Jerry was born in New York, and starred in his first film Stand by Me at the age of 11. After filming Stand by Me, he went back to school, and did not become a full-time actor until he graduated from college, although he did appear in several things along the way.
Dated Sarah Michelle Gellar. [1998-1999] Dated Debra Pelletier. Attended New York University. Graduated from in May 1995 with a degree in Film and Television. Brother of actor/model Charlie O'Connell. Played the "heartbreaker" in Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker" video. The single went on to become Mariah's 14th #1 hit. Father was an art director and mother was an art teacher. Signed by an agent at age 10 and was discovered gobbling up cookies in a Duncan Hines commercial. During his junior year at NYU film school (for screenwriting), Jerry went to Los Angeles, California, and decided to try out for two TV pilots: Sliders and a new Fox show called Party of Five. He spent a single day in L.A. and landed the Bailey role in Party of Five, but before he could get back to New York, the studio's first choice for Sliders backed out. Stuck a day before shooting without a lead, they begged Jerry to fill in. The rest is teen-idol history. He attended the Professional Children's School in New York City. His classmates included Tara Reid, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Macaulay Culkin, and Ben Taylor. While practicing his lines for Stand by Me, was completely impressed that, as an 11-year-old, he was being allowed to swear. Still hates talking about Stand by Me because he was overweight at the time. Worked with River Phoenix in Stand by Me, and Sean Patrick Flanery in Body Shots. Both Phoenix and Flannery have played the young Indiana Jones. While attending NYU, he was saber captain of the varsity fencing team. He was ranked as high as #17 in the country. Two of the TV shows he has been in, Sliders and Crossing Jordan, both have had episodes named "O, Brother, Where art Thou." While at NYU, he was a Resident Assistant. Announced his engagement to actress Rebecca Romijn (September 2005). Was number 70 on vh1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars