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From Cape Cod to Hollywood: Neal McDonough finds
success
with hit series By Sue Klask TownOnline.com Wednesday, March 16, 2005 If it hadn't been for a career-changing break from Stephen Spielberg, television viewers would not have the opportunity to see Hyannis native Neal McDonough starring as Dr. Stephen Connor in the ensemble cast of NBC's hit series, "Medical Investigation," airing Friday nights. Born in Dorchester, McDonough, 39, grew up in Hyannis and went to Barnstable High School. Interested in acting from a young age, McDonough participated in plays at Barnstable High School. His first role at age 14 was Snoopy in a high school production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." McDonough says he got a lot of help from John Sullivan, the drama director and an art teacher at Barnstable High School. Sullivan, who has been at the school for 26 years, says McDonough was the first freshman he cast in a show. "He was a natural, he stood out," he recalls. "When he took the stage, you knew he was there." Two years later he cast McDonough as the villain in "Babes in Toyland," and remembers people asking him if this teen was a professional. McDonough comes back to the Cape on a regular basis to visit his family, and Sullivan, who still keeps in touch with his former student, says he sometimes stops by the high school and talks to students. Most of his family still lives in the Hyannis area. His brother Bob owns Signit Signs in Hyannis. "Everyone knows him, he's like the mayor of Hyannis," McDonough says proudly. Another brother, John, is a teacher, and his dad is in Hyannis half of the year. There's another brother, Kieran, and a sister in Ireland. After high school, McDonough went to Syracuse University for theater and then to the London Academy of Arts and Sciences to continue his studies. When he first went overseas, he wasn't thrilled with London. "I didn't like it," he says. "I was a Cape Cod boy, a baseball player. I didn't fit in." Years later, while shooting "Band of Brothers" in London, he met his future wife, Ruvé, and fell in love on St. Patrick's Day. Now, it's his favorite city. Before McDonough was offered a role in "Band of Brothers" in 2001, the actor was at a crossroads in his career. Since 1990, he had appeared in many TV shows and TV movies, yet wasn't really making a living. He went back home and worked with his father for the summer. Then a friend told him about a new mini-series for HBO called "Band of Brothers," and set up an audition for him with director and executive producer Tom Hanks and executive producer Stephen Spielberg. He got the part of 1st Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton. After that, Spielberg changed his life by casting him as Officer Gordon "Fletch" Fletcher in 2002's "Minority Report" starring Tom Cruise. He was then cast in the 2002-2003 TV series "Boomtown" as Deputy District Attorney David McNorris. "I am very fortunate to consider him a friend and mentor," McDonough says of Spielberg. "I thank God upstairs to work with these people. I've been working as an actor for 25 years - done a lot of work - and loved it along the way." "Medical Investigation" concerns a stellar team of National Institutes of Health investigators who are called in to solve mysterious medical outbreaks. The show features actors Kelli Williams (formerly of "The Practice") as pathologist Dr. Natalie Durant; Christopher Gorham as the new young doctor on the team trying to prove his worth, Dr. Miles McCabe; Anna Belknap as public relations expert Eva Rossi; Troy Winbush as ex-cop and investigator Frank Powell; and McDonough as epidemiologist Dr. Stephen Connor, the head of the team. His character "is a kind of a mess of a guy," McDonough explains. "He's dealing with saving lives, but he can't save his own life and his family." The show has been finding its legs over the season, working between character development and story lines. As the season has gone on, the audience sees bits and pieces of the team's personal lives, and wants to know more. The last two shows of the season, titled "Mission La Roca: The Finale, Parts One and Two" air March 18 and 25. The story line concerns an earthquake in Central America. "Medical Investigation" shoots on the storied Paramount Studio lot in Los Angeles. Going through the Paramount gates gives McDonough chills. He often thinks, "The Cape Cod boy has done good. It's awe-inspiring." Having recently finished work on "Medical Investigation" for the season, McDonough is shooting a new film in Utah titled "American Gothic" with actor Patrick Wilson. |