Jason O'Mara

Jason O'Mara stars in the Fox series "Terra Nova." The science-fiction drama, executive produced by Steven Spielberg. The series centers on the Shannon family as they join the Tenth Pilgrimage of settlers to Terra Nova, the first colony established in prehistoric Earth, as a small part of a daring experiment to save the human race. O'Mara stars as the show's patriarch, ‘Jim Shannon.'

O'Mara made his U.S. television debut in 2001 as ‘Lt. Thomas Meehan' in the Emmy® award-winning and critically acclaimed HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers." The following year, O'Mara starred as a regular on the CBS espionage series, "The Agency." He then continued to establish himself by taking multi-episode character arcs on several hit television series' including "Grey's Anatomy," "Men in Trees" and "The Closer." In 2006, O'Mara starred opposite Kyle MacLachlan in the crime drama series "In Justice."

In 2007, O'Mara made his feature film debut opposite Milla Jovovich in "Resident Evil: Extinction." Returning to television in 2008, he notably starred as time-traveling detective "Sam Tyler" in ABC's U.S. adaptation of the British drama series "Life on Mars." Although the series only aired for one season, O'Mara received critical accolades for his performance.

Born and raised in Ireland, O'Mara never planned on acting as a profession. He was an avid rugby player and it wasn't until he suffered a sports injury that he was introduced to acting. While recovering, O'Mara tried out for the school play and won a part. The thrill of opening night sealed his fate, and his former passion for sports transferred to acting. He then attended Trinity College in Dublin, where he received his degree in drama.

His British television credits include the BAFTA-winning "Playing the Field," " Berkeley Square" and the hugely popular "Monarch of the Glen."

On the London stage, O'Mara appeared in "Popcorn" at the Apollo Theatre, "The Jew of Malta" at the Almeida Theatre and "The School for Scandal" with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He went on to join the ensemble of the award-winning production of Harold Pinter's "The Homecoming" with Ian Holm, which played in Dublin, London and at Lincoln Center in New York. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2002 Irish Theatre Awards for his performance in "Bash," written and directed by Neil LaBute. Returning to the London stage in 2010, O'Mara starred in "Serenading Louie" at the world-famous Donmar Warehouse in Covent Garden.

© 2011 Lionsgate