Jack Earle Haley (born July 14, 1961)[1] is an American actor and director.[2] His earliest roles included Moocher in Breaking Away (1979) and Kelly Leak in The Bad News Bears (1976), The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977) and The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978). After spending many years as a producer and director of television commercials, he revived his acting career with a supporting role in All the King's Men (2006). This was followed by his performance in Little Children (2006), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[3][4]

Jackie Earle Haley
Haley at the A Nightmare on Elm Street panel at WonderCon, 2010
Born
Jack Earle Haley

(1961-07-14) July 14, 1961 (age 63)
OccupationActor
Years active1972–present
Spouse(s)Sherry Vaughan
(m. 1979; div. ??)
Jennifer Hargrave
(m. 1985; div. ??)
Amelia Cruz
(m. 2004)
Children2

His subsequent notable roles include the superhero Rorschach in Watchmen (2009),[5] horror icon Freddy Krueger in the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010),[6] and Grewishka, a cyborg criminal in Alita: Battle Angel (2019).[7][8] He played Odin Quincannon in the first season (2016) of Preacher and The Terror in the first season (2016–18) of The Tick.

Early life

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Haley was born and raised in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles,[9] the son of Haven Earle "Bud" Haley, a radio show host/disc jockey and actor,[10][11] and Iris D. Douglas.

Career

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Haley has appeared in numerous films, including John Schlesinger's The Day of the Locust, Damnation Alley, and Losin' It, as well as guest roles on TV. A well-known child actor, he starred as Kelly Leak in the comedy The Bad News Bears, as well as the sequels The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training and The Bad News Bears Go to Japan.

He played Moocher in Peter Yates's acclaimed 1979 film Breaking Away and later in the short-lived TV series of the same name. Throughout the 1970s, he often played tough, angry, pimply, long-haired misfits; although in his feature debut, the offbeat 1972 film The Outside Man, he played Eric, a boy so desperately lonely that he tries to impress the mob assassin holding him and his mother (Georgia Engel) hostage. Haley also shot a pilot for an American version of the popular British comedy The Young Ones titled Oh, No! Not THEM!. In 1974 he played Norm, a misfit kid, in the 12th episode of the Saturday morning children's show Shazam! [12]

Haley's acting career went dormant during most of the 1990s and early 2000s, when he moved to San Antonio. He eventually turned to directing,[13] finding success as a producer and director of television commercials.[14]

With the recommendation of Sean Penn, Haley returned to acting in 2006, first appearing in Steven Zaillian's All the King's Men alongside Penn as Sugar Boy, his bodyguard, before giving a critically acclaimed performance as a recently paroled sex offender in Todd Field's Little Children. He stated that his preparation for the role was greatly influenced by the relationship shared between his mother and his brother True, who battled a heroin addiction before he died of an overdose.[15] Haley was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this portrayal and in 2007 was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[16]

Haley owns a production company, JEH Productions, in San Antonio. In 2008, he appeared in Semi-Pro and starred in Winged Creatures with Kate Beckinsale, Guy Pearce and Dakota Fanning.[17] He also stars in Zack Snyder's 2009 adaptation of the Alan Moore graphic novel Watchmen as Rorschach, a masked vigilante working to find the identity of a costumed hero killer, a role which earned him praise from many reviewers.[18] The film also reunited him with Little Children co-star Patrick Wilson who played Nite Owl II, Rorschach's former partner. Also in 2010, Haley appeared in Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese,[19] as a patient of a hospital for the criminally insane.

In 2010, Haley played Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake.[20][21] He signed to play the role in a sequel, which was not produced.[22]

Haley has dismissed rumors that he accompanied Johnny Depp to auditions for Wes Craven's original A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) to audition for the role Depp was eventually cast in.[23] Haley auditioned for the role of the film's antagonist, Freddy Krueger, but ended up losing out to Robert Englund for the 1984 version of the film.[2][unreliable source?]

