Michael Ontkean
ActingAlso Known As
Michael Leonard Ontkean
Biography
Michael Leonard Ontkean (born January 24, 1946) is a Canadian retired actor. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, 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. 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), the role for which he is best known.
Movies
(42 total)
The Descendants
as Cousin Milo
Twin Peaks
as Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Slap Shot
as Ned Braden
Postcards from the Edge
as Robert Munch
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
as Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Maid to Order
as Nick McGuire
Clara's Heart
as Bill Hart
Nico the Unicorn
as Tom Gentry
Making Love
as Zach
The Allnighter
as Mickey
Necromancy
as Frank Brandon
Just the Way You Are
as Peter Nichols
Mrs. Ashboro's Cat
as Wes Merritt
In Defense of a Married Man
as Robert
The Peace Killers
as Jeff
The Blood of Others
as Jean
Summer of the Monkeys
as John Lee
Willie & Phil
as Willie Kaufman
Bear with Me
as Greg Bradley
A Chance of Snow
as Matthew 'Matt' Parker
TV Shows
(14 total)
Twin Peaks
as Harry S. Truman
The Outer Limits
as Dr. Charles McCamber
The Outer Limits
as Dr. Field
Tales of the Unexpected
as Tommy
The Hitchhiker
as Gordon Brooks
The Partridge Family
as Lester Braddock
Great Performances
as Lucius Harney
The Rookies
as Willie Gillis
Family Album
as Ward Thayer
In a Child's Name
as Kenneth Taylor