Michael Ontkean

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

56

Gender

Male

Birthday

1946-01-24 (79 years old)

Place of Birth

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Michael 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.

Known For

  • Twin Peaks

    Twin Peaks

  • Ironside

    Ironside

  • Great Performances

    Great Performances

  • The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

  • The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

  • Tales of the Unexpected

    Tales of the Unexpected

  • The Rookies

    The Rookies

  • Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal

    Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal

  • The Hitchhiker

    The Hitchhiker

  • The Partridge Family

    The Partridge Family

  • Slap Shot

    Slap Shot

  • The Descendants

    The Descendants

  • Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces

    Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces

  • Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans

    Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans

  • The Witching

    The Witching

  • Necromancy

    Necromancy

  • Cold Front

    Cold Front

  • Voices

    Voices

  • Street Justice

    Street Justice

  • Swann

    Swann

  • Green Sails

    Green Sails

  • Making Love

    Making Love

  • Willie & Phil

    Willie & Phil

  • The Allnighter

    The Allnighter

  • North Shore

    North Shore

  • Postcards from the Edge

    Postcards from the Edge

  • The Boy from Dead Man's Bayou

    The Boy from Dead Man's Bayou

  • Twin Peaks

    Twin Peaks

  • A Chance of Snow

    A Chance of Snow

  • Summer of the Monkeys

    Summer of the Monkeys

  • The Blood of Others

    The Blood of Others

  • The Rookies

    The Rookies

  • Nico the Unicorn

    Nico the Unicorn

  • Clara's Heart

    Clara's Heart

  • Family Album

    Family Album

  • Vendetta II: The New Mafia

    Vendetta II: The New Mafia

  • The Peace Killers

    The Peace Killers

  • Just the Way You Are

    Just the Way You Are

  • The Stepford Husbands

    The Stepford Husbands

  • The Man Next Door

    The Man Next Door

  • A Killing Spring

    A Killing Spring

  • In Defense of a Married Man

    In Defense of a Married Man

  • Kids Don't Tell

    Kids Don't Tell

  • Bear with Me

    Bear with Me

  • Bye Bye Blues

    Bye Bye Blues

  • Maid to Order

    Maid to Order

  • In a Child's Name

    In a Child's Name

  • Whose Child Is This? The War for Baby Jessica

    Whose Child Is This? The War for Baby Jessica

  • Mrs. Ashboro's Cat

    Mrs. Ashboro's Cat

  • Hot Summer Week

    Hot Summer Week

  • US Against the World

    US Against the World

  • Just a Little Harmless Sex

    Just a Little Harmless Sex

  • The Right of the People

    The Right of the People

  • Legacy of Lies

    Legacy of Lies

  • Pickup on 101

    Pickup on 101

  • Rapture

    Rapture