Ted McGinley

Theodore Martin McGinley is an American actor born May 30, 1958. He is widely recognized for his prominent television sitcom roles, including Jefferson D'Arcy on Married... with Children, Charley Shanowski on Hope & Faith, and Derek Bishop on the comedy-drama series Shrinking. Over his career, he also secured regular roles late in the runs of long-running television programs such as Happy Days, Dynasty, and The Love Boat, alongside his portrayal of the antagonist Stan Gable in the feature film Revenge of the Nerds and its made-for-television sequels.

Raised in Newport Beach, California, McGinley participated on the water polo team while attending Newport Harbor High School. His paternal grandfather was an immigrant from Ireland. McGinley later pursued higher education at the University of Southern California before deciding to leave his studies to pursue a modeling career, which prompted a move to New York in 1979.

McGinley entered television acting after a casting director noticed his photograph in GQ magazine. This led to his casting in 1980 as Roger Phillips, the nephew of Marion Cunningham, on the comedy series Happy Days, a character he portrayed through 1984. During his tenure on the show, he secured a part in the 1982 feature film Young Doctors in Love. Following the conclusion of Happy Days, he played fraternity leader Stanley Gable in the 1984 comedy film Revenge of the Nerds, a role he later reprised in two television movie sequels.

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, McGinley sustained an active television career with regular roles on Dynasty and The Love Boat. In 1991, he joined the main cast of Married... with Children as Jefferson D'Arcy, playing the husband of Marcy Rhoades through 1997. He subsequently appeared in recurring roles on Aaron Sorkin series, including Gordon on Sports Night and a news anchor on The West Wing. From 2003 to 2006, he co-starred as Charley Shanowski on the sitcom Hope & Faith, and later appeared in sitcom projects such as Charlie Lawrence and the pilot for Life of the Party.

In addition to his sitcom work, McGinley featured in numerous films and television movies. He appeared as Mr. Scream in the 1993 film Wayne's World 2 and adopted a Southern accent for the television miniseries Wild Justice. He also took on dramatic television movie roles, including starring alongside his wife in the 1996 movie Deadly Web and portraying a captor in the 1998 television film Every Mother's Worst Fear. His screen credits also include guest appearances on series such as Hotel, Fantasy Island, Perfect Strangers, The Practice, and Justice League.

Due to his pattern of joining established television series during their later seasons, commentators designated McGinley as a notable figure regarding television shows that jump the shark. McGinley embraced this reputation with humor, referencing it directly in an episode of Married... with Children and later guest-voicing in an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. In 2008, he competed on the seventh season of the reality competition Dancing with the Stars alongside professional partner Inna Brayer, becoming the second contestant eliminated.

McGinley married actress Gigi Rice in 1991. The couple has two sons, Beau and Quinn, and resides in Los Angeles.