CINEFILER

Michael Ontkean

Born
January 24, 1946
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
Slap Shot
(1977)
Ned Braden
Postcards from the Edge
(1990)
Robert Munch
The Descendants
(2011)
Cousin Milo
Twin Peaks
(1989)
Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
(2014)
Sheriff Harry S. Truman
The Allnighter
(1987)
Mickey
Making Love
(1982)
Zach
Nico the Unicorn
(1998)
Tom Gentry
Maid to Order
(1987)
Nick McGuire
The Blood of Others
(1984)
Jean
The Rookies
(1972)
Willie Gillis
Full Filmography
Acting
The Peace Killers
(1971)
Jeff
The Boy from Dead Man's Bayou
(1971)
The Rookies
(1972)
Willie Gillis
Necromancy
(1972)
Frank Brandon
Hot Summer Week
(1972)
Will
Pickup on 101
(1972)
Chuck
Slap Shot
(1977)
Ned Braden
US Against the World
(1977)
Self
Voices
(1979)
Drew Rothman
Willie and Phil
(1980)
Willie Kaufman
Making Love
(1982)
Zach
The Witching
(1983)
Frank Brandon
The Blood of Others
(1984)
Jean
Just the Way You Are
(1984)
Peter Nichols
Kids Don't Tell
(1985)
John Ryan
The Right of the People
(1986)
Christopher Wells
The Allnighter
(1987)
Mickey
Street Justice
(1987)
Curt Flynn
Maid to Order
(1987)
Nick McGuire
Clara's Heart
(1988)
Bill Hart
Bye Bye Blues
(1989)
Teddy Cooper
Twin Peaks
(1989)
Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Postcards from the Edge
(1990)
Robert Munch
Cold Front
(1990)
Derek McKenzie
In Defense of a Married Man
(1990)
Robert
Legacy of Lies
(1992)
Rapture
(1993)
Jeff Lisker
Vendetta II: The New Mafia
(1993)
Hank Parnell
Whose Child Is This? The War for Baby Jessica
(1993)
Jan DeBoer
The Stepford Husbands
(1996)
Mick Davidson
The Man Next Door
(1996)
Eli Cooley
Swann
(1997)
Stephen
A Chance of Snow
(1998)
Matthew 'Matt' Parker
Summer of the Monkeys
(1998)
John Lee
Nico the Unicorn
(1998)
Tom Gentry
Just a Little Harmless Sex
(1999)
Jeff
Green Sails
(2000)
John Scott
Bear with Me
(2000)
Greg Bradley
A Killing Spring
(2002)
Tom Keaton
Mrs. Ashboro's Cat
(2003)
Wes Merritt
The Descendants
(2011)
Cousin Milo
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
(2014)
Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Data provided by TMDB