The O’Reilly family has a long history of political involvement on both the local and national levels. Ed’s aunt, Mary, was a devoted staff member in the office of U.S. House Speaker “Tip” O’Neill.

The O’Reilly family has included three generations of firefighters including Ed’s grandfather and three of his uncles. His brother is presently a Lieutenant in the Watertown Fire Department and, his cousin, a firefighter in the Framingham Fire Department. Ed’s brother, Michael, has been the FBI Western Massachusetts supervisor for the past several years working closely with all levels of law enforcement in routing out public corruption. Ed’s father, Robert C. O’Reilly, a “firefighter’s firefighter”, was the highly regarded Watertown Fire Chief who was known for his role in helping to integrate Emergency Medical Services into the Fire Department.

Ed’s only daughter, Amelia, performed as “young Cossette” at the Shubert Theatre in 1990 and moved on to perform the same role on Broadway in New York City. She has been a member of the Actor’s Equity Union for nearly twenty years.

Amelia attended Gloucester Public Schools and Governor Dummer Academy. She received a B.A in English from Bowdoin College in 2004. She is also a graduate of California Culinary Academy in San Francisco where she presently resides. Amelia works at the acclaimed Alice Waters’ Restaurant, Chez Panisse, in Berkeley California.

Ed enjoys scuba diving, boating, golf, gardening and travel and people.