Jerry O’Donnell built a career portraying steady, straight-shooting cops on screen. At 65, he is ready to wear the badge off-screen, too. The “Bosch” and “Mad Men” actor has relocated to North Carolina, where he recently entered the Asheville Police Department’s training program.
According to The Independent, he will earn full officer status after completing the BLET, a state exam, and fieldwork.
Veteran Actor Known for Police Roles Takes the Leap in Real Life
O’Donnell said the decision grew out of a desire for purpose at this stage of his life.
“I feel blessed and grateful to still have some ability, so you know, that’s like a sense of purpose — to be of service,” he told the Asheville Watchdog last month.
The Brooklyn-born performer has often portrayed officers on shows like “SEAL Team,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and “The Young and the Restless.”
He has also appeared on “NYPD Blue,” “JAG,” and “NCIS,” which helped cement his reputation as a steady, tough law-enforcement character.
Grueling Training Pushes O’Donnell Into a New Chapter
O’Donnell admitted the physical training has been intense.
“When we do PT, we go on these runs in the parking garage — you run up, run down, run the parking garage,” he said, as per Local reports. “And then you do exercises — 15 air squats, run up another level. Do 50 push-ups, run up another level. Do 50 burpees.”
Even with decades of acting work behind him, he said this late-in-life shift gives him a sense of meaning he didn’t expect. “I always think when you slide into home at the end of your life, you want to be all used up… You know — dirty, scarred up, a little bloody, and spent.”
A Hollywood Career That Started After Army Service
An independent report also claimed that before acting, O’Donnell served four years in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.
He discovered performing after taking the lead in a college play. His talent caught the attention of famed acting teacher Uta Hagen, which eventually led him to Hollywood and a career spanning nearly 50 films and series since his 1991 debut on “The Flash.”
From Soap Operas to Crime Dramas, He Built a Niche Playing Cops
O’Donnell’s breakthrough came in 1998 when he landed an 18-episode arc on “The Young and the Restless,” followed years later by a run on “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
He went on to build a steady list of law enforcement roles, including a standout Season 4 appearance on “Dexter,” where he delivered a flash drive to Sgt. Angel Batista in the “Vacation Murderers” storyline. On “Mad Men,” he played Gerry Respola, the brother-in-law of Elisabeth Moss’ Peggy Olson, across four episodes.
Now, with a badge within reach and a new chapter unfolding, O’Donnell is channeling decades of screen work into real-life service.
