Bios

Accomplished actor Jason O'Mara never planned on acting as a profession. Growing up in Ireland, he was an avid rugby player and insists that he "wasn't the theatre type" until he suffered a sports injury and was sidelined for several weeks. While recovering, O'Mara tried out for the school play and won a part. The thrill of opening night sealed his fate. His former passion for sports transferred to acting, he applied to Trinity College Dublin, where he received his degree in drama.

O'Mara has appeared in several ABC's series, including as a regular on "In Justice," a two-part story arc on the hit drama "Grey's Anatomy," and the recurring character Stuart Maxson on "Men in Trees." He recently reprised his role as pyromaniac Bill Corelick on TNT's "The Closer," and has been a regular on "The Agency" for CBS. He made his U.S. television debut in the role of Lt. Thomas Meehan in the critically acclaimed HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers."

O'Mara's has starred in many British TV dramas, including regular roles on the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)-winning "Playing the Field," "Berkeley Square" and the hugely popular "Monarch of the Glen," all for BBC. His film credits include starring as Albert Wesker in the hit movie "Resident Evil: Extinction."

On the British stage, he played leading roles in several productions, including "Popcorn" (Apollo Theatre, West End), "The Jew of Malta" (Almeida Theatre) and "The School for Scandal," (Royal Shakespeare Company). O'Mara was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2002 Irish Theatre Awards for his performance in "Bash," written and directed by Neil LaBute at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. He went on to appear in the multi award-winning production of Harold Pinter's "The Homecoming" with Ian Holm, which played in Dublin, London and at Lincoln Center in New York.

Married to actress Paige Turco, O'Mara has a four-year-old son,

About The Show

Where were you in 1973? NYPD Detective Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) finds himself in the cultural hotbed of New York City in the tumultuous times of the Vietnam War, Watergate, women's lib and the civil and gay rights movements - without a cell phone, computer, PDA or MP3 player -- suddenly hurtled back in time when he's ripped from 2008 after being hit by a car while chasing down a criminal. He's trying mightily to understand what has just happened to him and how he can get back "home."

What exactly is going on here? It's like Sam is on a different planet. It's the Wild West out there: uncontrollable criminals, police on the take... whom can he trust? Forced to use a different moral code and without hi-tech crime fighting techniques, Sam clashes with his new boss at the 125th Precinct, the irascible Lieutenant Gene Hunt, who would rather use his fists than his brain to solve a crime. But the two begrudgingly combine to make a powerful team -- whether they like it or not.

Then there are the other squad members of the 1-2-5. Detective Ray Carling (Michael Imperioli), a big, mean guy in a street-fight with life. Ray may be a rough, tough sexist, but when the chips are down, he's a handy guy to have in your corner. Annie Norris is a member of the Police Women's Bureau. At a time when females were only allowed to do menial tasks and not real police work, she's the smartest person in the room. Little does she know that her dream of becoming a real cop will come true. Rookie Detective Chris Skelton is a sweet guy trying to make it in this uncompromising world, but right now he's out of his league with Gene and Ray. He's impressed with Sam's new way of looking at and thinking about policing, but that means he's at odds with Gene and his old school style.

In his 2008 life, Sam was in love with Maya Daniels and, although Maya and Annie will never meet, Annie's workplace battles have paved the way for Maya to become a full-fledged cop. But a fascinating, unique love triangle evolves between Sam's "real" in-the-moment friendship with Annie, his longing to get back to Maya and the fantasy of what could be.

At home in Sam's apartment building in the East Village, there's Windy, a free-spirited, post-hippie chick who can teach Sam a thing or two about the cultural revolution taking place in front of his unbelieving eyes. Just how will Sam deal with all this ambiguity while trying to remain a top detective, as he desperately attempts to get back to 2008? He might just find things aren't so dissimilar in New York circa 1973 and 2008.

"Life on Mars" stars Jason O'Mara ("In Justice," "Grey's Anatomy," "Men in Trees") as Sam Tyler and Michael Imperioli ("The Sopranos," "Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom's For One More Day") as Detective Ray Carling.