Haley was a series regular on Human Target as Guerrero, an ally of the main character, Christopher Chance. The series premiered on January 17, 2010 on Fox,[24][25] and ran for two seasons before being cancelled in May 2011.

He played Willie Loomis in the 2012 film adaptation of Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton, and played Confederate States Vice President Alexander H. Stephens in Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg.[26] He played the supervillain "The Terror" in Amazon's re-boot of The Tick.[27]

Personal life

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Haley's first marriage was to Sherry Vaughan in 1979. He has two children: a son, Christopher (born 1986), and a daughter, Olivia (born 1998), by his second wife, Jennifer Haley. He married his third wife, Amelia Cruz, in 2004 and they live in San Antonio.[28] Haley holds black belts in Kenpo and Taekwondo.[29]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1972 The Outside Man Eric
1975 The Day of the Locust Adore Loomis
1976 The Bad News Bears Kelly Leak
1977 The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
Damnation Alley Billy Filmed from June - August, 1976. Released October, 1977.
1978 The Bad News Bears Go to Japan Kelly Leak
1979 Breaking Away Moocher
1983 Losin' It Dave
1985 The Zoo Gang Little Joe
1991 Dollman Braxton Red
1992 Nemesis Einstein
1993 Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence Frank Jessup
2006 All the King's Men Roderick "Sugar Boy" Ellis
Little Children Ronald James McGorvey Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Iowa Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor
National Society of Film Critics Awards for Best Supporting Actor (2nd place)
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
Village Voice Film Poll for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated – Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Ensemble Cast
Nominated – Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated – Gold Derby Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
2008 Semi-Pro Dukes
2009 Winged Creatures Bob Jasperson
Watchmen Walter Kovacs / Rorschach Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
2010 Shutter Island George Noyce Nominated – Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actor
A Nightmare on Elm Street Freddy Krueger Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Horror/Thriller
Nominated – Scream Award for Best Villain
2012 Dark Shadows Willie Loomis
Lincoln Alexander H. Stephens
2013 Parkland Father Oscar Huber
2014 RoboCop Rick Mattox
2015 Criminal Activities Gerry Also director
2016 The Birth of a Nation Raymond Cobb
London Has Fallen Chief Deputy Mason [30]
2017 The Dark Tower Sayre
2019 Alita: Battle Angel Grewishka
2020 Death of a Telemarketer Asa Ellenbogen
2021 No Future Philip
2022 My Father's Dragon Tamir the Tarsier (voice)
2023 Devil's Peak Rogers
Hypnotic Jeremiah
The Retirement Plan Donnie
2024 The Union Foreman
Dead Money Wendel AKA Shotgun

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1972 Wait Till Your Father Gets Home Jamie Boyle (voice) 11 episodes
1973 The Partridge Family Rusty Episode: "The Strike-Out King"
1973 Marcus Welby, M.D. Tony Episode: "Nguyen"
1974 These Are the Days Danny Day (voice) 16 episodes
1974 Valley of the Dinosaurs Greg Butler (voice) 16 episodes
1974 Planet of the Apes Kraik Episode: "The Legacy"
1975 Shazam! Norm Briggs Episode: "The Delinquent"
1975 The Waltons Tom Episode: "The Emergence"
1979 The Love Boat Paul Turner's "son" 2 episodes
1980 Insight Ernie Briggs Episode: "Chicken"
1980–1981 Breaking Away Moocher 8 episodes
1981 Every Stray Dog and Kid Tommy Ryan Television film
1983 American Playhouse Seventeen-and-Desperate Episode: "Miss Lonelyhearts"
1983 Whiz Kids Harlan Episode: "A Chip Off the Old Block"
1985 MacGyver Turk Episode: "Last Stand"
1986 Murder, She Wrote Billy Willetts Episode: "Powder Keg"
1990 Oh, No! Not THEM! Adrian Television film
1990 Gravedale High Gill Waterman (voice) 13 episodes
1991 Get a Life Cousin Donald Episode: "Chris vs. Donald"
1992 Renegade Stick Episode: "Mother Courage"
1993 Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story Eddie Marston Television film
2010–2011 Human Target Guerrero 25 episodes
2016 Preacher Odin Quincannon 8 episodes
2016–2017 The Tick The Terror 11 episodes
2018 Narcos: Mexico Jim Ferguson 2 episodes
2022 The First Lady Louis Howe 5 episodes[31]
2023 Killing It Troy Chubner Multiple episodes[32]

