Acting
John Diehl
Born 1950-05-01
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Department: Acting
Biography
John Diehl (born May 1, 1950) is an American character actor with over 150 credits to his name in film and television. He is best known for his roles as Charles Kawalsky in the 1994 film Stargate, Det. Larry Zito on the 1980s cop show Miami Vice, Assistant Chief Ben Gilroy on The Shield, and as "the Cruiser" in Stripes. His other notable roles include Pvt. Bucklin, the spokesman of the 2nd Maine mutineers in Gettysburg, Cooper in Jurassic Park III (2001), as G. Gordon Liddy in the Oliver Stone movie Nixon, the Klansman informant ("Mickey Mouse") in A Time to Kill, and as Keith, a credit card company supervisor in Mo Money. He also appeared as the spirit of Harley Earl in a series of commercials for Buick. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated from St. Xavier High School in 1968. For a time, he flirted with a professional boxing career, leaving Miami Vice to pursue it.
Known For
Prominent works featuring John Diehl
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Jurassic Park III
2001
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Pearl Harbor
2001
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Movie
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Con Air
1997
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TV
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The X-Files
1993
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Movie
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Falling Down
1993
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Movie
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Stargate
1994
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Movie
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Escape from New York
1981
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Movie
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A Time to Kill
1996
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TV
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Lie to Me
2009
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National Lampoon's Vacation
1983
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Filmography & Credits
Complete career catalog (129 titles)
| Poster | Title | Character / Role | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Train Dreams | Billy | Movie | 2025 |
 | John Candy: I Like Me | Self - Actor, Stripes (archive footage) | Movie | 2025 |
 | Armageddon Time | Fred Trump | Movie | 2022 |
 | Dark Winds | B.J. Vines | TV Series | 2022 |
 | La Sirena | Nino | Movie | 2020 |
 | Serpent in the Bottle | Marvin Decker | Movie | 2020 |
| Gary's Walk | Gary | Movie | 2019 | |
 | Castle Rock | John | TV Series | 2018 |
 | Out of the Wild | Henry McBride | Movie | 2017 |
 | Snowfall | Colonel Robert McDonald | TV Series | 2017 |
 | The North Star | Master Anderson | Movie | 2016 |
 | Forever | Neil | Movie | 2015 |
 | A Long Way Off | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2014 |
 | Almost Human | Edward Kennex | TV Series | 2013 |
 | Singularity Principle | Jack Brenner | Movie | 2013 |
 | Apartment 1303 3D | Detective | Movie | 2012 |
 | The Obama Effect | Steve Warren | Movie | 2012 |
 | Scandal | Ray Dwyer | TV Series | 2012 |
 | Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe | Rear Admiral Lawrence | Movie | 2011 |
 | Natural Selection | Abe | Movie | 2011 |
 | Road to Nowhere | Bobby Billings | Movie | 2010 |
 | Rizzoli & Isles | Arthur Dunbar | TV Series | 2010 |
 | Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas | Sheriff Larabie | Movie | 2009 |
 | Follow the Prophet | Ted | Movie | 2009 |
 | Lie to Me | Charlie Everett | TV Series | 2009 |
 | The Lucky Ones | Tom Klinger | Movie | 2008 |
 | Women's Murder Club | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 2007 |
 | The Far Side of Jericho | Cash Thornton | Movie | 2006 |
 | The House Is Burning | Mr. Garson | Movie | 2006 |
 | Friday Night Lights | Richard Sherman | TV Series | 2006 |
 | Jericho | Governor Trader | TV Series | 2006 |
 | Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise | Jerry Snyder | Movie | 2006 |
 | Hidden Places | Frank Wyatt | Movie | 2006 |
 | Down in the Valley | Steve | Movie | 2005 |
 | Point Pleasant | David Burke | TV Series | 2005 |
 | Land of Plenty | Paul | Movie | 2004 |
 | I Pass for Human | Ex-husband | Movie | 2004 |
 | Cold Case | Isaac Keller | TV Series | 2003 |
| Dragnet: Sticks and Stones | Dr. Rupert Miles | Movie | 2003 | |
