John Heard, famous for his roles in ‘Home Alone’ and ‘Sharknado’, dies at 71

John Heard, the character actor best known for his role as the father in the first two ‘Home Alone’ movies, has died at the age of 71.

Heard also starred in movies including ‘Cat People’, ‘After Hours’ and ‘Sharknado’, and received an Emmy award for a guest role in the HBO series The Sopranos, the Guardian reported.

Heard was born in 1946 in Washington, DC. He started his career in the late 1970s and took his bow in 2017 vampire movie ‘Living Among Us’ as . The Guardian reported that he was recovering from back surgery in a hotel room at the time of his death. The Santa Clara medical examiner’s office confirmed the death.

Heard was best known for his role as Peter McCallister, father of Macaulay Culkin’s character Kevin in the Home Alone series.

According to the Guardian’s report, Heard expressed unease with the role in the box office hit, and even considered passing on the movie’s sequel. More than once, he said he wanted to “put to rest the Home Alone dad image”.

When he took a role in Sharknado, an unlikely hit for which he predicted success, he said: “I’m going to be the Sharknado drunk instead, hopefully.”

Recently, Heard was cast in a wide range of TV shows and movies, ranging from crime serials such as NCIS to the 2015 film The Murder Pact. While paying tribute on Saturday, many actors and celebrities mentioned his “artistry” and sense of humour.

Jeff Bridges, his co-star in Cutter’s Way, led tributes on social media on Saturday.

“John Heard – what a wonderful actor,” said Bridges. “We were in the movie Cutter’s Way together and I got to experience his artistry and dedication first hand.”

The comedian Marlon Wayons, who starred with Heard in White Chicks, said they “shared a lot of laughs”. “Thank you for all your contributions to our beloved industry,” the comedian wrote on Instagram. “May you live forever through your vast body of work.”

Actor James Woods wrote: “Devastated to hear of the passing of lifelong friend John Heard. A complex and brilliant man and a true artist. I will miss him dearly.”

Heard was married to actress Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the 1978 Superman film opposite Christopher Reeve. He had a son, Jack, with the actor Melissa Leo, followed by a rocky custody battle in which Heard was arrested for stalking and assault. From a later marriage, Heard had a son, Max, and a daughter, Annika. His son Max died in 2016, aged 22.