Lawrence O'Donnell

Lawrence O'Donnell
O'Donnell at the Women's March along Fifth Avenue on January 21, 2017
Born Lawrence Francis O'Donnell Jr.
(1951-11-07) November 7, 1951
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Education Saint Sebastian's School
Alma mater Harvard University
Occupation Political analyst, television host, actor
Notable credit(s) Political commentary:
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
The McLaughlin Group
Morning Joe

Television fictional series:
The West Wing (producer, writer)
Big Love, Homeland (actor)
Spouse(s) Kathryn Harrold (m. 1994-2013; divorced)
Children 1

Lawrence Francis O'Donnell Jr. (born November 7,[1] 1951) is an American progressive television pundit, actor, and host of The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, an MSNBC opinion and news program on Monday through Friday evenings.

Before getting his own show on the cable network, O'Donnell frequently filled in as host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC.

O'Donnell has also appeared as a political analyst on The McLaughlin Group, The Al Franken Show, and Countdown with Keith Olbermann. He was a producer and writer for the NBC series The West Wing (and played the role of the President's father in flashbacks) and creator and executive producer of the NBC series Mister Sterling. He is also an occasional actor and film producer, appearing as a recurring supporting character on the HBO series Big Love portraying an attorney.

O'Donnell began his political career as an aide to U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and was Staff Director for the Senate Finance Committee. He has described himself a "practical European socialist."[2]

Early life and education

O'Donnell was born in Boston, on November 7, 1951, the son of Frances Marie (née Buckley), an office manager, and Lawrence Francis O'Donnell Sr., an attorney.[1] He is of Irish descent and grew up Catholic.[3] He attended St. Sebastian's School (class of 1970), where he was captain of his baseball team and wide receiver on their undefeated football team. O'Donnell majored in economics at Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1976.[4] While at Harvard, he wrote for the Harvard Lampoon and was popular among its members for his wit and sarcasm.[5]

Career

From 1977 to 1988, O’Donnell was a writer.[4] In 1983, he published the book Deadly Force, about a case of wrongful death and police brutality in which O'Donnell’s father was the plaintiff’s lawyer.[6] In 1986, the book was made into the film A Case of Deadly Force, in which Richard Crenna played O'Donnell’s father and Tate Donovan played O'Donnell, and for which O’Donnell was associate producer.[7] In 2017, O'Donnell published the book Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics.

U.S. Congress

From 1989 to 1995, O’Donnell was a legislative aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.[4] From 1989 to 1991, he served as senior advisor to Moynihan. From 1992 to 1993, he was staff director of the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, then chaired by Senator Moynihan, and from 1993 to 1995 he was staff director of the United States Senate Committee on Finance, again under Senator Moynihan’s chairmanship.[8]

Television

Writing and production

From 1999 to 2006, O’Donnell was associated with the television drama The West Wing. During that time, he wrote 16 episodes. From 1999 to 2000, he was executive story editor for 12 episodes; in 2000, he was co-producer of 5 episodes; from 2000 to 2001, he was producer of 17 episodes; from 2003 to 2005, he was consulting producer for 44 episodes; and, from 2005 to 2006, he was executive producer for 22 episodes.[9] O’Donnell won the 2001 Emmy award for Outstanding Drama Series for The West Wing and was nominated for the 2006 Emmy for the same category.[10]

In 2002, O’Donnell was supervising producer and writer for the television drama First Monday; and, in 2003, he was creator, executive producer, and writer for the television drama Mister Sterling.[9]

Contributor and host

In 2009, O'Donnell became a regular contributor on Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough. His aggressive debate style on that program and others led to several notable on-air confrontations, one of the most notable being an interview with conservative Marc Thiessen on Morning Joe that became so heated that the conservative Scarborough took O'Donnell off the air.[11][12][13]

Also in 2009 and 2010, O'Donnell began appearing frequently as a substitute host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann, particularly when Olbermann's father was ill in the hospital.

On September 27, 2010, O'Donnell began hosting a 10 p.m. show on MSNBC, called The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell.[14][15]

On January 21, 2011, it was announced that O'Donnell would take over the 8 p.m. slot from Keith Olbermann after Olbermann announced the abrupt termination of his show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann;[16] Beginning October 24, 2011, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell switched time slots with The Ed Show, with Ed Schultz taking over the 8 p.m. Eastern slot, and O'Donnell returning to the 10 p.m. Eastern slot.[17]

Acting

O'Donnell played Lee Hatcher, the Henrickson family attorney, in the HBO series Big Love, about a polygamous family in Utah. In addition to being a producer on The West Wing, O'Donnell also played President Josiah Bartlet's father in a flashback sequence of the episode "Two Cathedrals".

