JOHN HEARD

John Heard was born in Washington, DC in 1945, and he passed away in 2017 at the age of 71. After college he went to New York and got acting jobs off-Broadway. He also did some television, and had a lead role in the low budget cult classic Between the Lines in 1977, the starring role in Joan Micklin Silver's Head Over Heels in 1979 (which was re-cut and re-released as Chilly Scenes of Winter in 1982), and he also won Obie Awards for his performances in Othello and Split in 1979 and 1980! Heard had been listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1977" by Screen World, and he followed that with strong performances on stage, screen and TV in 1978 through 1981, and he seemed poised for major stardom, but that did not happen. Why? Perhaps his less than one year marriage to Margot Kidder in 1979 had something to do with it, but whatever the cause, he went from starring roles in Heart Beat in 1980 (as Jack Kerouac) and in the title role in Cutter's Way in 1981, to quickly pretty much solely playing secondary roles. He continued doing a great deal of TV and movies from 1982 all the way to the present day, making over 100 appearances in all, but almost all are supporting roles, and some are quite minor, often playing roles that seem well beneath this talented and likable actor! He started his career with much promise, and I highly recommend Between the Lines, Head Over Heels, and Cutter's Way, both because I liked all three movies quite a bit, and also because I thought Heard gave excellent performances in all three!