# Jim O'Heir

James O'Heir (born February 4, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for portraying Jerry Gergich on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation.
O'Heir first became active in Chicago theater and improv during the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of the comedic theater troupe "White Noise", and appeared in such plays as The Book of Blanche, Stumpy's Gang and Ad-Nauseam with the group. O'Heir has appeared in several films and made guest appearances on such shows as The Drew Carey Show, Friends, Boston Legal, Malcolm in the Middle, Star Trek: Voyager, 3rd Rock from the Sun, ER, Parenthood, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Better Call Saul.
In 2000, he starred in the Comedy Central series Strip Mall as Harvey Krudup, the husband of protagonist Tammi Tyler, who was played by Julie Brown.

## Early life and education

O'Heir was born in Blue Island, Illinois to John and Eileen O’Heir (né O’Keefe) and was raised in nearby Lansing, Illinois. He is a graduate of the Thornton Fractional South High School in Lansing, Illinois, and of Loyola University Chicago.

## Career
### Theatre

O'Heir was active in the Chicago theater during the late 1980s and early 1990s, training and performing improvisational comedy at Chicago's Second City and as a member of the six-person sketch comedy troupe "White Noise", which formed in 1987. The group wrote and produced comedic plays that often employed bizarre humor or black comedy. Starting in November 1988, O'Heir appeared in White Noise's production of The Book of Blanche, about a woman who falls through a television screen and ends up in a fantasy world influenced by various television show genres. In July 1989, O'Heir appeared in the Chicago premiere of the Tom Griffin play The Boys Next Door at the Edgewater Theatre Center. O'Heir played Norman Bulansky, a childlike middle-aged mentally handicapped man who works at a doughnut shop.
Starting in 1990, O'Heir appeared in White Noise's Stumpy's Gang, a one-act black comedy play by Patrick Cannon. The show played at Stage Left and Strawdog Theatres in Chicago, where it developed a cult following. O'Heir played Frank Bubman, the janitor for a genetics laboratory whose job is to destroy the unsuccessful experiments, which are portrayed by puppets. Frank secretly uses the experiments to stage private shows reminiscent of early television programs. Mary Shen Barnidge of the Chicago Reader said of his performance, "The grotesquely ursine Jim O'Heir adds a new dimension to the role of the enfant terrible with his uninhibited and enthusiastic portrayal of Frank, who will break your heart even as he turns your stomach." Ernest Tucker of the Chicago Sun-Times described O'Heir's performance as very funny and "unforgettable", and said he "held together this funny yet sick apocalyptic fantasy". Stumpy's Gang closed in the fall of 1991. Also with White Noise, O'Heir appeared in the play Ad-Nauseam, about a pair of writers who create an ad campaign about a character named Rim Shot, played by O'Heir, dressed in a gladiator costume made up of bristle brushes and toilet detritus.
In 2005, O'Heir played the inmate Dale Harding in Dale Wasserman's stage adaption of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at The Theatre District in Hollywood, California. Backstage writer Terri Roberts said O'Heir stood out among the show's cast.

### Film

O'Heir appeared in the 1996 baseball comedy film Ed and 1998 fantasy television film Harvey. He also appeared in the 2007 family drama film Welcome to Paradise!!!. O'Heir played Hathaway in the 2016 film, Range 15.
In 2020, Variety announced O'Heir was joining the cast of the Chris Blake quarantine comedy, Distancing Socially. The film was shot at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, using remote technologies and the iPhone 11. The film was acquired and released by Cinedigm in October 2021.

