John Heard,
bestknown as Macaulay Culkin’s dad in the first two “Home Alone” films, died Friday in Palo Alto, Calif., at 71.
NEW YORK — 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 later said 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.
“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, 1946, 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.” His time on “The Sopranos” ended with his character’s death.
Heard said he approached series creator David Chase and said “‘Why me? I’m a detective! You can use me forever!’ And he told me, ‘John, there’s a rule in television. Somebody has to die that the audience likes.’ ”
Heard was married and divorced three times, including to actress Margot Kidder. He had three kids.