John Heard obit

John Heard, ‘Home Alone’ Dad, Dies at 71

He was not on the list.

John Heard, best known as Peter McAllister in the “Home Alone” movies who appeared in a wide range of TV and film roles, has died at 71 in Palo Alto, Calif.

He was found dead in a hotel where he was reportedly recovering after undergoing back surgery. The Santa Clara Medical Examiner’s office confirmed his death.

In the 1990 “Home Alone,” Heard stars as the father who forgets his son, played by Macauley Culkin, when making a business trip to France. After “Home Alone” became a big hit, Heard returned to star in “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”

He also appeared in “Cat People,” “After Hours,” “Big,” “Beaches,” 1992 boxing film “Gladiator,” and on TV in “Miami Vice” and “The Sopranos,” for which he won an Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actor.

Born in Washington, D.C., Heard started out acting off-Broadway. His first major role came in the romantic comedy “Chilly Scenes of Winter” in 1979.

His memorable roles in the 1980s included starring in “Cutter’s Way,” playing Nastassja Kinski’s lover in the 1983 remake of “Cat People,” and starring alongside “Home Alone” actor Daniel Stern in 1984’s “C.H.U.D.” In Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours,” he played the bartender Tom Schorr. His other films during that period included “The Trip to Bountiful,” “Heaven Help Us” and “The Milagro Beanfield War.”

In 1988, he starred as Elizabeth Perkins’ jilted boyfriend in “Big” and co-starred with Bette Midler in “Beaches.”

His other roles included “Gladiator,” “Awakenings,” “Radio Flyer,” and “The Pelican Brief,” in which he played an FBI agent.

On television, he played Commander Barry Garner on “Battlestar Galactica” and had recurring roles on “CSI: Miami” and “Prison Break.” More recently he had numerous guest roles on shows including “Modern Family,” “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “MacGuyver.”

Heard was married to actress Margot Kidder – for just six days — and had a son from a relationship with actress Melissa Leo. He is also survived by a daughter from a later marriage. His son Max died in December, 2016.

Filmography

Over an almost 40-year career, John Heard appeared in at least 105 films and 67 television series.

Film Year             Title       Role       Notes

1977      Between the Lines           Harry Lucas        

1977      First Love             David Bonner    

1978      Rush It Byron   

1978      On the Yard        Juleson

1979      Chilly Scenes of Winter Charles

1980      Heart Beat           Jack Kerouac     

1981      Cutter's Way      Alex Cutter         

1982      Cat People          Oliver Yates       

1984      C.H.U.D.               George Cooper

1984      Best Revenge     Charlie

1984      Violated               Skipper                

1985      Too Scared to Scream     Sid         

1985      Heaven Help Us                Brother Timothy              

1985      After Hours         Thomas 'Tom' Schorr     

1985      The Trip to Bountiful       Ludie Watts       

1987      Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam           Johnny Boy (voice)          

