Michael Ontkean | |
|---|---|
 Ontkean in The Rookies (1973) | |
| Born | January 24, 1946 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of New Hampshire |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1955–2011 |
| Spouses | Frances E. Knight
(m. 1971; div. 1980)Jamie Smith-Jackson
(m. 1987; div. 2019) |
| Children | 2 |
Michael Ontkean (born January 24, 1946)[1] is a Canadian actor, long-based in the United States, now retired.[2]
Ontkean relocated to the United States to attend the University of New Hampshire on a hockey scholarship before pursuing a career in acting in the early 1970s. He initially came to prominence portraying Officer Willie Gillis on the crime drama series The Rookies from 1972 to 1974, followed by lead roles in the hockey sports comedy film Slap Shot (1977) and the romantic comedy Willie & Phil (1980). In 1982, he had a starring role opposite Harry Hamlin and Kate Jackson in the drama Making Love, in which he portrayed a married man who comes to terms with his homosexuality. In 1984, he starred opposite Kristi McNichol in Just the Way You Are. Ontkean continued to appear in films, such as Clara's Heart (1988) and Postcards from the Edge (1990) before being cast as Sheriff Harry S. Truman on David Lynch's Twin Peaks (1990–1991).[3]
- ^ Rose, Mike (January 24, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 24, 2023 includes celebrities Neil Diamond, Aaron Neville". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ Jason Buchanan (2015). "Michael Ontkean". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015.
- ^ Michael Ontkean at IMDb