Anyone who grew up watching 90s action movies probably remembers Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. George Clooney swears the latter was his worst role ever— his sidekick was the franchise’s senior, the glue that kept the story together, as the world was wooed by Chris O’Donnell. The handsome blonde-haired, blue-eyed actor almost casts a spell on his admirers with his intense gaze and down-to-earth smile. But where on earth did he disappear to? Here is what Chris O’Donnell is doing now, as an actor and a family man.
Videos By Rare
Chris O’Donnell’s Role as Robin in the Batman Franchise Was His Breakout and Flop
Born on June 26, 1970, O’Donnell is almost 53 these days. After popping onto the small screen as a teenage model and commercial actor, he made his film debut in Men Don’t Leave in 1990. He co-starred in popular classic films like Fried Green Tomatoes, Scent of a Woman, The Three Musketeers, Mad Love, and then Batman Forever in 1995. He was Robin to Val Kilmer’s Batman, saving Gotham from a stellar cast of villains including Nicole Kidman and Jim Carrey. Kilmer didn’t return for the sequel, replaced by an underpaid and almost embarrassed George Clooney. Needless to say, the sequel didn’t do well. Then came the more successful Vertical Limit — and O’Donnell almost disappeared.
It’s not that he even left the Hollywood scene, but rather that Chris O’Donnell was so successful as Robin that the role overshadowed much of the next part of his career. He continued to appear in film and TV over the years (29 Palms, Grey’s Anatomy, Head Cases) and occasionally voiced roles in cartoons like Robot Chicken and American Dad.
O’Donnell Has Been Starring in NCIS for 14 Years
But what many don’t know, save for NCIS fans, is that he found a new set of shoes to fill as G. Callen on the hit crime series. O’Donnell joined the NCIS universe in 2009 and remained there for 14 years. He announced his leave in January, following the NCIS: Los Angeles’s 14th and final season.
“What an amazing 14 year ride with my @ncisla family,” Chris O’Donnell wrote on Instagram. “Just want to take a moment to say thank you to all of our amazing fans that tuned in every week. On to the next adventure!”
Exactly what that next adventure is, we don’t know yet. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the star recently signed on with Gersh for representation. The talent agency has an impressive list of associates including Spike Lee and Mark Harmon.
O’Donnell and LL Cool J Produced a Reality Competition Show Last Year. Will It Return?
O’Donnell has been producing film and TV since the late 90s, often starring in his projects (The Bachelor, Head Cases). Last year, he teamed up with his NCIS: LA co-star, rapper LL Cool J, to produce Come Dance with Me. The reality dance competition featured young talented dancers and their inexperienced friends or family members, who would work together to impress a panel of judges for a chance to win $100,000. The CBS show had its first season last spring but as of today has neither been cancelled nor renewed for a second season.
He Has Five Kids with His Partner of 30 Years
In the meantime, Chris O’Donnell has a wife and five kids keeping him occupied. He began dating his friend’s sister Caroline Fentress in 1993 and proposed three years later. She was working as a kindergarten teacher as he was traveling for work, but they made the long-distance relationship blossom. The pair married in 1997 in a Catholic ceremony in Washington, D.C.
O’Donnell and Fentress have had five children over the years: Lily, Chris Jr., Charles, Finley, and Maeve. Maeve became the fourth of her siblings to make a cameo appearance on NCIS: LA in 2015 when she was only 7 years old. Their famous father told Entertainment Tonight that he tried to give his kids the experience but had no expectations regarding if they wanted to pursue acting.
“I think it’s just great exposure to what else is out there in the world,” Chris said. “I don’t know if any of my kids will actually end up in this industry, and if they do that’s terrific, but if my children think they’re just going to walk in and have their own television show, that’s just not a reality.”
He was echoing the same sentiment that he expressed six years earlier, which was that he supports his kid’s choices but that, given their ages at the time, acting was just “something fun to do.”
O’Donnell Does Typical Dad Stuff
O’Donnell was opening up about life as a dad, which was first juxtaposed with his fictional character Robin. Asked how he could “switch gears,” the actor had to give a reminder that he was just a normal guy.
“The guy that played Robin in Batman now has five kids under 8 so it was a natural evolution it feels very natural for me,” he quipped. O’Donnell explained his typical day when he wasn’t working.
“I carpool and drive the kids around… I drive the kids every morning to school, and they take the bus home,” he said. “I get in front of the computer and read scripts I take care of the meetings I have to try and get things done because if I’m not on the set, I’m really involved in their Little League, basketball and soccer.”
He shared that he enjoys playing golf and working out with his free time.
“I lead a pretty normal life, its unusual in the fact that I’ll be working out and see my wife’s friends at the gym because all my buddies are at the office working,” said O’Donnell. “I’m so used to going to the workout classes when it’s just me and maybe like one other guy and 20 women. I really don’t like it when I go there on the weekends and there’s more than a couple guys there, I mean women smell much nicer, I don’t like all the dudes in here, you’re cramping my style.”
He’s a Practicing Catholic
O’Donnell was also raised Catholic and continues to practice his faith. He said that he brings his children to church to give them the experience of having faith.
“I go to church all the time and take my kids. I think it’s important to raise your kid in some kind of tradition not necessarily Catholic. I think it’s a good foundation and structured way to raise your children,” he said.
For O’Donnell, the purpose of teaching his kids Catholicism wasn’t about forcing their beliefs but giving them a tool kit.
“It’s funny you see people embrace their religion again when tragedy strikes and that sort of thing. I’ve been pretty consistent my whole life with it. I’m not some raging religious guy but I like to go to church just to sit there and think,” he said. “I may not even be paying attention to what they’re talking about but in my own mind I know my kids are learning a lot and it’s just a good framework.”
After nearly 30 years with his wife and all of his kids approaching adulthood, it seems that Chris O’Donnell has done pretty well. When asked what his secret to marriage was, he told People that it came down to two things.
“Marry the right person,” he said of the first part. “I was very lucky. We work at it all the time and have good communication.”
The second part may sound cliché, but it works.
“Somebody told us before we got married, ‘Don’t go to bed angry with each other,’” he said. “It’s a little thing but it means a lot. If something is bothering you talk it out.”