Home Alone, Sopranos actor John Heard dead at 72
Zulekha Nathoo | CBC News | Posted: July 22, 2017 3:07 PM | Last Updated: July 23, 2017
Heard was known for roles in Big, Beaches and on the long-running series The Sopranos
John Heard, best known for his roles in Home Alone, Big, and Beaches, died Friday in California.
According to the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office, he was 71. However, Heard's manager, Tammy Hunt, confirmed to CBC News that he was 72.
She also said Heard was at a hotel recovering from back surgery at the time of his death. The cause of death has not been confirmed.
Film roles in Home Alone, Awakenings
Heard had a long list of film credits, but was perhaps most recognizable for playing Peter McCallister, the father of Macauley Culkin's Kevin in the hit 1990 comedy Home Alone and its sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
He began his career off-Broadway before moving into film with the 1979 romantic comedy Chilly Scenes of Winter.
Heard appeared in a number of memorable supporting roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including the Academy Award-nominated movie Awakenings alongside Robert De Niro and the late Robin Williams, as well as the legal thriller The Pelican Brief, starring Julia Roberts.
TV credits included The Sopranos
Heard also guest starred on the long-running TV series The Sopranos, a role that earned him an Emmy nomination in 1999.
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More recently, he made appearances on Modern Family, Elementary and the new MacGyver. He had a number of upcoming film projects as well, including the prison drama Last Rampage with Heather Graham and a vampire fantasy called Living Among Us.
Briefly married Canadian actress
In 1979, Heard was briefly married to Canadian actress Margot Kidder, known for her 1978 role as Lois Lane in Superman. According to an interview with Kidder, who was born in Yellowknife, N.W.T., the union lasted six days.
Heard was married twice more and had three children, one of whom passed away in 2016.
Condolences from co-stars
Former co-stars Jeff Bridges and Elijah Wood were among Heard's fellow actors to express their condolences on social media Saturday. Bridges worked with Heard on the 1981 neo-noir crime classic Cutter's Way and Wood starred as a child in Heard's 1992 film Radio Flyer.