 | Bookies | Vincent | Movie | 2003 |
 | Tully | Mal "Mac" MacAvoy | Movie | 2002 |
 | Without a Trace | Doyle | TV Series | 2002 |
 | The Shield | Assistant Chief Ben Gilroy | TV Series | 2002 |
 | The Guardian | Fortunato | TV Series | 2001 |
 | Falling Like This | Eddie Gallagher | Movie | 2001 |
| Falling Like This | Co-Producer | Movie | 2001 |
 | Jurassic Park III | Cooper | Movie | 2001 |
 | Pearl Harbor | Senior Doctor | Movie | 2001 |
 | The Zeros | Burl | Movie | 2001 |
 | Lost Souls | Henry Birdson | Movie | 2000 |
 | Strong Medicine | Mr. Lawson | TV Series | 2000 |
 | Fail Safe | Col. Cascio | Movie | 2000 |
 | Anywhere but Here | Jimmy | Movie | 1999 |
 | The West Wing | Claypool | TV Series | 1999 |
 | Get Real | Harris Forman | TV Series | 1999 |
 | Purgatory | Badger | Movie | 1999 |
 | The Hi-Lo Country | Les Birk | Movie | 1998 |
 | Monument Ave. | Digger | Movie | 1998 |
 | The Rat Pack | Joe DiMaggio | Movie | 1998 |
 | Amanda & the Alien | Colonel Rosencrans | Movie | 1998 |
 | Most Wanted | Police Captain | Movie | 1997 |
 | The End of Violence | Lowell | Movie | 1997 |
 | Fire Down Below | Frank Elkins | Movie | 1997 |
 | Con Air | Poe's Lawyer (uncredited) | Movie | 1997 |
 | Casualties | Polito | Movie | 1997 |
 | Female Perversions | Jake Rock | Movie | 1996 |
 | Profiler | Toby 'The Wick' Wood | TV Series | 1996 |
 | The Pretender | Sheriff Delmont | TV Series | 1996 |
 | Foxfire | Mr. Buttinger | Movie | 1996 |
 | E! True Hollywood Story | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1996 |
 | A Time to Kill | Tim Nunley | Movie | 1996 |
 | Managua | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1996 |
 | Nash Bridges | Albert foss | TV Series | 1996 |
 | The Destiny of Marty Fine | Deke | Movie | 1996 |
 | The Grave | J.C. Cole | Movie | 1996 |
 | Nixon | Gordon Liddy | Movie | 1995 |
 | Three Wishes | Leland's Dad | Movie | 1995 |
 | Mind Ripper | Alex | Movie | 1995 |
 | JAG | Jack Raglan | TV Series | 1995 |
 | Buffalo Girls | General Custer | Movie | 1995 |
 | The Outer Limits | Joe | TV Series | 1995 |
 | Stargate | Lieutenant Kawalsky | Movie | 1994 |
 | ER | Johnson's Son | TV Series | 1994 |
 | The New Age | Lyle | Movie | 1994 |
 | The Client | Jack Nance | Movie | 1994 |
 | Almost Dead | Eddie Herbek | Movie | 1994 |
 | Gettysburg | Pvt. Bucklin | Movie | 1993 |
 | The Paint Job | Father | Movie | 1993 |
 | Remote | Delbert McCoy | Movie | 1993 |
 | NYPD Blue | Joe brady | TV Series | 1993 |
 | The X-Files | Wilson Pinker Rawls | TV Series | 1993 |
 | The John Larroquette Show | Chris | TV Series | 1993 |
 | Falling Down | Dad (Back Yard Party) | Movie | 1993 |
 | Mikey | Neil Trenton | Movie | 1992 |
 | Mo' Money | Keith Heading | Movie | 1992 |
 | Motorama | Phil | Movie | 1991 |
 | A Climate for Killing | Wayne Paris | Movie | 1991 |
 | Whore | Derelict | Movie | 1991 |
| Eddie Dodd | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1991 | |
 | Kickboxer 2: The Road Back | Jack | Movie | 1991 |
 | The Dark Side of the Moon | Philip Jennings | Movie | 1990 |
 | Cool Blue | Clayton | Movie | 1990 |
 | MadHouse | Fred | Movie | 1990 |
 | Monsters | Miles Magnus | TV Series | 1988 |
 | Glitz | Teddy Magyk | Movie | 1988 |
 | In the Heat of the Night | John sevrance | TV Series | 1988 |
 | Walker | Stebbins | Movie | 1987 |
 | Beauty and the Beast | Vernon Toulane | TV Series | 1987 |
 | White of the Eye | Mr Dupree | Movie | 1987 |
 | The Hanoi Hilton | Murphy | Movie | 1987 |
 | L.A. Law | Kevin Delahanty | TV Series | 1986 |
| L.A. Law | Tim | TV Series | 1986 |
 | Miami Vice: Brother's Keeper | Det. Larry Zito | Movie | 1984 |
 | Miami Vice | Larry Zito | TV Series | 1984 |
 | Angel | The Killer | Movie | 1984 |
 | D.C. Cab | Head Kidnapper | Movie | 1983 |
 | National Lampoon's Vacation | Assistant Mechanic | Movie | 1983 |
 | Joysticks | Arnie | Movie | 1983 |
 | Hysterical | Taxi Driver | Movie | 1982 |
 | Cagney & Lacey | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1982 |
 | Cassie & Co. | Gelson | TV Series | 1982 |
 | The Ambush Murders | Ferguson | Movie | 1982 |
 | Leon's Case | Leon Bernstein | Movie | 1982 |
 | Falcon Crest | Gus Wallach | TV Series | 1981 |
 | Stripes | Cruiser | Movie | 1981 |
 | Escape from New York | Punk | Movie | 1981 |
 | Hill Street Blues | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1981 |
 | Falling in Love Again | Beaver (1940's) | Movie | 1980 |
| A Cry for Love | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1980 |