### Television

O'Heir has appeared in several television shows since the 1990s and 2000s, including 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Drew Carey Show, Malcolm in the Middle, Just Shoot Me, Star Trek: Voyager, Suite Life of Zack and Cody and ER. Starting in 2000, O'Heir starred in a regular role in the Comedy Central series Strip Mall as Harvey Krudup, the unattractive husband of protagonist Tammi Tyler, who was played by Julie Brown. The character is the owner of the Starbrite Cleaners business, and Tammi marries him under the false assumption that he is rich. After learning Harvey is not wealthy, Tammi makes numerous attempts to have him murdered.
In November 2003, he made a guest appearance in the tenth season episode of Friends, "The One With the Birth Mother", where he played the manager of an adoption agency. On November 28, 2004, he appeared in the Boston Legal episode "Loose Lips", where he played a man fired from being a department store Santa Claus because he is a cross dresser.
Starting in 2009, O'Heir became a regular supporting cast member of the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation. He originally auditioned for the role of Ron Swanson, before being cast as Jerry Gergich, a clumsy employee at a local government parks department who is routinely mocked by his fellow co-workers who also called him one of four names, Jerry, Larry, Terry, and Garry. Although the character was featured in the series since the first episode, he started to become more fully developed and play larger roles in the episodes during the second season. The episode "Park Safety", in which Jerry pretends to have been mugged in order to avoid being made fun of for an injury, was focused almost entirely around Jerry and drew positive reviews for O'Heir's comedic performance.
In 2011, O'Heir made a guest appearance on the NBC comedy-drama series Parenthood as a bar owner. In 2013, he guest-starred on Good Luck Charlie as a couch surgeon and the owner of a couch store, and later in the year he had a main role in the Ion Television movie My Santa, as Jack, Santa's right-hand man. That same year, he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live as real-life Toronto mayor Rob Ford, who had recently been involved in a crack-smoking scandal. In 2016, he appeared as Sheriff Reynolds in two episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. In 2016, he voiced the character "Aiden" on Harvey Beaks, the grandfather of the titular character.
In 2017, O'Heir won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series for The Bold and the Beautiful.

