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John Heard's Death
- John Heard
- Actor
- March 7, 1946
- July 21, 2017
- Under Review
The life and death of John Heard:
This versatile actor starred in a variety of roles but he’s best known as the Dad in the “Home Alone” series of movies and for his guest role in “The Sopranos” cable TV show.
John Matthew Byrne Jr. was born in Washington, DC. His father, John Sr., worked for the Defense Department and his mother, the former, Helen Sperling, appeared in local community theater and was otherwise involved in the arts. He had a brother and two sisters.
After attending Gonzaga College High School and Clark University in Western Massachusetts, John earned credits at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
John’s acting career began in the 1970s and appeared off Broadway in 1974. One of his first major film roles was in “Big” …
… playing the corporate competitor of Tom Hanks’ character.
He also played in “Awakenings” with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. And in 1990 he had his best-known role as Peter McAllister in the comedy hit “Home Alone”, playing the father of the boy who was accidentally left home on a family’s Christmas-time trip to Europe.
Heard played the character again in the sequel “Home Alone Two: Lost in New York”.
Another memorable part for him was the role of corrupt detective Vin Makazian in “The Sopranos” TV series.
Married three times, he and actress Margot Kidder…
…separated in 1979 after only six days of marriage.
John and girlfriend and Melissa Leo had a son, John Heard III and he was also married to Sharon Heard…
…and Lana Pritchard…
Both of those marriages also ended in divorce.
John Heard died suddenly in the summer of 2017. He was found dead in a hotel in Palo Alto California, where he was recovering after undergoing minor back surgery. The exact cause of his death remained undetermined, pending a coroner’s report.