ED O’Neill now has two mod ern families.
On ABC’s new series “Modern Family,” he plays the middle-aged husband of a feisty Latina wife, three decades his junior, and stepfather to her love-struck, pre-teen son.
At home in Santa Monica, the 63 year-old actor — who spent eleven seasons as Al Bundy on “Married with Children” — is a semi-single dad, reinvigorated he says, by two young daughters — ages 10 and 3.
Jenna Elfman made news last week with the announcement that — like her character on the new comedy “Accidentally on Purpose” (see review. page 76 )– she was pregnant in real life.
Now the world is learning that O’Neill– like the character he plays in his new show — has very young kids at home in real life, too.
“Left to my own devices, [they] probably wouldn’t have happened,” he told The Post.
“It wasn’t my idea to have children. It was my wife’s,” he says.
“At the beginning, I sort of reluctantly went along with it. As a favor to her, I was thinking.
“Then when we had the first one, I was like ‘Oh, my God, I’m in love.’
“They are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
O’Neill, who was signed to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers but was cut in 1969 before the season started, shares custody of the girls — Sophia and Claire — with actress Catherine Rusoff.
The on-again, off-again couple got married in 1986 but are separated and living apart.
“It’s a real modern family,” the actor says.
With so many similarly unconventional households today, O’Neill believes “Modern Family” — one of the most-talked about new series of the season — may live up to its hype.
Filmed in mockumentary-style (like “The Office“), the comedy — which debuts Wednesday night — follows three branches of the Pritchett family as they navigate the treacherous waters of their very different domestic situations.
O’Neill’s TV daughter has a tradional marriage with two kids. His son is gay, with a partner, and has just adopted a baby.
O’Neill says it was his character’s May-December romance with trophy wife Gloria (Sofia Vergara) that helped sell him on doing a fourth new series in 10 years.
“I thought there was a lot of room for comedy,” he says. “Here is a guy [Jay Pritchett] who wasn’t that good at marriage the first time around with someone from his own culture.”
(Shelly Long has been hired cast as Jay’s ex-wife, Didi, though she won’t make her first appearance for a few episodes.)
“You know how often people will think if they marry someone from another culture it will be easier?” he asks. “Well it’s not. If anything, it’s worse.
“And I thought that was funny.”