Terry O Quinn 

Emmy winning actor and part of the popular television series Lost, Terry O Quinn is a prolific character actor of television and film. After just under three decades in the business, the success of his new show has helped launch him into the mainstream.

Terrence O Quinn was born July 15, 1952 in Newberry, Michigan. Receiving his education from Central Michigan University and University of Iowa, O Quinn worked a series of odd jobs before supporting himself on acting alone. These jobs included a position as a security guard and body guard.

O Quinn made his onscreen debut with FDR: The Last Year in 1980. His first film was the critically revered Heaven’s Gate beside Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, and Jeff Bridges.

For the next seven years, O Quinn took a multitude of roles in film and television. Cast in bit parts and supporting roles, O Quinn finally broke into a leading role in 1987 with the psychological thriller The Stepfather. Wowing audiences and critics alike, O Quinn was honored with an Independent Spirit Award nomination.

With the added attention and respect from his starring role, O Quinn began earning larger roles in more commercially visible films. Noted appearances include 1991’s The Rocketeer with leads Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, and Paul Sorvino as well as the modern western Tombstone (1993) with Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, and Bill Paxton.

After his silver screen success, O Quinn became highly in demand for recurring roles on television series. The first of his many multiple role appearances came with Earth 2 in 1994 and 1995. For six episodes, he was Reilly in the science fiction drama opposite series regulars Clancy Brown and Rebecca Gayheart.

Returning briefly to films, he played opposite Edward Norton in his Oscar nominated performance for Primal Fear, and later in the civil rights drama Ghosts of Mississippi.

But his big break would come in 1996 with the television series Millennium. A cast star, O Quinn acted in forty of the show’s sixty-seven episodes over its three season run. Although the show was never a massive commercial success, the show did develop a rather loyal fan base.

His next major gig was the role of Admiral Thomas Boone in JAG over the years of 1995 to 2002. Jumping from one hit to another, O Quinn went straight from JAG to Alias with Jennifer Garner. He had an intermittently present role from 2002 to 2004.

Concurrently, he appeared on the smash hit political drama The West Wing as General Nicholas Alexander.

Just as these jobs finished, he landed the role that would prove to be his most important vehicle—the new mystery, drama Lost. For four seasons, O Quinn has inhabited the deserted island with fellow castaways Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, and Dominic Monaghan. O Quinn was recognized as the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama at the 2007 Emmy ceremonies.

A devoted family man, O Quinn married his wife Laurie in 1979. They have two children and are still happily together. They spent many of their married years living on the East Coast but recently moved to Hawai’i, where Lost is currently shot.