Ed Harris Biography

Edward Allen "Ed" Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor. He was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, as the son of a singer. He was a star athlete in high school and won a sports scholarship to Columbia University. Two years later his family moved to Oklahoma and he followed after having discovered his interest in acting in various theater plays. He enrolled at the University of Oklahoma to study drama. After several successful roles in the local theater, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and enrolled at the California Institute of the Arts.

Harris's first important film role was in Borderline with Charles Bronson, where he played a killer. In Knightriders he played a motorcycle stunt rider in a role modeled after that of King Arthur. In 1983, he became a star, playing NASA astronaut John Glenn in The Right Stuff; in 1996 he would be nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of NASA mission director Gene Kranz, in the film Apollo 13. Further Oscar nominations arrived in 1999 and 2001, for The Truman Show and Pollock respectively.

More recently, Harris has shown interest in directing. He made his debut in 2000 with the Oscar-winning film Pollock. He has been married to actress Amy Madigan since 1983. They have a daughter.

Ed Harris: Academy Award Nominations