WTF Happened to Chris O’Donnell?

In this episode of WTF Happened to this Celebrity, we look back on the life, career, and achievements of gifted actor Chris O’Donnell.

In the 90s, Chris O’Donnell was one of Hollywood’s most prominent young heartthrobs. Whether it was acting opposite Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman or playing a young D’Artagnan in the Disney version of The Three Musketeers, it can’t be denied that the movie that put his career into overdrive was Batman Forever. In it, O’Donnell reinvented the role of Batman’s ward and sidekick, Robin, for the nineties, with him an acrobatic badass that proved so popular that the next movie was Batman and Robin. And there is where things started to change, with Joel Schumacher’s sequel ridiculed. 

Even still, O’Donnell made a few good movies after, including the underrated rom-com The Bachelor and the terrific Martin Campbell action movie Vertical Limit. However, his career never regained the momentum it had in the nineties. Yet, despite everything, he later went onto a long run on NCIS: Los Angeles, so while his feature film career cratered, his career on the small screen flourished. Thankfully, there’s plenty of O’Donnell to go around, thanks to NCIS: Los Angeles, with the actor being an integral part of the show from 2009 to 2023. While O’Donnell’s NCIS character, G. Callen, neglects the actor’s elaborate sock-nunchuck skills, the role keeps O’Donnell in the mix of one of the most beloved procedurals on television.

What’s your favorite role of O’Donnell’s? Did you enjoy his run on Head Cases or his part as Dr. Finn Dandridge in the long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy? Do you think O’Donnell will return to the silver screen after conquering the television space? Is he the superior Robin? Let us know in the comments. 

In this episode of WTF Happened to this Celebrity, we look at his career ups and downs and appreciate one of the more underrated actors of his era.