Jeffrey O'Connell

Jeffrey Jerrod O'Connell knew at an early age that he was destined to open a door for himself in the entertainment industry. Growing up in Florida, he spent his childhood living and loving the Ocean; surfing, sailing, scuba diving, boating, and swimming. His first job after high school kept him on the water working as a life guard and teaching sailing lessons at a private resort. He also passed the time taking tourists on fishing expeditions while rendezvousing as first mate on a large fishing boat. Needing a change in his life he served his time in the Army learning not only about survival, but also how to use music, film, and photography to get through what would prove to be many difficult situations. After the Army he promptly joined The Art Institutes of Ft. Lauderdale to study film and photography. Looking for his niche he then traveled the world documenting his life through photography. Still not finding what he was looking for, he detached his life from society for 8 months in 1993 to live in a tent in the Rocky Mountains. He spent his days reading the works of Emerson and Thoreau. He needed to explore the relationship between Nature and Humans. It was during that time that he was introduced to music on a different level than he had known before. He started playing the African Djembe Drum and the Didgeridu which is a wind instrument from the Australian Aboriginal People. He put the band Jerrod's Door together in 1996 and they toured the US playing venues and festivals for the next three years. Through this knowledge of music Jeffrey also owned the Monte Vecchia Music and Arts studio in Ashville, North Carolina where he recorded the albums of many great stars. In May of 2009, he moved to Los Angeles to take on a new role as an actor. When studying film in school and working in the production side of film he often had the desire to explore the acting side of the camera. Being on stage as a musician as well as scoring several soundtracks for independent films set him up for his acting debut. Like most prominent actors Jeffrey started in some light background work but was quickly immersed in major roles. He has landed several lead roles in independent films as well as principle roles in Film and TV. He is a student of Tom Ardavany, one of the premier acting coaches in Los Angeles. He has recently signed on with a new Agency.