In 2004, Jack was promoted from Colonel to Brigadier General, and made commanding officer of the SGC. At the same time, he left the SG-1 team, which is now under command of Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter.

As the commanding officer of the SGC, General O'Neill's assignment is to defend Earth from possible hostile invasion, and to explore new worlds and return new technologies to Earth for study and further development. When he joined the Air Force at 18 years of age, O'Neill proved himself to be an exceptional and gifted airman. Assigned to a special training program for covert operations/infiltration, he was trained in the skills of wilderness survival, special weapons and tactics, assassination, demolition, chemical weapons, the manufacture and detonation of explosives, and is a field expedience specialist. He resigned from service when his son Charlie died by accidentally shooting himself with O'Neill's gun. O'Neill never recovered from the loss, which drove his wife to eventually leave him. He was recalled by his former commanding officer to go through the Stargate on the first mission precisely because of his willingness to die. Instead, the mission gave him a new desire to live.

Played by RICHARD DEAN ANDERSON

Richard Dean Anderson is internationally known for his title role in the television series MacGyver, which ran for seven successful seasons on ABC and now airs in syndication worldwide. Anderson and his producing partner, Michael Greenburg, operating under their production company banner, Gekko Film Corp., executive produced the two MacGyver television movies that followed, Trail to Doomsday and Lost Treasure of Atlantis.

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Anderson's first career goal was to become a professional hockey player. However, after breaking both arms in separate collisions on the ice, he decided to seek other career options. As the son of a jazz musician father and contemporary artist mother, his interests naturally turned to the humanities.

After completing a grueling cross-country bicycle trip to Alaska, Anderson began studying drama at St. Cloud State College and Ohio University. Relocating to Los Angeles, he paid his dues working as a street mime, a writer/director/performer at Marineland and a jester-singer-mime-juggler at a 16th century Renaissance-style cabaret.

In 1976, Anderson was cast as Dr. Jeff Webber on ABC's daytime drama General Hospital. This role, which he played for five years, helped launch his career. He subsequently starred in the series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Emerald Point, N.A.S., both for CBS. Just prior to Stargate SG-1, Anderson executive produced and starred in his favorite project to date, the critically acclaimed Legend.

Anderson made his television movie debut in 1986 in Ordinary Heroes. Other television movies include Past the Bleachers for Hallmark, In the Eyes of a Stranger, Beyond Betrayal, and Through the Eyes of a Killer. His most recent television movie was the extremely successful NBC mini-series Pandora's Clock.

In his free time Anderson plays hockey, races cars and skis any one of his favorite mountain ranges. He is the co-founder of the Celebrity All Star Hockey team which raises funds for charities in conjunction with the NHL, and is an active fundraiser and board member for the Challengers Club, a children's recreational center in South Central L.A. He is a recipient of the 1995 Celebrity Award from the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Anderson recently became a father for the first time to the exceptional Wylie Quinn Annarose. Wylie, her mother Apryl, and Richard share time between their homes in California and British Columbia.

For additional information, visit the Richard Dean Anderson Biography.