John Heard of ‘Home Alone’ movies dies

PALO ALTO, CALIF. » Actor John Heard, whose many roles included the father in the “Home Alone” series and a corrupt detective in “The Sopranos,” has died. He was 71.

His death was confirmed Saturday by the Santa Clara Medical Examiner’s office in California. The circumstances were not clear; police referred questions to the coroner’s office, which declined to give further details. TMZ reported that a representative for Heard said he was staying in a hotel in Palo Alto, Calif., while he recovered 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.

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.