Today actor Ed O'Neill turns 67 years old. That name may not ring any bells, but he is primarily known for his portrayal of "Al Bundy" on the FOX sitcom, "Married With Children". His work before that has gone unnoticed, as has his work afterword for the most part. He is what those in show biz call typecast. For many actors, this is a bad thing, because they have a hard time getting work the project they work on goes south. No matter what he does in the future, he will always have "Al" hanging over his head. If Ed O'Neill saves someones life, wins an award, or even stumble onto something that cures cancer, the credit will go to Al Bundy, or at least the former alter ego will be mentioned at some point in the story.

     Al Bundy was a great character. In a way you could say he still is, since he lives on in syndicated rerun heaven. He along with Carol O' Connor's Archie Bunker gave us someone to laugh at, and sometimes cheer for, and ultimately someone to look at and say "Glad that isn't me!" Just like O'Conner before him O'Neill created a laughable loser that touched people's hearts. While Archie was bigoted and argued politics with anyone who dared cross him, Al never took himself too seriously. He knew he was on the losing end, and took his lumps accordingly. How could anyone hate Al Bundy? We're too busy feeling sorry for him! The writers of the show created him, but it was Ed O'Neill's masterful acting that brought Al to life. And even if he never does anything else, that was enough. So Thanks, and as Bud would say "Happy birthday, big guy!" God be with you and do the best you can!