Lawrence Francis O'Donnell, Jr. (born November 7,^[1] 1951) is an American political analyst, journalist, actor, producer, writer, and host of The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, a weeknight MSNBC opinion and news program. O'Donnell called himself a "practical European socialist" in a Newsmaker Interview dated November 11, 2005.^[2] He frequently filled in as host of Countdown on MSNBC before getting his own show on the cable network. Beginning 24 October 2011, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell switched time slots with The Ed Show, with Ed Schultz taking over the 8 p.m. Eastern slot, and O'Donnell returning to the 10 p.m. Eastern slot.
 
 In 1994, O'Donnell married television and movie actress Kathryn Harrold; they later divorced. O'Donnell and Harrold have a daughter, Elizabeth Buckley Harrold O'Donnell.