
Acting
Michael Ontkean
Born 1946-01-24 · Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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.
Acting credits
6.8With his wife Elizabeth on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King takes his daughters on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront a young real estate broker, who was having an affair with Elizabeth before her misfortune.
The Descendants
2011
8.5An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks. (This standalone version of the series pilot was produced for the European VHS market and has an alternate, closed ending.)
Twin Peaks
1989
6.8To build up attendance at their games, the management of a struggling minor-league hockey team signs up the Hanson Brothers, three hard-charging players whose job is to demolish the opposition.
Slap Shot
1977
6.6A substance-addicted actress tries to look on the bright side even as she's forced to move back in with her mother to avoid unemployment.
Postcards from the Edge
1990
7.2A feature-length compilation of deleted and alternate takes from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, assembled by David Lynch to continue the story of the final week of Laura Palmer’s life.
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
2014
4.6Life imitates art when two Manhattanites — pompous teacher Willie and quiet photographer Phil — become friends after a thought-provoking screening of "Jules et Jim," Truffaut's classic film about a decades-long ménage à trois. Soon, the men meet Jeanette, a sexually liberated southern transplant who promptly falls for both of them. Frustrated passions curdle into jealousy as Jeanette entertains love affairs with each in the ensuing years.
Willie & Phil
1980
6.9A perfect typical LA couple find their happily-ever-after life broken when the husband confronts his long-repressed attraction for other men.
Making Love
1982
5.5Spoiled Jessie Montgomery, whose wild behavior and spending excesses cause her well-meaning but exasperated millionaire father Charles to wish he never had her, is visited by fairy godmother Stella. In an effort to save Jessie, Stella casts a spell which causes Charles to no longer have a daughter. Jessie, now penniless and without a friend, must take a maid's job to earn a living, and hopefully to learn her lesson.
Maid to Order
1987
4.7Molly, Val and Gina are graduating college, but on their final night, frustrations are aired. Molly is still looking for real love and Val is beginning to doubt if that is what she has found. Gina is too busy videotaping everything to really notice. When the final party at Pacifica College kicks off, things do not go exactly as planned.
The Allnighter
1987
6.2As an 11-year-old boy struggles to cope with a disability, he finds a pony who gives birth to a unicorn which he takes care of.
Nico the Unicorn
1998
5.9After signing her divorce papers, a woman heads out to her Minnesota airport with her sister and daughters for a flight to her mother's home. At the airport, her sportswriter husband shows up to catch a flight to Miami to visit his father. When a blizzard hits, the two suddenly find they have time to re-evaluate their relationship with assistance from an older couple.
A Chance of Snow
1998
5.5David is a teenager whose parents are in a deteriorating marriage after their infant daughter dies. Clara is a chambermaid at a Jamaican resort who's hired to be a housekeeper. She and David develop a close bond, opening his eyes and heart to new experiences, and eventually leading to a disturbing secret in Clara's past.
Clara's Heart
1988
7.0Three new officers in a large metropolitan police department adjust to their new jobs and way of life. This is another TV-pilot that was first aired as an ABC Movie of the Week before becoming a TV-series.
The Rookies
1972
5.9A young married couple faces a serious break-up when the husband is caught committing adultery with a prostitute.
Just a Little Harmless Sex
1999
3.3A computer software designer becomes obsessed with his now-married high-school crush of 20 years before.
Rapture
1993
5.3In the German-occupied Paris, Helene is torn between the love for her boyfriend Jean, working for the resistance and the German administrator Bergmann, who will do anything to gain her affection.
The Blood of Others
1984
6.0Despite her success as a professional flute player and the constant attention of men around her, Susan Berlanger feels insecure because of her lame right leg. During a European tour, she decides to cover her leg with a cast to see how people will react to her as a nondisabled person.
Just the Way You Are
1984
4.3Two girls pick up a crazed hitchhiker who may or may not be the serial killer murdering hippies in the area.
Hot Summer Week
1972
NRThis NBC Special from 1977 pitted celebrities from the worlds of film and TV in the United States against stars from the U.K. and the rest of the World. Three teams of five men and three women representing their native land, competed in a series of nine events during this fast paced and exciting 2 hour TV Special. Sporting events included bowling, darts, rowing, swimming and running relays and soccer goal kicking.
US Against the World
1977
5.6Wes Merritt and his daughter Natalie (14) get more than they bargained for when they buy an old house that was formerly inhabited by the nice old Mrs. Ashboro and her pet cat, Margaret. When strange things start happening in the house, all fingers point to the presence of Margaret, who died the same day as Mrs. Ashboro. But why has she come back to haunt them?
Mrs. Ashboro's Cat
2003
4.5After Lori suffers a stillbirth, her husband Frank obtains a job with a northern California toy company. Frank's new boss, the mysterious Mr. Cato, explains that Frank's position will involve magic. Cato, who seemingly holds enormous influence over the town, pursues the power of necromancy and believes that Lori holds the key that will help him resurrect his own dead son.
Necromancy
1972
10.0When a documentary-maker begins to make a film about child sexual abuse, the subject begins to eat into him and affect his relationship with those around him, particularly his wife.
Kids Don't Tell
1985
7.0A forgotten CIA agent escapes after 12 years and returns to his corrupt New Jersey hometown.
Street Justice
1987
10.0Two young boys must retrieve a church bell from the depths of a murky lagoon in a Louisiana swamp. Complicating matters is the fact that the lagoon is home to a large and deadly alligator.
The Boy from Dead Man's Bayou
1971