Ed Harris

Ed 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,” “A Streetcar Named Desire” and several television programs and movies.

Harris' first major film role was as a nemesis of action-star Charles Bronson in “Borderline” (1980). He would follow up the role with appearances in “The Right Stuff,” “Places in the Heart” and “Swing Shift.”

In 1989, Harris received top billing in James Cameron's “The Abyss,” lending his distinctive humanity to the underwater sci-fi adventure. Next up for Harris were a few films that were hits in both box office numbers and critic reviews. He costarred with Tom Cruise in “The Firm” and as the head of mission control in Ron Howard's “Apollo 13.” 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. He would revisit space with 2013’s “Gravity.”

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.”

Harris earned his second Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the megalomaniacal Cristof in Peter Weir's well received drama “The Truman Show.” That same year, he costarred opposite Julia Roberts (as his fiance) and Susan Sarandon (as his ex-wife and the mother of his two children) in the emotional Stepmom.

In 2000, Harris produced, directed and starred in “Pollock,” an ambitious biopic of the celebrated but tormented artist Jackson Pollock. Though the film made little noise at the box office, Harris' strong performance won critical praise and his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His costar, Marcia Gay Harden, also received a nomination for her supporting role as the artist Lee Krasner, Pollock's long-suffering wife.

Harris continues to have a long and lustrous career with roles in films like “Game Change,” “Phantom” and “Snowpiercer.”