### Podcasting

In April 2023, O'Heir replaced Rob Lowe as co-host of the Parks and Recollection podcast, a Parks and Recreation recap show.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1996 | Ed | Art | |
| 1998 | Spike | Michael | Short film |
| 1999 | H@ | Bank Manager (voice) | Short film |
| 2000 | In God We Trust | Foreman | Short film |
| 2001 | Mimic 2 | Lou | |
| 2006 | Accepted | Sherman Schrader II | |
| 2006 | Comedy Hell | Wilford | |
| 2007 | Welcome to Paradise | Fred Fargo | |
| 2011 | Grow Up Already | Dad | Short film |
| 2012 | Seeking a Friend for the End of the World | Sheriff | |
| 2013 | Mediating Kidnapper | Doug | Short film |
| 2013 | Armed Response | Norval | |
| 2013 | Boats | The Boss | Short film |
| 2014 | Naughty & Nice | Harper | |
| 2014 | Life After Beth | Chip the Mailman | |
| 2014 | The Turtle's Head | Dr. Friel | Short film |
| 2015 | If I Could Tell You | Jim | Short film |
| 2015 | Road Hard | Mark Davis | |
| 2015 | Life in Color | Bill Winters | |
| 2015 | Bad Night | Bob | |
| 2015 | Spare Change | Don | |
| 2015 | Helen Keller vs. Nightwolves | Vance | |
| 2016 | Mind Over Mindy | Mr. Dick Wiener | |
| 2016 | Halloweed | Mayor Price | |
| 2016 | The Dust Storm | Steve Bundy | |
| 2016 | Middle Man | Lenny | |
| 2016 | Range 15 | Scientist Hathaway | |
| 2016 | Astronaut Camp | Harry | Short film |
| 2017 | Take Me | Stuart | |
| 2017 | Landline | Steve Gout | |
| 2017 | Logan Lucky | Cal | |
| 2018 | Dance Baby Dance | Mr. Dalrymple | |
| 2018 | Bad Times at the El Royale | Milton Wyrick | |
| 2018 | When Jeff Tried to Save the World | Carl | |
| 2019 | The Last Whistle | Ted | |
| 2021 | Violet | Dennis Fitcher | |
| 2021 | Hero Mode | James | |
| 2021 | Distancing Socially | Kelly | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1996 | Harvey | Duane Wilson | Television film |
| 1996 | The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows Best | Head Chef | Television film |
| 1996 | Party of Five | Plumber #1 | Episode: "Deal With It" |
| 1996 | ER | McKenna | Episode: "Last Call" |
| 1996 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | Walt | Episode: "Gobble, Gobble, Dick, Dick" |
| 1996 | Pearl | Delivery Guy | Episode: "Christmas Daze" |
| 1997 | Ellen | Kelsy | Episode: "G.I. Ellen" |
| 1997, 2002 | Just Shoot Me! | Howie, Big Dan | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Step by Step | Tom Garilick | Episode: "Pain in the Class" |
| 1998 | Mr. Murder | Swimmer's Father | Television |
| 1998 | The Drew Carey Show | The Maintenance Guy / Man in the Moon | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | The Love Boat: The Next Wave | Vince Deering | Episode: "All That Glitters" |
| 1999 | Working | Fryer Lawrence | Episode: "Romeo and Julie" |
| 1999 | Diagnosis: Murder | Howard Weber | Episode: "Voices Carry" |
| 1999 | Ally McBeal | Steve Mallory | Episode: "Saving Santa" |
| 2000 | Martial Law | Dr. Cheery Tooth | Episode: "Freefall" |
| 2000 | Star Trek: Voyager | Husband | Episode: "Critical Care" |
| 2000 | Popular | Warner | Episode: "Are You There God? It's Me Ann-Margret" |
| 2000 | The Norm Show | Mr. Wooten | Episode: "Norm vs. Schoolin" |
| 2000–2001 | Strip Mall | Harv Krudup | 22 episodes |
| 2001 | Malcolm in the Middle | Roy | Episode: "Book Club" |
| 2001 | The Huntress | Businessman | Episode: "The Hunted/Vegas: Part 2" |
| 2001 | Dharma & Greg | Chief R J Anderson | Episode: "Educating Dharma: Part 1" |
| 2002 | George Lopez | Reggie / Pete | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Grounded for Life | Harry | Episode: "Your Father Should Know: Part 1" |
| 2004 | Friends | Adoption Agency Worker | Episode: "The One with the Birth Mother" |
| 2004 | American Dreams | Big Arnie | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Cold Case | Ned Ryan | Episode: "Maternal Instincts" |
| 2004 | Boston Legal | Gil Furnald | Episode: "Loose Lips" |
| 2005 | Less than Perfect | Russell | Episode: "I Just Don't Like Her" |
| 2005 | Jane Doe: Vanishing Act | Air Traffic Controller | Television film |
| 2005 | Without a Trace | Mr. Ricker | Episode: "End Game" |
| 2006 | Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door | Reverend Mayfield | Television film |
| 2006 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Maynard's Dad | Episode: "Neither a Borrower Nor a Speller Bee" |
| 2006 | Desperate Housewives | Sam Killian | Episode: "I Know Things Now" |
| 2006 | Monk | Park Ranger | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Big Game" |
| 2007 | State of Mind | Administrator | Episode: "Lost and Found" |
