John Heard

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John Heard (born March 7, 1945) is an American actor.

Biography

Early life

Heard was born in Washington, D.C., the son of John and Helen Heard. He attended Gonzaga College High School, then went on to graduate from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He acted off-Broadway, winning Obie Awards for his performances in Othello and Split in 1979-80.

Acting career

In the late 1970s, Heard played small roles in television and film. In 1979 he played Arthur Dimmesdale in a television production of The Scarlet Letter and the male lead in the film Head Over Heels (which was renamed and rereleased as Chilly Scenes of Winter in 1982.) In 1981, he had the starring role of Alex Cutter in the film Cutter's Way. He played the lover of Nastassja Kinski, one of the main characters, in the remake of Cat People. In 1984, he portrayed photographer George Cooper in C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers) alongside future Home Alone co-star Daniel Stern. The Trip to Bountiful is a 1985 film in which he had a starring role. In 1988 he was seen in the film The Milagro Beanfield War. Later that year he had a notable role playing Paul, Tom Hanks's adult corporate competitor and jilted boyfriend of Elizabeth Perkins, in Big. He co-starred with Bette Midler in Beaches (1988), and played real-life Ku Klux Klan leader D.C. Stephenson in the TV-miniseries Cross of Fire (1989). He also starred in Gladiator opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr.

In 1990, Heard starred in the philosophical film Mindwalk, was featured in the hugely successful comedy Home Alone (and also starred in its 1992 sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York) and in Awakenings alongside Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. Also in 1992, he played Daugherty in the film Radio Flyer. In 1993 he played FBI agent Gavin Verheek in The Pelican Brief. He also starred with Samuel L. Jackson in 1997's One Eight Seven and was featured in the 2000 miniseries Perfect Murder, Perfect Town. He has had roles on The Sopranos as crooked cop Vin Makazian for which he received an Emmy nomination as outstanding guest actor, and on Battlestar Galactica as Commander Barry Garner. He has also had recurring roles on CSI: Miami (as Kenwall Duquesne, father of Calleigh Duquesne) and Prison Break (as Frank Tancredi, Governor of Illinois and father of Sara Tancredi). In 2006, he starred in the independent film Gamers: The Movie and had a part in the Touchstone Pictures movie The Guardian. In 2007 he played the sheriff in the Denzel Washington-directed film, The Great Debaters. On April 23, 2009 he debuted at the end of an episode of Southland as the father of main character Ben Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie) just as the episode was ending.

Personal life

Heard was married for one year to actress Margot Kidder. He was also married to, and divorced from, Sharon Heard, with whom he had two children named Jessica and Shelby. Heard also has a son, Jack, with actress and former girlfriend Melissa Leo.

External links

• John Heard at the Internet Movie Database
• John Heard at TV.com