After years of portraying police officers on television, 65-year-old actor Jerry O'Donnell is swapping the screen for the streets. The veteran performer, who has appeared in nearly 50 films and shows including NYPD Blue, NCIS, and Dexter, is currently training to become a real-life law enforcement officer with the Asheville Police Department in North Carolina.
O'Donnell, who served in the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division before his acting career, said he felt a renewed sense of purpose after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina last year. 'I feel blessed and grateful to still have some ability, so you know, that's like a sense of purpose — to be of service,' he told local outlet the Asheville Watchdog.
The actor is undergoing Basic Law Enforcement Training alongside other cadets, facing rigorous physical challenges such as running up and down parking garages while performing exercises like air squats, push-ups, and burpees. He is expected to take his state test in January, with graduation scheduled for January 30 and swearing-in in March.
Asheville police spokesperson Rick Rice confirmed that O'Donnell is likely the oldest cadet in the department's 150-year history. 'From the research I've done, I haven't found anyone older than him,' Rice said. O'Donnell, who moved from Los Angeles to North Carolina, told his wife he wanted to join the force, but she insisted LA was too dangerous for a law enforcement career.
Reflecting on his decision, O'Donnell said: 'I always think when you slide into home at the end of your life, you want to be all used up... You know — dirty, scarred up, a little bloody, and spent.'
