Rob McElhenney
| Rob McElhenney | |
|---|---|
 McElhenney at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2013.
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| Born | Robert Dale McElhenney April 14, 1977 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, director, producer, writer |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse(s) | Kaitlin Olson (2008-present) |
| Children | 2 |
Robert Dale "Rob" McElhenney (/ˈmækɨl.hɛnɪ/;[1] born April 14, 1977) is an American film and television actor best known for his role as Mac on the FX TV series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He is also credited as creator, developer, and executive producer of the show, which has also provided McElhenney with writing and directing credits on various episodes.
Early life[edit]
McElhenney was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Waldron Mercy Academy for grade school and Saint Joseph's Preparatory School high school in Philadelphia. He also received a blackbelt in Taekwondo at the age of 13, as well as winning multiple martial arts tournaments before pursuing his acting career.
Career[edit]
McElhenney made his film debut with a bit part in Alan J. Pakula's The Devil's Own followed by bit parts in A Civil Action, Wonder Boys, and Thirteen Conversations About One Thing. He later had more substantial parts in Latter Days and The Tollbooth and small role in the eighth season Law & Order episode "Thrill".
In 2004, McElhenney was still waiting tables between acting assignments when his manager and agent pitched McElhenney's idea for a sitcom to FX. The cable network received it warmly.[2] McElhenney claims that 50 weeks of each year are consumed by acting, producing, and writing for the show, but he did find time to appear in the third season of Lost as Aldo in the episode, "Not in Portland". This was a result of McElhenney meeting Lost co-creator and executive producer Damon Lindelof, who is a fan of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. McElhenney continued the role in Lost, featured again in the sixth season for a single episode (episode 3). In 2013 McElhenney hosted a panel discussion with cast, creators, and writer of HBO's Game of Thrones.
Personal life[edit]
McElhenney was raised "partly by two gay mothers who have a domestic partnership".[3] He and his Sunny costar Kaitlin Olson were married on September 27, 2008 in California[4] and had their first child, Axel Lee McElhenny on September 1, 2010; a photo of this appears at the end of season six finale. Olson went into labor at a Philadelphia Phillies game.[5] The couple's second son, Leo Grey McElhenney, was born April 5, 2012.[6]
In preparation for season seven of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, McElhenney put on 50 pounds of extra weight and let his beard grow out to give extra humor to Mac, and to add a new comedic direction for the new season. McElhenney's co-star Charlie Day described the weight gain as "disgusting" and that it had the rest of the cast "a little on the fence about it for his own personal health and safety." McElhenney subsequently lost 23 pounds in a month after the season was finished filming.[7][8] He lost more later in the year to film the next season.
Filmography[edit]
| Film and Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1997 | The Devil's Own | Kevin | |
| Law & Order | Joey Timon | episode: "Thrill" | |
| 1998 | A Civil Action | Teenager on Property | |
| 2000 | Wonder Boys | Student | |
| 2001 | Thirteen Conversations About One Thing | Chris Hammond, Aspiring Medical Student | |
| Campfire Stories | Ricky | ||
| 2002 | Long Story Short | Trent | |
| 2003 | Latter Days | Elder Harmon | |
| 2004 | ER | Andy Fesh | episode: "Where There's Smoke" |
| The Tollbooth | Simon Stanton | ||
| 2005–-present | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Ronald "Mac" McDonald | 94 episodes Also creator/producer/director/writer |
| 2007–2010 | Lost | Aldo | episodes: "Not in Portland" and "What Kate Does" |
| 2012 | Living Loaded | TV movie | |
References[edit]
- ^ "The Actors Lounge interviews Charlie Day". Retrieved 2010-10-20.
- ^ "McElhenney interview". Retrieved 2007-11-03.
- ^ "Rob McElhenney: Pro-Gay Marriage, Raised In A Gay Family - On Top Magazine | Gay news & entertainment". Ontopmag.com. 2010-08-08. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
- ^ "OK! Exclusive: Kaitlin Olson & Rob McElhenney Wed". OK!. 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
- ^ "Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney Welcome Son Axel Lee". People.com. 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
- ^ Johnson, Zach. "Meet Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney's Son Leo Grey!". US Weekly. US Magazine. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Fat Mac: Rob McElhenney Goes Into Graphic Detail About 'Sunny' Weight Gain". Reuters. 2011-08-10.
- ^ Maerz, Melissa (2011-09-16). "Rob McElhenney: How To Get Fat for TV". TV Article (Entertainment Weekly). Retrieved 2 November 2011.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rob McElhenney. |
- Rob McElhenney at the Internet Movie Database
- "One on one with the guys from Always Sunny in Philadelphia", HoboTrashcan.com.
- "Rob McElhenney interview on the Best Damn Sports Show Podcast"
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