Actor profile

John Diehl

1st May 1950 Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Acting

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.

86 Movies 38 TV Shows 127 Credits

Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Train Dreams poster

Train Dreams 5th November 2025 as Billy

John Candy: I Like Me poster

John Candy: I Like Me 4th September 2025 as Self - Actor, Stripes (archive footage)

Armageddon Time poster

Armageddon Time 28th October 2022 as Fred Trump

La Sirena poster

La Sirena 22nd May 2020 as Nino

Serpent in the Bottle poster

Serpent in the Bottle 20th April 2020 as Marvin Decker

Out of the Wild poster

Out of the Wild 5th December 2017 as Henry McBride

The North Star poster

The North Star 1st March 2016 as Master Anderson

Forever poster

Forever 27th October 2015 as Neil

A Long Way Off poster

A Long Way Off 6th June 2014

Singularity Principle poster

Singularity Principle 13th March 2013 as Jack Brenner

Apartment 1303 3D poster

Apartment 1303 3D 6th December 2012 as Detective

The Obama Effect poster

The Obama Effect 13th July 2012 as Steve Warren

Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe poster

Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe 17th April 2011 as Rear Admiral Lawrence

Natural Selection poster

Natural Selection 13th March 2011 as Abe

Road to Nowhere poster

Road to Nowhere 11th September 2010 as Bobby Billings

Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas poster

Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas 1st September 2009 as Sheriff Larabie

Follow the Prophet poster

Follow the Prophet 23rd January 2009 as Ted

The Lucky Ones poster

The Lucky Ones 26th September 2008 as Tom Klinger

The Far Side of Jericho poster

The Far Side of Jericho 10th December 2006 as Cash Thornton

The House Is Burning poster

The House Is Burning 16th November 2006 as Mr. Garson

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise poster

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise 30th April 2006 as Jerry Snyder

Hidden Places poster

Hidden Places 1st January 2006 as Frank Wyatt

Down in the Valley poster

Down in the Valley 13th May 2005 as Steve

Land of Plenty poster

Land of Plenty 10th September 2004 as Paul

I Pass for Human poster

I Pass for Human 21st March 2004 as Ex-husband

Bookies poster

Bookies 20th January 2003 as Vincent

Tully poster

Tully 1st November 2002 as Mal "Mac" MacAvoy

Falling Like This poster

Falling Like This 7th September 2001 as Eddie Gallagher

Jurassic Park III poster

Jurassic Park III 18th July 2001 as Cooper

Pearl Harbor poster

Pearl Harbor 21st May 2001 as Senior Doctor

The Zeros poster

The Zeros 10th March 2001 as Burl

Lost Souls poster

Lost Souls 13th October 2000 as Henry Birdson

Fail Safe poster

Fail Safe 9th April 2000 as Col. Cascio

Anywhere but Here poster

Anywhere but Here 12th November 1999 as Jimmy

Purgatory poster

Purgatory 10th January 1999 as Badger

The Hi-Lo Country poster

The Hi-Lo Country 30th December 1998 as Les Birk

Monument Ave. poster

Monument Ave. 25th September 1998 as Digger

The Rat Pack poster

The Rat Pack 22nd August 1998 as Joe DiMaggio

Amanda & the Alien poster

Amanda & the Alien 1st February 1998 as Colonel Rosencrans

Most Wanted poster

Most Wanted 10th October 1997 as Police Captain

The End of Violence poster

The End of Violence 12th September 1997 as Lowell

Fire Down Below poster

Fire Down Below 5th September 1997 as Frank Elkins

Con Air poster

Con Air 5th June 1997 as Poe's Lawyer (uncredited)

Casualties poster

Casualties 15th April 1997 as Polito

Female Perversions poster

Female Perversions 21st November 1996 as Jake Rock

Foxfire poster

Foxfire 23rd August 1996 as Mr. Buttinger

A Time to Kill poster

A Time to Kill 24th July 1996 as Tim Nunley

Managua poster

Managua 9th April 1996

The Destiny of Marty Fine poster

The Destiny of Marty Fine 16th March 1996 as Deke

The Grave poster

The Grave 18th January 1996 as J.C. Cole

Nixon poster

Nixon 22nd December 1995 as Gordon Liddy

Three Wishes poster

Three Wishes 27th October 1995 as Leland's Dad

Mind Ripper poster

Mind Ripper 8th October 1995 as Alex

Buffalo Girls poster

Buffalo Girls 30th April 1995 as General Custer

Stargate poster

Stargate 28th October 1994 as Lieutenant Kawalsky

The New Age poster

The New Age 16th September 1994 as Lyle

The Client poster

The Client 20th July 1994 as Jack Nance

Almost Dead poster

Almost Dead 20th March 1994 as Eddie Herbek

Gettysburg poster

Gettysburg 8th October 1993 as Pvt. Bucklin

The Paint Job poster

The Paint Job 30th September 1993 as Father

Remote poster

Remote 22nd September 1993 as Delbert McCoy

Falling Down poster

Falling Down 26th February 1993 as Dad (Back Yard Party)

