Ed Harris biography

Synopsis

Acting Debut

Actor Ed Harris was born on November 28, 1950, in Tenafly, New Jersey. Harris' first acting role came at the age of eight, when he appeared in The Third Miracle, a made-for-television movie. After studying acting at Oklahoma University and the California Institute of the Arts, he compiled an impressive list of stage credits, including roles in productions of The Grapes of Wrath and A Streetcar Named Desire, and also appeared in several television programs and movies.

Harris' first major film role was as a nemesis of action-star Charles Bronson in Borderline (1980). His breakthrough performance came three years later, when he was cast as astronaut John Glenn in The Right Stuff (1983). Although a box-office bust, Harris, with his clear eyes and rugged good looks, was perfectly suited to play the "moral Marine."

Winning critical success for the performance, he went on to win supporting roles in several hit movies, Places in the Heart (1984), starring Sally Field, and Swing Shift (1985), and lead roles in several poorly received films, including Code Name: Emerald and Sweet Dreams (both 1985).

Career Highlights

In 1989, Harris received top billing in James Cameron's The Abyss, lending his distinctive humanity to the underwater sci-fi adventure. In 1992, he joined the assemble cast of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross. Co-starring with actors Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin and Al Pacino, Harris gave a forceful performance in the largely overlooked film.

In 1993, he appeared opposite Tom Cruise in The Firm, and in 1995, returned to the U.S. space program as head of mission control in Ron Howard's Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks. Harris was honored with Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his supporting role in Apollo 13, and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In 1996, Harris costarred with big-screen heavyweights Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery in the action-thriller The Rock. The following year, he teamed with Academy Award-winning actors Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman in the disappointing suspense film Absolute Power (1997).

Stage Work

While establishing himself in Hollywood, Harris continued his earlier work in the theater, making his New York stage debut in Sam Shepard's Fool for Love in 1983, for which he earned an Obie Award for Outstanding Actor. In the fall of 1996, he returned to the New York stage for a three-month run opposite Daniel Massey in Ronald Harwood's highly acclaimed drama Taking Sides.