Neal McDonough

Early life

McDonough was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, the son of Catherine (née Bushe) and Frank McDonough, motel owners who emigrated from Ireland, with his mother coming from County Tipperary and his father from County Galway. McDonough grew up in Barnstable, Massachusetts and was raised Roman Catholic. His childhood nickname was "headster," which McDonough says originated in his brothers' teasing him about the size of his head. He graduated from Barnstable High School, and attended Syracuse University, where he was initiated and became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1988. His roommate in college was Brett Pollock, current broadcaster for the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Pacific Coast League. McDonough frequently appeared as "Captain Laser", inspiring young students to bring their studies to completion. From there, McDonough trained for a short time at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

Career

In 1991, McDonough won the Best Actor Dramalogue for "Away Alone". McDonough has made many television and film appearances since then, including Band of Brothers, Boomtown, Star Trek: First Contact, Minority Report and The Hitcher. In 1993, Neal McDonough played "Jason" in a NBC 1993 TV Movie starring Tim Daly & William O'Leary entitled "In The Line of Duty: Ambush In Waco". McDonough played Dave Williams on the fifth season of Desperate Housewives. He also starred in the lead role on 2004 medical drama Medical Investigation for its one full season.

McDonough was set to star in the ABC dramedy Scoundrels, but was fired for refusing to act in sex scenes, citing his family and Catholic faith as basis for his decision.

McDonough portrays Jesus in "The Truth & Life Dramatized Audio New Testament Bible," a 22-hour, celebrity-voiced, fully dramatized audio New Testament which uses the Catholic edition of the revised standard version of the Bible.

In 2011, McDonough appeared as Marvel comic book character Dum Dum Dugan in Captain America: The First Avenger. McDonough also voiced the character in the 2011 movie tie-in video game, Captain America: Super Soldier. He reprised his role in the 2013 short film, Agent Carter possibly reprising the role in future projects. He made a cameo appearance in the first episode of the second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. He also appeared in an episode of Agent Carter.

In 2012, McDonough had a recurring role in the third season of FX's Justified as Robert Quarles, a sadistic, carpetbagging mobster from Detroit. He was later cast as Police Chief Parker in Frank Darabont's TNT pilot Mob City.

During the 2014 Winter Olympics on NBC, McDonough was featured in a high-profile and frequently aired commercial for a new electric car from Cadillac.

In 2015, McDonough was cast as DC Comics villain Damien Darhk on the fourth season of Arrow.

Personal life

In 2003 McDonough married Ruvé Robertson, a South African model whom McDonough met in the United Kingdom while filming Band of Brothers. The couple have five children, Morgan "Little Buck" Patrick (born November 2005), Catherine Maggie (born May 14, 2007), London Jane (born January 11, 2010), Clover Elizabeth (born August 15, 2011), and James Hamilton (born March 31, 2014).