Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Actor John Heard [herd], perhaps best known as the dad in the first two Home Alone movies, and for an Emmy-nominated role in TV’s The Sopranos, died Friday. California’s Santa Clara County medical examiner’s office confirmed his death to ABC News. Heard was 71, according to the medical examiner, though other sources give his age as 72.
Heard’s rep did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment, and the details of his death remain unknown.
Born John Matthew Heard in Washington, D.C., Heard’s more than four-decade career included hundreds of film, television and stage appearances — making him one of those actors whose face was instantly recognizable, even if you couldn’t quite recall his name.
He launched his career with a role in a 1974 off-Broadway production of The Wager, followed by a series of Broadway roles, including his Obie Award-winning performance in Shakespeare’s Othello in 1979.
The role that gave Heard his greatest exposure came when he portrayed dad Peter McCallister in the 1990 family comedy Home Alone and its 1992 sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He also earned an Emmy nomination in 1999 for his guest role on The Sopranos, where he portrayed crooked police Detective Vin Makazian.
Heard’s film career also included roles in 1980s and 1990s classics like Big, Beaches, and The Pelican Brief. Recent TV appearances includes guest roles on NCIS: Los Angeles, Elementary, MacGyver and APB.
Heard, who lived in Studio City, California at the time of his death, is survived by three children.
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