Michael Jeremiah "Jerry" O'Connell (born February 17, 1974), is an American television and film actor. He was born in New York City to a British father and a Polish American mother and was raised on Manhattan with his younger brother Charlie O'Connell. His first starring role was in the Canadian television series My Secret Identity from 1988-1991. He is probably best known as "Vern Tessio" in Stand by Me and for the role of Quinn Mallory in the TV series Sliders and also as Detective Woody Hoyt on the hit drama Crossing Jordan. O'Connell began his acting career at a young age. He was inspired to go into acting after a deep conversation with his cousin, Robert O'Connell, of Copiague, NY. As a youngster, he did commercial work for Duncan Hines cookies. Shortly after at the age of eleven, he landed his first feature film role in Rob Reiner's Stand By Me. As a teenager, he starred in the series My Secret Identity, and attended Manhattan's Professional Children's School. O'Connell went on to attend New York University (NYU) in 1992, majoring in film. While there, he studied screen writing and competed on the NYU fencing team, serving a stint as captain of the sabre squad. However, he left NYU several credits short of graduation in 1995. During a summer break from NYU, Jerry starred in the feature film Calendar Girl along side Jason Priestleyand Gabriel Olds. He also appeared in the short-lived Abcsitcom, Camp Wilder with Jay Mohrand Hilary Swankin 1992. In his Junior year, O'Connell auditioned for the TV pilot Sliders. He was offered the role of Quinn Mallory in the series, which ran for three seasons on Fox and two seasons on the Sci-Fi Channel. He served as producer during his fourth and final season, and is credited with writing and directing several episodes. O'Connell has since gone on to star in such movies as Body Shots, Mission to Mars, Tomcats, Scream 2, and Kangaroo Jack. O'Connell has also tried his hand at screenwriting and sold his first screenplay, for First Daughter, to New Regency in 1999. The film was released in 2004 by 20th Century Fox-based Davis Entertainment. O'Connell served as executive producer on the film, which was about a young secret service agent sent to keep an eye on the president's college-age daughter and starred Katie Holmes. O'Connell starred as Detective Woody Hoyt on the NBC crime drama Crossing Jordan (2001) until its cancellation, and was engaged to TV personality Giuliana DePandi. Now, he is married to actress/model Rebecca Romijn. He starred opposite his fiancée in an episode of Ugly Betty. O'Connell has also starred as Hoyt in several episodes of Las Vegas. He is known for wearing GoodNites diapers for bedwetting children (for a skit), after appearing in one in 2004 for a mock commercial on Last Call with Carson Daly The National Enquirer caught him filming the skit and printed a photo of him in his diaper. His younger brother Charlie O'Connell, an alumnus of NYU, who was most recently seen as The Bachelor, has also appeared with Jerry in several projects, and in some other roles, as well.