John Heard, actor known for 'Home Alone' and 'Sopranos' roles, dies
LOS ANGELES (WPVI) -- John Heard, the actor known for his roles as the affable father in the "Home Alone" films and as a corrupt police detective in the hit series "The Sopranos," has died, the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office confirmed on Saturday.
According to the medical examiner, Heard was 71. The Associated Press and a number of other media outlets reported Heard's age as 72.
TMZ reported that Heard, who lived in southern California, was found at a Palo Alto, California, hotel where he was recovering from back surgery.
Heard played Peter McCallister, the father of Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin, in "Home Alone" and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." He said in later interviews that he sought a movie with kids in it so his son, age 5 at the time, could come to the set and have someone to play with.
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After it became a big hit, he was reluctant to revisit the role but his agent convinced him the money was too good to pass up.
"I didn't want to be the 'Home Alone' dad for the rest of my life," he told Yahoo! News in 2013.
He was born March 7, 1945, in Washington, D.C. and grew up performing in local theater. One of his memorable early roles was as a disabled Vietnam War veteran in the 1981 film "Cutter's Way."
He was active in film for the next decade, playing Tom Hanks' rival in "Big," actress Geraldine Page's son in "The Trip to Bountiful" and in the movies "The Pelican Brief," ''Beaches," ''Gladiator," ''Rambling Rose" and "After Hours."
He earned an Emmy nomination for playing Vin Makazian in "The Sopranos." Television also kept him busy. He acted in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," ''Elementary," ''Prison Break," ''Modern Family" and "Entourage." One of his favorite jobs came in the original "Sharknado" television movie in 2013.
"I knew it was going to be a cult classic," he told the Baltimore Media Blog last year. "It's just ridiculous. I thought it would replace people calling me the 'Home Alone' dad."
Fellow actor Michael McKean paid tribute on Twitter Saturday: "RIP John Heard. Never not good."
Heard was married and divorced three times, including briefly to actress Margot Kidder. He had three children.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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