O'Donnell portrayed Judge Lawrence Barr in two episodes of Monk and played himself on an episode of Showtime's Homeland.

Controversies

O'Donnell at the 2009 premiere of PoliWood

Before showing a taped October 2010 interview with RNC Chairman Michael Steele, O'Donnell caused controversy over his intro to the interview which was considered racially insensitive. He said, "Michael Steele is dancing as fast as he can, trying to charm independent voters and Tea Partiers while never losing sight of his real master and paycheck provider, the Republican National Committee." After drawing criticism from Steele and talk-radio host Larry Elder, O'Donnell apologized for his remarks.[18][19][20]

O'Donnell also drew criticism for an October 2010 interview with Congressman Ron Paul, when Paul accused him of breaking an agreement not to ask him about other political candidates.[21] O'Donnell said he was not part of any agreement, but an MSNBC spokeswoman stated, "We told Rep. Paul’s office that the focus would be on the tea party movement, not on specific candidates".[22]

During an October 2011 interview, O'Donnell accused Republican primary candidate Herman Cain of not participating in protests during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and also charged him with avoiding the draft during the Vietnam War. Conor Friedersdorf said the questions posed by O'Donnell were "offensive" and declared, "In this interview, O'Donnell goes to absurd lengths to use patriotism and jingoism as cudgels to attack his conservative guest, almost as if he is doing a Stephen Colbert style parody of the tactics he imagines a right-wing blowhard might employ. Does he realize he's becoming what he claims to abhor?"[23] O'Donnell's interview with Cain was later defended by Reverend Al Sharpton.[24]

In 2007 O'Donnell criticized Mitt Romney's speech on religion, stating: "Romney comes from a religion that was founded by a criminal who was anti-American, pro-slavery, and a rapist."[25][26] In the April 3, 2012, broadcast of The Last Word, O'Donnell made comments regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), saying it was an "invented religion," which was "created by a guy in upstate New York in 1830 when he got caught having sex with the maid and explained to his wife that God told him to do it."[27] During the April 11, 2012, broadcast of The Last Word, O'Donnell apologized for the April 3, 2012, comments, stating that his comments offended many, including some of the show's most supportive fans.[28]

On September 20, 2017, an 8-minute video clip was leaked that showed O'Donnell cursing and swearing between segments of a live broadcast that aired August 29, 2017.[29] O'Donnell apologized on Twitter,[30] and the leaker was subsequently fired.[31]

Political views

In a 2005 interview, O'Donnell called himself a "practical European socialist".[2] O'Donnell also declared himself a "socialist" on the November 6, 2010, Morning Joe show, stating: "I am not a progressive. I am not a liberal who is so afraid of the word that I had to change my name to 'progressive.' Liberals amuse me. I am a socialist. I lie to the extreme left, the extreme left of you mere liberals."[32] On the August 1, 2011, episode of The Last Word, O'Donnell further explained, "I have been calling myself a socialist ever since I first read the definition of socialism in the first economics class I took in college."[33]

Philanthropy

In late 2010 O'Donnell made a trip to Malawi with the intent of providing school-room desks for students who had never seen desks. MSNBC and UNICEF partnered to create the K.I.N.D. fund - Kids in Need of Desks - with the mission to deliver desks to African schools. As of December 2013, the program had raised over $6.5 million,[34] paying for approximately 100,000 desks to be delivered to classrooms. In addition, the K.I.N.D. fund also provides scholarships to help young girls in Malawi attend school. By the end of 2017 the Fund had raised $19 million.

Personal life

In 1994, O'Donnell married television and film actress Kathryn Harrold; they divorced in 1999.[35][36] O'Donnell and Harrold have a daughter, Elizabeth Buckley Harrold O'Donnell.[37]

In April 2014, he and his brother Michael were injured in a traffic accident while vacationing in the British Virgin Islands.[38][39] O'Donnell returned to his MSNBC show The Last Word in June after two months of recuperation.[38]