1988      The Telephone Telephone Man               

1988      The Milagro Beanfield War           Charlie Bloom   

1988      The Seventh Sign              Reverend           

1988      Big          Paul Davenport

1988      Betrayed              Michael Carnes

1988      Beaches               John Pierce        

1989      The Package       Colonel Glen Whitacre  

1990      Blown Away       Charlie

1990      Mindwalk            Thomas Harriman           

1990      The End of Innocence     Dean     

1990      Home Alone       Peter McCallister             

1990      Awakenings        Dr. Kaufman      

1991      Rambling Rose   Willcox Hillyer  

1991      Deceived             Jack Saunders   

1992      Radio Flyer          Daugherty          

1992      Gladiator             John Riley           

1992      Waterland           Lewis Scott         

1992      Home Alone 2: Lost in New York                Peter McCallister             

1993      In the Line of Fire             Professor Riger

1993      Me and Veronica              Frankie

1993      The Pelican Brief               Gavin Vereek    

1996      Before and After               Wendell Bye      

1996      My Fellow Americans     Ted Matthews  

1997      One Eight Seven               Dave Childress  

1997      Executive Power               Walker

1997      Men       George Babbington        

1997      Silent Cradle       Dr. Brittain         

1998      Snake Eyes          Gilbert Powell   

1998      Desert Blue         Professor Lance Davidson            

1999      Jazz Night            John Little           Short film

1999      The Secret Pact Jerome Carver  

1999      Fish Out of Water             Gregor

1999      Freak Weather David    

2000      Animal Factory James Decker    

2000      The Photographer           Marcello             

2000      Pollock Tony Smith         

2001      The Boys of Sunset Ridge              John Burroughs                

2001      O             Dean Bob Brable              

2001      Dying on the Edge            John Fuller         

2002      Researching Raymond Burke       Raymond Burke                Short film

2002      Fair Play               Owen    Short film

2004      Mind the Gap     Henry Richards

2004      White Chicks      Warren Vandergeld       

2004      My Tiny Universe             Bobby  

2004      Under the City   Scova   

2005      The Chumscrubber          Officer Lou Bratley          

2005      Edison   Captain Brian Tilman      

2005      The Deal              Professor Roseman        

2005      Tracks   Prison Warden

2005      Sweet Land         Minister Sorrensen        

2006      Steel City             Carl Lee               

2006      Gamers: The Movie         Gordon's Dad    

2006      The Guardian     Captain Frank Larson     

2007      Dead Lenny         Dr. Robert Hooker           

2007      The Great Debaters         Sheriff Dozier    

2007      Brothers Three: An American Gothic        Father  

2008      P.J.         Dr. Alan Shearson           

2008      Justice League: The New Frontier              Ace Morgan (voice)        

2008      The Lucky Ones                 Bob       

2009      Red State Blues                 Fritz       Short film

2009      Formosa Betrayed           Tom Braxton     

2009      Little Hercules in 3-D      Coach Nimms    

2010      The Truth            Jonathan Davenport      

2010      Ivan's House       Ivan        Short film

2011      Whisper Me a Lullaby     Poppy  

2012      The Legends of Nethiah                 Nethiah's Father              

2012      A Perfect Ending               Mason Westridge            

2012      Stealing Roses   Walter

2012      Would You Rather            Conway               

2013      The Insomniac   Paul Epstein       

2013      Assault on Wall Street    Jeremy Stancroft             

2013      Snake and Mongoose     Wally Parks        

2013      Runner Runner Harry Furst         

2013      Torn       Detective Kalkowitz        

2013      Buoyancy             Frank     Short film

2014      Warren                 Jack Cavanee    

2014      Animals                Albert   

2014      Boys of Abu Ghraib          Sam Farmer       

2014      The Nurse           Frank    

2014      One More Day   Tom       Short film

2015      Boiling Pot          Tim Davis            

2016      Is That a Gun in Your Pocket        Sheriff Parsons

2016      After the Reality               Bob       

2016      Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero               JP Monroe         

2016      So B. It Thurman Hil      

2017      Searching for Fortune     Denton Sr.          

2017      Counting for Thunder     Garrett Stalworth            

2017      Pray for Rain      Markus Gardener            

2017      Last Rampage    Blackwell            

2018      The Tale               Bill - Older           Posthumous

2018      Living Among Us               Andrew                Posthumous

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1975      Valley Forge       Mr. Harvie           Television film

1979      The Scarlet Letter             Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale    Television miniseries

