Christopher McDonald

Acting

Christopher McDonald

Born 1955-02-15 · New York City, New York, USA

Christopher McDonald (born February 15, 1955) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in Happy Gilmore and 61. Other notable starring roles for McDonald in film include "T-Birds" member Goose McKenzie in Grease 2 (1982), Darryl Dickinson opposite his former fiancée Geena Davis in Thelma & Louise (1991), Ward Cleaver in the film adaptation Leave It to Beaver (1997), and Tappy Tibbons in Requiem for a Dream (2000). Along with numerous independent and small-budget film roles, he played supporting characters in box-office hits Grumpy Old Men (1993), Flubber (1997), Rumor Has It (2005), The House Bunny (2008) and About Last Night (2014). On television, McDonald was a series regular on network TV shows Walter & Emily (1991–1992, NBC), Good Advice (1993–1994, CBS), Family Law (1999–2002, CBS), Cracking Up (2004-2006, FOX) and Harry's Law, (2011–2012, NBC). In 2022, McDonald was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as casino CEO Marty Ghilain on the HBO Max show Hacks.

Acting credits

Thelma & Louise poster
7.6

Taking a break from their dreary lives, close friends Thelma and Louise embark on a short weekend trip that ends in unforeseen incriminating circumstances. As fugitives, both women rediscover the strength of their bond and their newfound resilience.

Thelma & Louise

1991

The Iron Giant poster
8.0

In the small town of Rockwell, Maine in October 1957, a giant metal machine befriends a nine-year-old boy and ultimately finds its humanity by unselfishly saving people from their own fears and prejudices.

The Iron Giant

1999

Superhero Movie poster
5.3

Rick Riker is a nerdy teen imbued with superpowers by a radioactive dragonfly. And because every hero needs a nemesis, enter Lou Landers, aka the villainously goofy Hourglass.

Superhero Movie

2008

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F poster
6.6

Forty years after his unforgettable first case in Beverly Hills, Detroit cop Axel Foley returns to do what he does best: solve crimes and cause chaos.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

2024

Happy Gilmore poster
6.7

Failed hockey player-turned-golf whiz Happy Gilmore — whose unconventional approach and antics on the green courts the ire of rival Shooter McGavin — is determined to win a PGA tournament so he can save his granny's house with the prize money. Meanwhile, an attractive tour publicist tries to soften Happy's image.

Happy Gilmore

1996

The Faculty poster
6.6

When creepy things start happening at Herrington High, the students begin to suspect that their faculty is being controlled by body-snatching aliens.

The Faculty

1998

The Perfect Storm poster
6.5

In October 1991, a confluence of weather conditions combined to form a killer storm in the North Atlantic. Caught in the storm was the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail.

The Perfect Storm

2000

Requiem for a Dream poster
8.0

The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.

Requiem for a Dream

2000

American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile poster
5.5

When Erik Stifler realizes that he's the only Stifler family member who might graduate high school a virgin, he decides to live up to his legacy. After some well-meaning advice from Jim's dad, Erik's ready to take his chances at the annual and infamous Naked Mile race, where his devoted friends and some uninhibited sorority girls will create the most outrageous weekend ever.

American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile

2006

Grumpy Old Men poster
6.7

For decades, next-door neighbors and former friends John and Max have feuded, trading insults and wicked pranks. When an attractive widow moves in nearby, their bad blood erupts into a high-stakes rivalry full of naughty jokes and adolescent hijinks.

Grumpy Old Men

1993

Happy Gilmore 2 poster
6.5

Happy Gilmore isn't done with golf — not by a long shot. Since his retirement after his first Tour Championship win, Gilmore returns to finance his daughter's ballet classes.

Happy Gilmore 2

2025

American Pie Presents: Beta House poster
5.6

Erik, Ryan, and Cooze start college and pledge the Beta House fraternity, presided over by none other than legendary Dwight Stifler. But chaos ensues when a fraternity of geeks threatens to stop the debauchery and the Betas have to make a stand for their right to party.

American Pie Presents: Beta House

2007

Mad Money poster
6.5

Three female employees of the Federal Reserve plot to steal money that is about to be destroyed.

Mad Money

2008

Fatal Instinct poster
5.5

Ned Ravine is a police officer and lawyer who occasionally defends the delinquents he arrests. He crosses paths with seductive Lola Cain during an assignment and promptly begins an affair with her. Meanwhile, Ned's wife, Lana, is deep in an affair of her own. Lana and her lover are planning to murder Ned in an elaborate fashion so they can collect on his triple indemnity life insurance policy.

Fatal Instinct

1993

Grind poster
6.0

Four skaters follow their idol on his summer tour in an attempt to get noticed, get sponsored, and become stars themselves.

Grind

2003

Once Upon a Time in Venice poster
5.2

Steve Ford is a private detective in Venice Beach, Calif., who's good with the ladies, bad with the punches and wild about his dog Buddy. When local thugs steal Buddy, Ford turns to Spyder, their devious leader, and forges an unlikely alliance. With help from his best friend, Steve pulls out the big guns to retrieve Spyder's stolen cash and cocaine and save Buddy.

Once Upon a Time in Venice

2017

Dutch poster
6.5

To get to know his girlfriend's son, a man volunteers to pick him up from a prep school... only to learn that her son's not the nicest kid.

Dutch

1991

The Man Who Wasn't There poster
7.5

A tale of murder, crime and punishment set in the summer of 1949. Ed Crane, a barber in a small California town, is dissatisfied with his life, but his wife Doris' infidelity and a mysterious opportunity presents him with a chance to change it.

The Man Who Wasn't There

2001

Flubber poster
5.7

Professor Phillip Brainard, an absent minded professor, works with his assistant Weebo, trying to create a substance that's a new source of energy and that will save Medfield College where his sweetheart Sara is the president. He has missed his wedding twice, and on the afternoon of his third wedding, Professor Brainard creates flubber, which allows objects to fly through the air.

Flubber

1997

Fair Game poster
5.2

Max Kirkpatrick is a cop who protects Kate McQuean, a civil law attorney, from a renegade KGB team out to terminate her

Fair Game

1995

Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams poster
5.6

Exploring the further adventures of Carmen and Juni Cortez, who have now joined the family spy business as Level 2 OSS agents. Their new mission is to save the world from a mad scientist living on a volcanic island populated by an imaginative menagerie of creatures. On this bizarre island, none of the Cortez's gadgets work and they must rely on their wits--and each other--to survive and save the day.

Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams

2002

We Can Be Heroes poster
5.9

When alien invaders capture Earth's superheroes, their kids must learn to work together to save their parents - and the planet.

We Can Be Heroes

2020

The Collection poster
6.4

Arkin escapes with his life from the vicious grips of "The Collector" during an entrapment party where he adds beautiful Elena to his "Collection." Instead of recovering from the trauma, Arkin is suddenly abducted from the hospital by mercenaries hired by Elena's wealthy father. Arkin is blackmailed to team up with the mercenaries and track down The Collector's booby trapped warehouse and save Elena.

The Collection

2012

Awake poster
6.6

While undergoing heart surgery, a man experiences a phenomenon called ‘anesthetic awareness’, which leaves him awake but paralyzed throughout the operation. As various obstacles present themselves, his wife must make life-altering decisions while wrestling with her own personal drama.

Awake

2007