam | ||
| 2015 | Eye in the Sky | Secretary of State Ken Stanitzke | |
| 2018 | Instant Family | Jerry | |
| 2021 | Things Heard & Seen | Travis Laughton | |
| 2023 | One True Loves | Colin |
Television
Sources: Hollywood.com[18] TCM[29]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Texas Wheelers | Jeff | Episode: "X-Rated Movie" |
| M*A*S*H | Corporal Richard Travis | Episode: "Mad Dogs and Servicemen" | |
| 1975 | Lucas Tanner | Brad Patterson | Episode: "A Touch of Bribery" |
| Friendly Persuasion[30] | Josh Birdwell | Television movie | |
| The Blue Knight | N/A | Episode: "Triple Threat" | |
| 1975–1977 | The Waltons | Chad Marshall | 2 episodes |
| 1976 | The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case | Terry Long | Television movie |
| Panache | Horseman | ||
| 33 Hours in the Life of God[31] | Freddie | Unsold TV pilot | |
| Maude | Lee Harrison | Episode: "The Election" | |
| 1977 | M*A*S*H | Tom | Episode: "War of Nerves" |
| 1978 | The Dark Secret of Harvest Home | Worthy Pettinger | 2 episodes |
| 1980 | A Rumor of War | Lieutenant Walter Cohen | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Art Toomey | Episode: "The Night Caller" |
| The Hitchhiker | Richard Shepard | Episode: "Man's Best Friend" | |
| 1988 | Unholy Matrimony | Dr. Cassius William "Bill" Sander | Television movie |
| Disaster at Silo 7 | Sergeant Mike Fitzgerald | ||
| 1989 | Bridge to Silence | Dan | |
| 1990 | Too Young to Die? | Mike Medwicki | |
| In the Best Interest of the Child | Walt Colton | ||
| 1990–1991 | Against the Law | Simon MacHeath | 17 episodes |
| 1992 | Middle Ages | Ron Steffey | 6 episodes |
| 1993–1995 | Roseanne | Fred | 35 episodes |
| 1994 | Incident at Deception Ridge | Jack Bolder | Television movie |
| 1996 | The Outer Limits | Eddie Wexler | Episode: "Beyond the Veil" |
| The People Next Door | Garrett James | Television movie | |
| 1996–1997 | Life's Work | Kevin Hunter | 18 episodes |
| 1999 | Swing Vote | N/A | Television movie |
| 2001; 2026 | Law & Order | Cally Lonegan / Professor Donald Lonegan / Archbishop Keane | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | The West Wing | Will Sawyer | Episode: "War Crimes" |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Father Michael McShale | Episode: "The Faithful" | |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Officer Marcosi | Episode: "Counterfeit" |
| 2003 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Daniel Easton | Episode: "Got Murder?" |
| Defending Our Kids: The Julie Posey Story[32] | Mike Harris | Television movie | |
| 2004 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ronald McCain | Episode: "Outcry" |
| 2005 | Night Stalker | Doug Panero | Episode: "Burning Man" |
| 2006 | House | Fletcher Stone | Episode: "Failure to Communicate" |
| The Closer | Agent Tim Hecht | Episode: "Overkill" | |
| Vanished | Bob Nagel | 3 episodes | |
| 2007 | State of Mind | Petrovsky | Episode: "Pilot" |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Dr. Eli Rush | Episode: "Seeds" | |
| Saving Grace | Father Lloyd Tierney | Episode: "Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned" | |
| Criminal Minds | Dr. Stanley Howard | Episode: "Scared to Death" | |
| 2008 | Numb3rs | Reverend Joseph Ezra | Episode: "Atomic No. 33" |
| Eleventh Hour | Philip Gifford | Episode: "Resurrection" | |
| 2008–2009 | Brothers & Sisters | Wally Wandell | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | Two Dollar Beer | Dad | Unsold TV pilot |
| Ghost Whisperer | Dr. Byrd | 2 episodes | |
| 2010 | Leverage | Darren Hoffman | Episode: "The Double Blind Job" |
| Outlaw | Dr. Damon | Episode: "In Re: Tyler Banks" | |
| 2011 | Burn Notice | Wallace | Episode: "Mind Games" |
| 2012 | Daybreak | Professor Aaron Wilkins | Episode: "Chapter 2" |
| 2013 | How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) | Dr. Skrutz | Episode: "How to Be Gifted" |
| King & Maxwell | FBI Agent Frank Rigby | 10 episodes | |
| 2014 | Royal Pains | Dave | Episode: "Everybody Loves Ray, Man" |
| Homeland | John Redmond | 8 episodes Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2014) | |
| 2015–2016 | Masters of Sex | Harry Eshelman | 6 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Sleepy Hollow | Jack Walters | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Father Eugene O'Hannigan | 2 episodes |
| Elementary | Harris Waylon Greer | Episode: "A Burden of Blood" | |
| Blue Bloods | Lieutenant Tim Harrison | Episode: "Stomping Grounds" | |
| Falling Water | Mr. Jones | Episode: "Don't Tell Bill" | |
| 2017 | The Blacklist | Mr. Deavers | Episode: "Lipet's Seafood Company (No. 111)" |
| Sneaky Pete | Detective Winslow | 10 episodes | |
| 2019 | The Enemy Within | Paul Backus | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | Jack Kent Cooke | Episode: "The Swan" |
| 2023 | Billions | Eric Scott | Episode: "Winston Dick Energy" |
| 2025–present | Your Friends & Neighbors | Ron Cooper | 10 episodes |
| 2026 | The Hunting Party | Philip Beaumont | Episode: "Xander Wax" |
Awards and nominations
- 1981: Nominated – "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" – The Great Santini[33]
- 1987: Nominated – "Best Actor in a Dramatic Series" – The Hitchhiker
- 1981: Nominated – "New Male Star of the Year in a Motion Picture" – The Great Santini
Screen Actors Guild Awards
- 2015: Nominated – "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" – Homeland[34]
Capri Hollywood International Film Festival
- 2025: Honoured – "Lifetime Achievement Award"[35]
References
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- 2."Writing". michaelokeefe.com. Michael O'Keefe. Archived from the original on March 28, 2006. Retrieved 2014-08-31.
- 3."Death: O'Keefe, Raymond P." The New York Times. January 25, 2006. Archived from the original on 2017-08-26. Retrieved 2014-08-31.
- 4.LaMarre, Tom (January 30, 2004). "Michael O'Keefe (aka Caddyshack's Danny Noonan): Not just another face in the crowd". Badgolfer.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
- 5.Rosenberger, Gary (January 1, 1984). "Class Reunion: Milestone of Adulthood". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
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- 20.Hale, Mike (January 12, 2017). "Review: Con Man Poses as Long-Lost Grandson in 'Sneaky Pete'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
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- 27.O'Keefe, Michael (2024-03-16). "The Lost Robe". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.
- 28.Tricycle. "Why Actor Michael O'Keefe Renounced His Buddhist Vows". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Archived from the original on 2025-07-19. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
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