1983      Will There Really Be a Morning?                Clifford Odets    Television film

1983      Legs       Dan        Television film

1984      Kate & Allie         Max McArdle     Episode: "A Weekend to Remember"

1985      Tender is the Night          Abe North           Television miniseries; 3 episodes

1985      Tales from the Darkside                 Billy Malone       Episode: "Ring Around the Redhead"

1985      Alfred Hitchcock Presents             Bill Callahan        Episode: "Breakdown"

1986      Miami Vice          Laurence Thurmond        Episode: "One Way Ticket"

1987      The Equalizer     Ron Parrish         Episode: "In the Money"

1987      Out on a Limb    David Manning Television film

1988      Necessity             Charlie Television film

1989      Screen Two         Michael Johnson              Episode: "Virtuoso"

1989      Cross of Fire       David Stephenson           Television film

1992      Dead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez Disaster Dan Lawn            Television film

1993      There Was a Little Boy   Gregg    Television film

1994      In Spite of Love Andrew                Television film

1994      Because Mommy Works                Ted Forman        Television film

1994–1999          Law & Order       Mitch Burke / Walter Grobman 2 episodes

1995      American Masters            Montresor          Episode: Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul

1995      The Outer Limits               Paul Stein            Episode: "Dark Matters"

1995–1996          The Client            Roy Foltrigg        21 episodes

1999–2004          The Sopranos     Detective Vin Makazian 5 episodes

2000      Perfect Murder, Perfect Town    Larry Mason       Television film

2000      The Wednesday Woman               Bill Davidson      Television film

2001      Law & Order: Criminal Intent      Larry Wiegert     Episode: "The Pardoner's Tale"

2001      The Big Heist      Richard Woods Television film

2002      Touched by an Angel      Allen      Episode: "Secrets and Lies"

2002      Law & Order: Special Victims Unit             Gregory Rossovitch / Peter Sipes               Episode: "Disappearing Acts"

2002      Hack      Paul Ballinger     Episode: "Songs in the Night"

2002      Monday Night Mayhem                Roone Arledge Television film

2002      The Pilot's Wife                 Jack Lyons           Television film

2003      Word of Honor Dr. Steven Brandt             Television film

2003–2005          CSI: Miami           Kenwall Duquesne           4 episodes

2004–2005          Jack & Bobby      Dennis Morgenthal          5 episodes

2005      Numb3rs              Peter Houseman              Episode: "Soft Target"

2005      Locusts Dr. Peter Axelrod             Television film

2005–2006          Prison Break       Governor Frank Tancredi              10 episodes

2006      Battlestar Galactica         Commander Barry Garner            Episode: "The Captain's Hand"

2006      Twenty Questions            C. Colin Whitworth          Television film

2006      The Line-Up        Walter Clark       Television film

2007      Cavemen             Tripp      Episode: "Her Embarrassed of Caveman"

2007–2010          Entourage           Richard Wimmer              2 episodes

2008      My Own Worst Enemy   Peter     Episode: "Down Rio Way"

2008      Skip Tracer          Con Colbert        Television film

2008      Generation Gap                Principal Winters              Television film

2009      The Beast            Dr. Blake              Episode: "Mercy"

2009      Southland            Ben Sherman Sr.               2 episodes

2010      Gravity B.C.        3 episodes

2010      The Quickening Ed Erlich               Television film

2011      The Chicago Code            Mayor McGuinness         2 episodes

2011      Too Big to Fail    Joe Gregory        Television film

2013      Perception          Congressman Evan Rickford         2 episodes

2013      Adam DeVine's House Party         Dregory                Episode: "Dregory"

2013      Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories        Lawyer Episode: "Haunted House"

2013      Sharknado           George Television film

2014      CSI: Crime Scene Investigation    Roger Ridley       Episode: "Love for Sale"

2014      Modern Family Gunther Thorpe                Episode: "The Feud"

2014      Person of Interest            Roger McCourt Episode: "Death Benefit"

2014      Mistresses          Bruce Sappire    Episode: "Coming Clean"

2014      NCIS: Los Angeles             Michael Thomas               3 episodes

2015      The Lizzie Borden Chronicles       William Almy      Television miniseries; 2 episodes

2015      The Murder Pact              John LaSalle        Television film

2016      Elementary         Henry Watson   Episode: "Miss Taken"

2017      MacGyver           Arthur Ericson   Episode: "Pilers"

2017      APB        Joe Reeves          Episode: "Daddy's Home"

2017      Outsiders             Lt. Governor of Kentucky              Episode: "What Must Be Done"