Morning Man Classic: Michael Ontkean!

Michael Ontkean was not at last night’s 30th anniversary screening of Making Love at Outfest but he certainly was on the minds of many of us audience members who most enjoyed seeing his beautiful face on the big screen again.

Such a gorgeous man and such a good performance as a man who is coming to terms with being gay after being married eight years to a woman (Kate Jackson). His brief relationship with a writer (Harry Hamlin) just opens the gay floodgates and there is no looking back for Ontkean’s character.

The actor, also known for his roles on TV’s Twin Peaks and The Rookies, is now 66 and still acting some. Most recently, he had the role of cousin Milo in the George Clooney film The Descendents.

The Canadian actor was such a good hockey player growing up and at the University of Vermont that he was offered a contract to play professionally with the New York Rangers.

But the child of well-known Canadian performers Leonard and Muriel Ontkean loved acting more and headed to Hollywood in 1970. He soon landed a series of TV guest spots (including The Partridge Family!) and became a star when he was cast in The Rookies. He left the hit show after just two seasons and spent a few years writing poetry before returning to acting in 1977 with the hit Paul Newman film Slap Shot which united his two loves: acting and hockey.

He went on appearing in various films such as Voices (1979 with Amy Irving), Willie and Phil (1980) and Summer (1981 with Brooke Adams) followed by the groundbreaking Making Love in 1982.

After appearing in such films as Made to Order and The Allnighter, he landed another of his best-known roles: Sheriff Harry Truman in the 1990 TV series Twin Peaks.

Many other roles followed, my favorite of which was the 1994 miniseries Family Album opposite Jaclyn Smith. He has not had many credits since a series of guest appearances in 2004 on the Fox series North Shore.