Ed Harris

Largely associated with stoic, hardened characters, actor Ed Harris went on to impress with a wide array of diverse performances in dozens of acclaimed films. Following a series of low-budget genre movies, Harris gained notoriety with his turn as legendary astronaut John Glenn in "The Right Stuff" (1983). Despite the accolades, it took several years before the actor landed another memorable role, which finally came when he was cast in James Cameron's ambitious undersea adventure "The Abyss" (1989). Reaping the rewards of his new A-list status, Harris vacillated between literary character work in such acclaimed endeavors as "Glengarry Glenn Ross" (1992) and rousing crowd-pleasers like the NASA docudrama "Apollo 13" (1995). The versatile actor proved just as at home with pyrotechnic blockbusters like Michael Bay's actioner "The Rock" (1996) as he was in more heady material, such as the Jim Carrey vehicle "The Truman Show" (1998). Harris later astounded audiences as both the director and star of the enthralling biopic "Pollock" (2000), which he followed with equally heralded supporting work in the dramas "A Beautiful Mind" (2001) and "The Hours" (2002). Incredibly dexterous, he played wildly divergent characters in the small town drama "Empire Falls" (HBO, 2005) and the shocking "A History of Violence" (2005). He returned to the director's chair once more to helm the sweeping western "Appaloosa" (2008), cementing his reputation as a deft cinematic storyteller. One of the finest American actors of his generation, Harris' artistic reputation and professional résumé knew few equals.