John Heard (born March 7, 1945) is an American actor.
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.
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. In 1981, he had the starring role of Alex Cutter in the film Cutter's Way. In 1984, he portrayed photographer George Cooper in C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers) alongside future Home Alone co-star Daniel Stern. He had a notable role playing Paul, Tom Hanks's adult corporate competitor and jilted boyfriend of Elizabeth Perkins, in the 1988 movie Big. He 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 and was featured in the hugely successful comedy Home Alone (and also starred in its 1992 sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York). 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.
Heard was married for one year to actress Margot Kidder. He has a son with actress and former girlfriend Melissa Leo. He also had two children with his former wife, Sharon Heard.
(1977) Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1977" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 29.
Graduated from Clark University, Worcester, MA in 1968.
Received the 1976-77 Theatre World award.
Graduated from Washington, DC's Gonzaga College High School in 1964, and was inducted into the school's theatre hall of fame in the spring of 2003.
His father worked for the Pentagon.
