Ted Rooney is an American actor, known for his role as Morey Dell on Gilmore Girls, neonatologist Dr. Tabash on ER, and John McGarrigle on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. Rooney was born and raised in Portland. Oregon. He is the seventh of nine children. He graduated from Grant High School, where his father (Ed Rooney) was a teacher and basketball coach. Rooney completed his undergraduate degree in theater at Lewis and Clark College and received his MFA in acting at Temple University. After college, the 6'6" tall actor played semi-pro basketball in Germany. He lived for six years in New York City pursuing theater, and he lived ten years in Los Angeles continuing with theater pursuits, commercial work and appearances on television. He currently teaches acting for television in Portland, Oregon.