Ed Harris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ed Harris
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Harris at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
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Edward Allen Harris
November 28, 1950 Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Years active | 1975–present |
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| Children | 1 |
Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is a famous American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his powerful performances in many popular movies. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, which are also known as Oscars.
Some of his most acclaimed roles were in the movies Apollo 13 (1995), The Truman Show (1998), Pollock (2000), and The Hours (2002). He has also appeared in hit films like The Rock (1996), A Beautiful Mind (2001), National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Besides acting, Harris directed the movies Pollock and Appaloosa (2008).
On television, Harris is known for playing the Man in Black in the HBO science fiction series Westworld. He also won a Golden Globe Award for playing Senator John McCain in the TV movie Game Change (2012).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Edward Allen Harris was born in Englewood, New Jersey. He grew up in the nearby town of Tenafly, New Jersey. His father, Bob, was a singer and worked at a bookstore. His mother, Margaret, was a travel agent. Harris has an older and a younger brother.
In high school, Harris was a star athlete. He was the captain of his football team. After graduating in 1969, he went to Columbia University to play football. However, after two years, he discovered a passion for acting.
He moved to be closer to his family in New Mexico and enrolled at the University of Oklahoma to study drama. He acted in several local plays and then moved to Los Angeles. There, he attended the California Institute of the Arts and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1975.
Acting Career
First Roles on Stage and Screen
Harris started his career acting in plays. In 1976, he appeared in plays at the Pasadena Repertory Theatre in California. His first movie role was a small part in the 1978 film Coma.
His first major movie role was in Borderline (1980), where he acted with Charles Bronson. He also starred in the movie Knightriders (1981), playing a character who leads a group of motorcycle performers. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, he also appeared in several television shows.
Becoming a Star in the 1980s
In 1983, Harris became famous for playing astronaut John Glenn in the movie The Right Stuff. This role showed his talent for playing real-life historical figures. A year later, he acted in the drama Places in the Heart (1984). While working on this film, he met actress Amy Madigan, whom he married the same year.
He continued to work on stage and received a Tony Award nomination in 1986 for his role in the play Precious Sons. In 1989, he starred as a worker on an underwater oil rig in the science fiction movie The Abyss, directed by James Cameron.
Major Film Success in the 1990s
The 1990s were a very successful decade for Harris. He appeared in the drama Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) and the thriller The Firm (1993).
In 1995, he earned his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He was nominated for playing Gene Kranz, the determined flight director in Apollo 13. The movie tells the true story of a dangerous NASA mission to the Moon.
In 1998, he co-starred in The Truman Show. He played Christof, the creator of a massive reality TV show built around one man's life. This role earned him his second Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award.
Directing and Continued Acclaim
In 2000, Harris directed his first movie, Pollock. He also starred in the film as the famous American painter Jackson Pollock. His performance was so powerful that he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. To prepare for the part, Harris even built a studio to practice Pollock's painting style.
Two years later, he was nominated for another Oscar for his supporting role in the movie The Hours (2002). During this time, he also appeared in other major films, including A Beautiful Mind (2001) and the war movie Enemy at the Gates (2001).
Throughout the 2000s, he acted in many other movies. He played a mobster in A History of Violence (2005) and the famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven in Copying Beethoven (2006). In 2007, he played the villain in the adventure movie National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
Recent Work in Film and Television
Harris has remained a busy actor in recent years. In 2012, he won a Golden Globe Award for playing Senator John McCain in the HBO movie Game Change. He also provided the voice for Mission Control in the space thriller Gravity (2013).
From 2016 to 2022, he starred as the mysterious Man in Black in the popular HBO series Westworld. This role earned him a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.
In 2019, he returned to the stage to play the famous character Atticus Finch in the Broadway play To Kill a Mockingbird. In 2022, he appeared in the blockbuster movie Top Gun: Maverick as Rear Admiral Chester "Hammer" Cain.
Personal Life
Harris married actress Amy Madigan on November 21, 1983. They have a daughter named Lily, who was born in 1993. Harris and Madigan have acted together in several movies.
Harris is known for being very serious and focused when he is working on a film. In 2015, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to movies. In January 2025, his home in Malibu was lost in a wildfire.
Awards and Recognition
Ed Harris has won many awards for his acting, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. He has also been nominated for four Academy Awards, which are among the highest honors in the film industry.
His Academy Award nominations are for:
- Best Supporting Actor for Apollo 13 (1995)
- Best Supporting Actor for The Truman Show (1998)
- Best Actor for Pollock (2000)
- Best Supporting Actor for The Hours (2002)
See also
In Spanish: Ed Harris para niños
