Michael Ontkean
Known For
Acting
Born
1946-01-24 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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.
Most Known For
Twin Peaks
as Harry S. Truman
Great Performances
as Lucius Harney
The Outer Limits
as Dr. Charles McCamber
The Outer Limits
as Dr. Field
Ironside
The Hitchhiker
as Gordon Brooks
The Rookies
as Willie Gillis
Tales of the Unexpected
as Tommy
The Partridge Family
as Lester Braddock
Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal
Slap Shot
as Ned Braden
North Shore
The Descendants
as Cousin Milo
Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans
as Cochea
Twin Peaks
as Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Just a Little Harmless Sex
as Jeff
Family Album
as Ward Thayer
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
as Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Postcards from the Edge
as Robert Munch
In a Child's Name
as Kenneth Taylor