Michael Ontkean

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. In 1984, he starred opposite Kristy McNichol in Just the Way You Are. 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).

• Name — Michael Ontkean • Born — 24 January 1946 • Birthplace — Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1955–2011 • Education — University of New Hampshire • Children — 2

Ontkean was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, the son of Muriel (née Cooper), an actress, and Leonard Ontkean, a boxer and actor. He was a child actor in Vancouver. Before turning 12, he had appeared on three or four dozen Canadian TV and radio shows plus fifty-eight (58) episodes as a chorus and background singer on Cross-Canada Hit Parade (a weekly TV show which ran from 1955-59, in which the top ten most popular US and Canadian songs were performed). He appeared in one episode of the television series Hudson's Bay (1959). His family later relocated to Toronto, where he attended Holy Rosary Catholic School and St. Michael's Choir School before attending St. Michael's College School. He grew up playing hockey and he earned a hockey scholarship to the University of New Hampshire, a Division I program playing in the ECAC. In his three years on the varsity program, Ontkean scored 63 goals and 111 points in 85 games played. He led the team in goal scoring his junior year with 30 goals, and was second behind fellow Canadian Louis Frigon his senior year.

Ontkean began in Hollywood with an appearance on The Partridge Family in 1971. He later had guest roles on Ironside and Longstreet, but his break was in the ABC series The Rookies (1972–1976), in which he played Officer Willie Gillis for the first two seasons. He left the show and was succeeded by actor Bruce Fairbairn. His hockey skills helped him land the role of Ned Braden in Slap Shot (1977), as he performed all of his on-ice shots himself. In 1979, he appeared in the first episode of Tales of the Unexpected. Other early movie roles included Necromancy (1972) with Orson Welles; Voices (1979) with Amy Irving; Willie & Phil (1980) with Margot Kidder; The Blood of Others (1984); Kids Don't Tell (1985) with JoBeth Williams; The Right of the People (1986); The Allnighter and Maid to Order (both 1987) (the latter with Ally Sheedy); Clara's Heart (1988) with Whoopi Goldberg, and Bye Bye Blues (1989).

Ontkean appeared as Sheriff Harry S. Truman in David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks (1990–1991). He filmed scenes for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me but, like many others from the original TV series, his scenes were deleted from the final film.

Ontkean subsequently appeared in many film and television productions including In Defense of a Married Man (1990); In a Child's Name (1991) with Valerie Bertinelli; Legacy of Lies (1992); Rapture and Vendetta II: The New Mafia (both 1993); Swann: A Mystery and The Stepford Husbands (both 1996); Summer of the Monkeys and A Chance of Snow (both 1998; the latter again with JoBeth Williams); Bear with Me (2000), and Mrs. Ashboro's Cat (2003). Ontkean had a recurring role on Fox's short-lived series North Shore in 2004, and also appeared in the 2008 comedy TV show Sophie.

He had a small role in the 2011 film The Descendants, which was his last role to date before he decided to retire from acting. The movie was filmed in Hawaii, where he lives. Ontkean was approached to reprise his role as Sheriff Truman for the 2017 revival of Twin Peaks. At first, Ontkean was reportedly excited about returning to the role, and enlisted Twin Peaks authority Brad Dukes to help him find the jacket which his character once wore on the show. Dukes located a suitable replica, bought it and sent it to Ontkean. However, in 2015, Ontkean dropped out of the Twin Peaks revival, for reasons which were never made public. Dukes recalled: "We last spoke in August and he informed me he wasn't going to Washington after all. I told him I was heartbroken to hear that. Aside from being heartbroken, I am puzzled. Twin Peaks is not Twin Peaks without Michael Ontkean as Sheriff Harry S. Truman." He was replaced by Robert Forster, playing Sheriff Truman's brother Frank. Forster was initially David Lynch's first choice to play Harry Truman in 1990.

Ontkean was first married to Frances E. Knight; the union ended in divorce. He married, secondly, to Jamie Smith-Jackson, an actress/design director and owner of Jamie Jackson Design. The couple later divorced; they have two daughters, Jenna Millman and Sadie Sapphire Ontkean. Ontkean later married Susan Sennett; they live in Kauai. He is a fan of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1956 — Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans — Cochea — Episode: "The Wild One" • 1959 — Hudson's Bay — Jeremy Warrant — Episode: "Pierre's Three Evils" • 1970 — Ironside — Man — Episode: "Noel's Gonna Fly" • 1970 — Dan August — Mike Foschke — Episode: "The Soldier" • 1971 — Disneyland — Alcide — 2 episodes • 1971 — data-sort-value="Partridge Family, The" | The Partridge Family — Lester Braddock — Episode: "Not With My Sister, You Don't!" • 1971 — Longstreet — David De Carie — Episode: "So, Who's Fred Hornbeck?" • 1972–1974 — data-sort-value="Rookies, The" | The Rookies — Officer Willie Gillis — 47 episodes • 1979 — Tales of the Unexpected — Tommy — Episode: "The Man from the South" • 1985 — Kids Don't Tell — John Ryan — Television film • 1986 — data-sort-value="Right of the People, The" | The Right of the People — Christopher Wells — Television film • 1989 — data-sort-value="Hitchhiker, The" | The Hitchhiker — Gordon Brooks — Episode: "Square Deal" • 1990–1991 — Twin Peaks — Harry S. Truman — 30 episodes • 1990 — In Defense of a Married Man — Robert — Television film • 1991 — In a Child's Name — Ken Taylor — Miniseries • 1992 — Legacy of Lies — Zach Resnick — Television film • 1993 — Rapture — Jeff Lisker — Television film • 1993 — Whose Child Is This? The War for Baby Jessica — Jan DeBoer — Television film • 1993 — Bride of Violence 2 — Hank Parnell — Television film • 1994 — Family Album — Ward Thayer — Miniseries • 1999 — PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal — John Doe / Wesley Addison — Episode: "John Doe" • 1996 — data-sort-value="Man Next Door, The" | The Man Next Door — Eli Cooley — Television film • 1996 — data-sort-value="Stepford Husbands, The" | The Stepford Husbands — Mick Davison — Television film • 1997–2000 — data-sort-value="Outer Limits, The" | The Outer Limits — Dr. Field / Dr. Charles McCamber — 2 episodes • 1998 — data-sort-value="Chance of Snow, A" | A Chance of Snow — Matthew Parker — Television film • 2000 — Green Sails — John Scott — Television film • 2002 — data-sort-value="Killing Spring, A" | A Killing Spring — Tom Keaton — Television film • 2004 — Ghost Cat — Wes Merritt — Television film • 2004–2005 — North Shore — Gordon Matthews — 4 episodes • 2008 — Sophie — Victor Hearst — 3 episodes (final television role to date)