Skip to main content

‘Home Alone’ actor John Heard dies at 72

WASHINGTON —  Movie star John Heard died Friday in Palo Alto, California, CBS News confirms. He was 72.

Heard was best known for his role as Peter McCallister, the father in the “Home Alone” movies, as well as his role in HBO’s The Sopranos and the toy executive in “Big.”

[custom_gallery]

An investigation which includes a toxicology test is underway to determine the cause of death, but so far there is no evidence of foul play, the office said.

Heard played Peter McCallister, the father of Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin, in “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”

He was born March 7, 1946, in Washington, D.C., and grew up performing in local theater. One of his memorable early roles was as a disabled Vietnam War veteran in the 1981 film “Cutter’s Way.”

He was active in film for the next decade, playing Tom Hanks’ rival in “Big,” actress Geraldine Page’s son in “The Trip to Bountiful” and in the movies “The Pelican Brief,” ”Beaches,” ”Gladiator,” ”Rambling Rose” and “After Hours.”

He earned an Emmy nomination for playing Vin Makazian in “The Sopranos.”

 

Other television roles kept Heard busy. He acted in “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” ”Elementary,” ”Prison Break,” ”Modern Family” and “Entourage.” One of his favorite jobs came in the original “Sharknado” television movie in 2013.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[related_gallery align="none"]

RZA came up with a new ice cream truck jingle because the old one was used in minstrel shows

The ice cream truck jingle of your childhood is about to get an upgrade — and RZA is behind it. The hip-hop icon of Wu-Tang fame has teamed up with the ice cream brand Good Humor to re-imagine the signature "Turkey in the Straw" jingle played by ice cream trucks all over the country. Because, as it turns out, the tune has a problematic past.
Read Next Story