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