References

  1. 1 2 "Lawrence O'Donnell Biography (1951?-)". www.filmreference.com.
  2. 1 2 Steigerwald, Bill (2005-11-11). "A liberal who loves markets: 'The West Wing's' Lawrence O'Donnell". Newsmaker Interviews. Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  3. ↑ "Playing with Fire". C-SPAN.org.
  4. 1 2 3 The Almanac of the Unelected: Staff of the U.S. Congress: 1994. Edited by Jeffrey B. Trammell and Steve Piacente, 695. Washington, D.C.: Almanac Publishing, 1994. ISBN 0-9626134-5-2.
  5. ↑ Wright, Jeanne. "The Sharp Shooter" (12 Aug 1994). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  6. ↑ Lawrence O'Donnell Jr. Deadly Force: The Wrongful Death of James Bouden Jr.: A True Story of How a Badge Can Become a License To Kill. William Morrow & Co, 1983. ISBN 0-688-01914-5.
  7. ↑ "A Case of Deadly Force". Retrieved 2010-07-16.
  8. ↑ "TV Producer Lawrence O'Donnell". npr.org. National Public Radio. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  9. 1 2 "Lawrence O'Donnell". Retrieved 2010-07-16.
  10. ↑ "Awards for Lawrence O'Donnell". Retrieved 2010-07-16.
  11. ↑ The Wall Street Journal Online - Best of the Web Today
  12. ↑ Baram, Marcus (14 September 2009). "Lawrence O'Donnell Exposes GOP Congressman's Hypocrisy On Government Health Care (VIDEO)" – via Huff Post.
  13. ↑ Mormons and Idiosyncracy [sic] http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/47264.html
  14. ↑ Gellman, Lindsay (2010-07-31). "'Last Word': Lawrence O'Donnell MSNBC Show Gets Name". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
  15. ↑ Lawrence O’Donnell Gets His Own MSNBC Show The New York Times June 15, 2010.
  16. ↑ Carter, Bill. "Olbermann leaves 'Countdown' on MSNBC", The New York Times, January 21, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  17. ↑ Gaines, Jeremy (19 October 2011). "MSNBC Primetime Schedule Change". NBC Universal. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011.
  18. ↑ Bond, Paul (2010-10-08). "MSNBC host sorry for slavery gaffe". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  19. ↑ Stelter, Brian (2010-10-07). "Night Watch: Talk of Witches and an Apology". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  20. ↑ Hagey, Keach (2010-10-07). "Lawrence O'Donnell apologizes to Michael Steele". Politico. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  21. ↑ Hayden, Eric (2010-10-12). "Morning Vid: Ron Paul Scolds 'Discourteous' MSNBC Host". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  22. ↑ Hagey, Keach (2010-10-12). "Ron Paul accuses Lawrence O'Donnell of breaking "agreement"". Politico. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  23. ↑ Lawrence O'Donnell's offensive interview with Herman Cain, The Atlantic, October 2011.
  24. ↑ Mirkinson, Jack (2011-10-08). "Lawrence O'Donnell Defends Herman Cain Interview (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post.
  25. ↑ "Lawrence O'Donnell Attacks Mormonism in 2007". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  26. ↑ Linkins, Jason (2007-12-09). "Lawrence O'Donnell Loses His Ever-Loving Mind on McLaughlin". The Huffington Post.
  27. ↑ "Lawrence O'Donnell: Mormonism Is An "Invented Religion"". RealClearPolitics. 2012-04-04. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  28. ↑ "Rewrite on the politics of religion - Video on NBCNews.com". Video.msnbc.msn.com. 2012-04-11. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  29. ↑ Huddleston, Tom Jr. (September 20, 2017). "MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell Pleads 'Stop the Hammering!' in Leaked Outtakes". Fortune. New York, NY.
  30. ↑ "MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell Pleads 'Stop the Hammering!' in Leaked Outtakes".
  31. ↑ Concha, Joe (October 16, 2017). "NBC fires producer who leaked Lawrence O'Donnell meltdown video: report". The Hill. Washington, DC.
  32. ↑ Jack Mirkinson (2010-11-06). "Lawrence O'Donnell Calls Himself A Socialist, Slams Glenn Greenwald On Morning Joe". The Huffington Post. Huffington Post Technology. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
  33. ↑ O'Donnell, Lawrence, "Rewrite," The Last Word, MSNBC, 1 Aug 2011. Video available at
  34. ↑ The Last Word Staff (23 December 2013). "K.I.N.D. Fund Breaks $6.5 million". msnbc.com. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  35. ↑ "Kathryn Harrold: About Me".
  36. ↑ "Lawrence Francis O'Donnell vs. Kathryn Harrold". Los Angeles County Superior Court District West (Santa Monica) Civil Case Index divorce filing #SD15349. 1999-01-11. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  37. ↑ "The Mclaughlin Group : Library".
  38. 1 2 Catherine Taibi (2014-04-14). "Lawrence O'Donnell Injured In Car Accident". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  39. ↑ Fung, Katherine (2014-06-20). "Lawrence O'Donnell Says He's 'Lucky To Be Alive' After Horrifying Car Crash". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
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