Edwin McDonough

Edwin J. McDonough (c. 1943 – February 9, 2016) was an American actor who worked in theater, film, and television over the course of a career spanning several decades. Born in Milton, Massachusetts, he attended Boston College High School before enrolling at Boston College, where he earned two degrees in English literature. He subsequently moved to Manhattan in 1969 to pursue a doctoral program at New York University, where he completed a doctoral thesis titled "Quintero Directs O'Neill." Prior to his acting career, McDonough served two years in the United States Army, during which he worked at the National Security Agency as a Middle East analyst.

McDonough appeared in eight Broadway productions between 1970 and 1988, with credits including Othello, Macbeth, Play Memory, Anna Christie, and A Moon for the Misbegotten. Among these, the 1974 revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten was a notable engagement. Alongside his Broadway work, he performed in regional theater productions throughout the United States, commuting between Boston and New York City for 45 years to sustain his stage career.

His screen work included roles in the films Reversal of Fortune (1990) and Kinsey (2004). His television appearances included guest roles on Law & Order, Sex and the City, and Ed.

McDonough later settled in Needham, Massachusetts, where he died on February 9, 2016, at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife, Patricia Shannon McNally, three stepchildren — Michael McNally, Lee McNally, and Katherine McNally — and four grandchildren. He was buried at St. Mary Cemetery in Needham.