| 2007 | Saving Grace | Mitch Duncan | Episode: "A Language of Angels" |
| 2007 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Detective | Episode: "The Therapists" |
| 2008 | Swingtown | Mr. Stone | Episode: "Friends with Benefits" |
| 2008 | Raising the Bar | D.A. Thomas Sheridan | Episode: "Guatemala Gulfstream" |
| 2009 | Safe Harbor | Mr. Cook | Television film |
| 2009 | Castle | Hal Rossi | Episode: "The Double Down" |
| 2009–2015, 2020 | Parks and Recreation | Jerry Gergich | 123 episodes |
| 2011 | Parenthood | Pete | Episode: "Qualities and Difficulties" |
| 2011 | Rizzoli & Isles | Dr. Little | Episode: "Don't Hate the Player" |
| 2012 | CollegeHumor Originals | John Adams | Episode: "Declaration of Email Signatures" |
| 2012 | The Mentalist | Norris | Episode: "The Crimson Ticket" |
| 2012 | The House on South Bronson | Jim | Episode: "Mansitting" |
| 2013 | Vegas | Bank Manager | Episode: "Scoundrels" |
| 2013 | Good Luck Charlie | Alan | Episode: "Teddy's New Beau" |
| 2013 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Doctor | Episode: "The Gang Gets Quarantined" |
| 2013 | My Santa | Jack | Television film |
| 2013 | Non-Stop | Howard | Television film |
| 2013 | The Wrong Woman | Ed | Television film |
| 2014 | Math Bites | Celebrity Guy / Singing Flower Head | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Geek Cred | New Guy | Episode: "Detective Comics Store" |
| 2014 | Switched at Birth | Chuck Conroy | Episode: "It Isn't What You Think" |
| 2014 | Fatal Acquittal | Greyson | Television film |
| 2015 | Hot in Cleveland | Ross | Episode: "Kitchen Nightmare" |
| 2015 | I Didn't Do It | Principal McLean | Episode: "Cheer Up Girls" |
| 2015 | Austin & Ally | Santa | Episode: "Santas & Surprises" |
| 2016 | These People | Tom | Episode: "Dad" |
| 2016 | Kidnapping Lizzie: Nightmare Visions | Detective Williams | Television film |
| 2016 | Veep | Mr. Brookheimer | Episode: "Thanksgiving" |
| 2016 | Harvey Beaks | Aiden (voice) | Episode: "The New Bugaboo/The Case of the Missing Pancake" |
| 2016–2019 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Matt Cannistra | 8 episodes |
| 2016 | Dr. Havoc's Diary | General Plague (voice) | Web series |
| 2016 | Another Period | Attorney | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | This Isn't Working | Mr. Golden | Episode: "A Very Special Episode" |
| 2016 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Sheriff Reynolds | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery Dinner Party | Constable Jim | Mini-series |
| 2017 | Speechless | Stu | Episode: "H-e-r-Hero" |
| 2017 | Mommy, I Didn't Do It | Ed | Television film |
| 2017 | The Thundermans | Farmer Ted | Episode: "Date of Emergency" |
| 2017 | Superior Donuts | Gary | Episode: "Man Without a Health Plan" |
| 2017 | A Moving Romance | Neil Wilson | Television film |
| 2017 | Bill Nye Saves the World | Rabies | Episode: "Do Some Shots, Save the World" |
| 2017–2018 | The Mayor | Ross Gibbage | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Alone Together | Warren | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2018 | Trial & Error | Michael Poisson | Episode: "A Hole in the Case" |
| 2019–2020 | Bless This Mess | Kent | Recurring |
| 2019 | The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience | Puka Shell Bob | Television special |
| 2019 | Pearson | Police Superintendent Chuck Hargrove | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | The Neighborhood | Maynard | Episode: "Welcome to the Camping Trip" |
| 2019–2021 | Liza on Demand | Don the Landlord | 9 episodes |
| 2020 | Criminal Minds | Clifford Stinson | Episode: "Face Off" |
| 2020 | Big City Greens | Other Bill Green (voice) | Episode: "Animal Farm" |
| 2021 | Call Me Kat | Jordan Luther | Episode: "Gym" |
| 2021 | 9-1-1 | Don Blevins | Episode: "First Responders" |
| 2021 | United States of Al | Ted Begley | Episode: "Fundraiser/Baspana Towlawal" |
| 2021 | Little Ellen | Storm King (voice) | Episode: "Don't Rain on My Parade" |
| 2022 | American Auto | Governor Tom Harper | Episode: "Millbank, IA" |
| 2022 | The Conners | Judge | Episode: "A Judge and a Priest Walk Into a Living Room..." |
| 2022 | Better Call Saul | Frank | Episode: "Nippy" |
| 2022 | Young Rock | Manager | Episode: "Night of the Chi-Chi's" |
| 2022 | The Santa Clauses | Santa 17 | Episode: "Chapter Five: Across the Yule-Verse" |
| 2025 | Running Point | Irv Plotkin | Episode: "Doljanchi" |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2023 | Catch Me If You Can | Inspector Detective Levine | Lead |