# Aaron O'Connell

Aaron John O'Connell (born April 8, 1986) is an American model and actor. O'Connell is best known for his portrayal of Wyatt Cryer in the prime time television drama The Haves and the Have Nots which airs on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

## Early life

O'Connell is the only son of Mark O'Connell, a former player for the Cincinnati Bengals and Kathryn Deeble O'Connell. He has three sisters, Amy, Abby and Anna. He graduated from Cathedral High School in 2004 where he played football, basketball and baseball. As a child, his maternal grandfather Wayne taught him how to play the piano. In 2008, O'Connell graduated from Purdue University's College of Health and Human Sciences where he received a bachelor's degree in Health and Fitness.

## Personal life

O'Connell became engaged to his longtime girlfriend, model Natalie Pack on September 4, 2017. The couple were married on July 21, 2018 at Lake Como in Italy. Their son was born in August 2022.
In 2013, he gained his private pilot’s license, and flies a Cirrus SR22.

## Career
### Modeling

In 2006, O'Connell signed to Ford Models while still in college. He has been featured in major publications like GQ, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Vogue Paris, Arena Homme +, VMAN. O'Connell has also represented brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Hanes, Lucky Jeans, Ralph Lauren, Champion and Jockey.

### Acting

Starting his career at the Actors Studio in Chicago, O'Connell permanently relocated to Los Angeles so he could continue modeling, and start acting. O'Connell started acting classes. He eventually booked several commercials, including the Liquid-Plumr where he caught the eye of Tyler Perry. O'Connell initially thought it was a joke when he was contacted by Perry's production company about auditioning for a role in a new television series. Perry contacted O'Connell himself and asked him to audition over Skype. Perry then traveled to Los Angeles to meet with O'Connell about the role of Wyatt on The Haves and the Have Nots. O'Connell was actually the first of the ensemble to be cast.
In 2015, he starred in the seasonal comedy for Hallmark Channel 12 Gifts of Christmas as Marc Rehnquist, a company executive who hires a personal shopper and discovers the true spirit of Christmas is not money, and also played a leading part in A Prince for Christmas.
In 2017, he starred in Hallmark Channel’s With Love, Christmas, as 'Donovan Goodwin', with Emilie Ullerup as his co-star.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | LAID: Life as It's Dealt | Jogger | Film |
| 2013-2021 | The Haves and the Have Nots | Wyatt Cryer | Main; 88 Episodes |
| 2014 | The Tyler Perry Show | Himself | Guest; 1 Episode |
| 2015 | 12 Gifts of Christmas | Marc Rehnquist | Television Film |
| 2015 | A Prince for Christmas | Todd | Television Film |
| 2015, 2017 | Home & Family | Himself | Guest; 2 Episodes |
| 2016 | The Real | Himself | Guest; 1 Episode |
| 2016 | My Christmas Love | Scott | Television Film |
| 2017 | With Love, Christmas | Donovan Goodwin | Television Film |
| 2018 | Lethal Weapon | Derek | Guest; 1 Episode |
| 2018 | Black Water | Ellis | Film |
| 2018 | This Is Our Christmas | Nathan Winslow | Film |
| 2018 | Runnin' from my Roots | Gavin Whitfield | Film |
| 2021 | Blending Christmas | Liam | Lifetime Film |
| 2022 | Love Accidentally | Jason | Television Film |
| 2023 | Made for Each Other | Clay | Television film |
| 2023 | Heels | Young Tom Spade | 2 episodes |
| 2024 | Junebug | Alex | Television film |