Mikey poster

Mikey 12th November 1992 as Neil Trenton

Mo' Money poster

Mo' Money 24th July 1992 as Keith Heading

Motorama poster

Motorama 10th September 1991 as Phil

A Climate for Killing poster

A Climate for Killing 18th July 1991 as Wayne Paris

Whore poster

Whore 21st June 1991 as Derelict

Kickboxer 2: The Road Back poster

Kickboxer 2: The Road Back 30th January 1991 as Jack

The Dark Side of the Moon poster

The Dark Side of the Moon 30th May 1990 as Philip Jennings

Cool Blue poster

Cool Blue 27th February 1990 as Clayton

MadHouse poster

MadHouse 16th February 1990 as Fred

Glitz poster

Glitz 28th September 1988 as Teddy Magyk

Walker poster

Walker 4th December 1987 as Stebbins

White of the Eye poster

White of the Eye 19th June 1987 as Mr Dupree

The Hanoi Hilton poster

The Hanoi Hilton 27th March 1987 as Murphy

Miami Vice: Brother's Keeper poster

Miami Vice: Brother's Keeper 16th September 1984 as Det. Larry Zito

Angel poster

Angel 13th January 1984 as The Killer

D.C. Cab poster

D.C. Cab 16th December 1983 as Head Kidnapper

National Lampoon's Vacation poster

National Lampoon's Vacation 29th July 1983 as Assistant Mechanic

Joysticks poster

Joysticks 4th March 1983 as Arnie

Hysterical poster

Hysterical 22nd December 1982 as Taxi Driver

The Ambush Murders poster

The Ambush Murders 5th January 1982 as Ferguson

Leon's Case poster

Leon's Case 1st January 1982 as Leon Bernstein

Stripes poster

Stripes 26th June 1981 as Cruiser

Escape from New York poster

Escape from New York 23rd May 1981 as Punk

Falling in Love Again poster

Falling in Love Again 21st November 1980 as Beaver (1940's)

Dark Winds poster

Dark Winds 12th June 2022 as B.J. Vines

Castle Rock poster

Castle Rock 25th July 2018 as John

Snowfall poster

Snowfall 5th July 2017 as Colonel Robert McDonald

Almost Human poster

Almost Human 17th November 2013 as Edward Kennex

Scandal poster

Scandal 5th April 2012 as Ray Dwyer

Rizzoli & Isles poster

Rizzoli & Isles 12th July 2010 as Arthur Dunbar

Lie to Me poster

Lie to Me 21st January 2009 as Charlie Everett

Women's Murder Club poster

Women's Murder Club 12th October 2007

Friday Night Lights poster

Friday Night Lights 3rd October 2006 as Richard Sherman

Jericho poster

Jericho 20th September 2006 as Governor Trader

Point Pleasant poster

Point Pleasant 19th January 2005 as David Burke

Cold Case poster

Cold Case 28th September 2003 as Isaac Keller

Without a Trace poster

Without a Trace 26th September 2002 as Doyle

The Shield poster

The Shield 12th March 2002 as Assistant Chief Ben Gilroy

The Guardian poster

The Guardian 25th September 2001 as Fortunato

Strong Medicine poster

Strong Medicine 23rd July 2000 as Mr. Lawson

The West Wing poster

The West Wing 22nd September 1999 as Claypool

Get Real poster

Get Real 8th September 1999 as Harris Forman

Profiler poster

Profiler 21st September 1996 as Toby 'The Wick' Wood

The Pretender poster

The Pretender 19th September 1996 as Sheriff Delmont

E! True Hollywood Story poster

E! True Hollywood Story 21st August 1996

Nash Bridges poster

Nash Bridges 29th March 1996 as Albert foss

JAG poster

JAG 23rd September 1995 as Jack Raglan

The Outer Limits poster

The Outer Limits 26th March 1995 as Joe

ER poster

ER 19th September 1994 as Johnson's Son

NYPD Blue poster

NYPD Blue 21st September 1993 as Joe brady

The X-Files poster

The X-Files 10th September 1993 as Wilson Pinker Rawls

The John Larroquette Show poster

The John Larroquette Show 2nd September 1993 as Chris

Monsters poster

Monsters 22nd October 1988 as Miles Magnus

In the Heat of the Night poster

In the Heat of the Night 6th March 1988 as John sevrance

Beauty and the Beast poster

Beauty and the Beast 25th September 1987 as Vernon Toulane

L.A. Law poster

L.A. Law 15th September 1986 as Kevin Delahanty

L.A. Law poster

L.A. Law 15th September 1986 as Tim

Miami Vice poster

Miami Vice 16th September 1984 as Larry Zito

Cagney & Lacey poster

Cagney & Lacey 25th March 1982

Cassie & Co. poster

Cassie & Co. 29th January 1982 as Gelson

Falcon Crest poster

Falcon Crest 4th December 1981 as Gus Wallach

Hill Street Blues poster

Hill Street Blues 15th January 1981