John Heard, ex-Kingston resident, dies at 71
Actor John Heard, a former Kingston resident whose many roles included the father in the “Home Alone” movie series and a corrupt detective in HBO’s “The Sopranos,” has died at age 71.
Heard was found dead Friday in a hotel in Palo Alto, Calif., the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s office said Saturday. An investigation, which includes a toxicology test, was underway to determine the cause of death, but there so far was no evidence of foul play, the office said.
TMZ reported that a representative for Heard said he was staying in the hotel while he recovered from back surgery at Stanford University Medical Center.
Heard lived in Kingston during the 1990s and early 2000s and was, for a time, romantically involved with actress and fellow Ulster County resident Melissa Leo. The two had a son together in the mid-1980s, and in 1996, after Leo and Heard had broken up, she accused him of stalking her and the child. The dispute ultimately led to charges against Heard, and Leo won a lengthy custody battle that played out in a local court.
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.
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.
Heard 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.”
Actor James Woods said Heard was “a complex and brilliant man and a true artist. I will miss him dearly.”
Heard briefly was married to actress Margot Kidder.