Theatre

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Year Title Voice role Notes
1983 Slab Boys Hector McKenzie Playhouse Theatre, New York City

Video games

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Year Title Voice role Notes
2009 Watchmen: The End Is Nigh Walter Kovacs / Rorschach
2014 The Evil Within Ruvik [33]

References

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  1. ^ "Jackie Earle Haley". Encyclopedia.com. Cengage. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "DH Exclusive | There's something gripping about darker characters: Jackie Earle Haley". Deccan Herald. 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  3. ^ "Jackie Earle Haley. Biography, news, photos and videos". hellomagazine.com. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  4. ^ "The 79th Academy Awards | 2007". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  5. ^ Haddon, Cole. "Watchmen Interview: Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach". MTV News. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  6. ^ Ryan, Mike. "Jackie Earle Haley: "I'm Perfectly Fine Being Freddy Krueger Number Two"". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  7. ^ "Alita: Battle Angel adds Jackie Earle Haley". Empire. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  8. ^ "Jackie Earle Haley Joins Alita: Battle Angel". uk.movies.yahoo.com. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  9. ^ Yahoo.com Archived September 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Diaconescu, Sorina (2006-10-08). "Movies; A casting recall answered; A director 'just remembered' Jackie Earle Haley, and now he's breaking the child-actor curse, enjoying adult roles years after 'Bad News Bears.'". Archived from the original on November 7, 2012.
  11. ^ Booth, William. "A Former Child Star's Grown-Up Reward". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  12. ^ "Hollypowellstudios.com". Archived from the original on 2016-10-02. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
  13. ^ Paskin, Willa. "It felt like this was supposed to happen". Salon.com. Archived from the original on 2011-02-21. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  14. ^ Jackie Earle Haley: 'Bad News' to Oscar Gold
  15. ^ Moore, Omar P.L. "Popcorn Reel In Focus Interview: "Little Children"'s Jackie Early Haley". Archived from the original on 2011-01-19. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  16. ^ "Film Academy Invites 115 New Members". Associated Press. June 19, 2007. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  17. ^ on 2009-28-04[dead link]
  18. ^ Borys Kit (2007-07-26). "'Watchmen' powering up with castings". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2007-08-01. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
  19. ^ Why Nightmare on Elm Street went back for more shooting Archived January 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ Joshua Rich (2009-04-03). "'Nightmare on Elm Street' remake: Jackie Earle Haley to play Freddy Krueger". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2009-09-04. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  21. ^ "A Nightmare on Elm Street". The Guardian. 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  22. ^ "SCREAM '09: Jackie Earle Haley on 'Elm Street' Surprises, Freddy's Voice and a Sequel!". BloodyDisgusting. 18 October 2009.
  23. ^ "Haley 'didn't try for Depp part'". independent. 30 April 2010. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  24. ^ "About Human Target". Fox. Archived from the original on January 18, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
  25. ^ McDonnel, Jen TV tonight: Human Target The Gazette December 22, 2010 [1][permanent dead link]
  26. ^ S, Srivatsan (2020-07-06). "'Shutter Island', 'Lincoln' actor Jackie Earle Haley: I use empathy as an entry point to understand my characters". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  27. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2016-04-14). "Jackie Earle Haley To Co-Star In 'The Tick' Amazon Pilot, Joins 'The Dark Tower' Film". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  28. ^ "Interview: Jackie Earle Haley on 'RoboCop', Rehearsing, Auditioning and More!". February 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  29. ^ "Jackie Earle Haley is Rorschach". 24 February 2009.
  30. ^ "London Has Fallen Adds Jackie Earle Haley". Comingsoon.net. October 10, 2014. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  31. ^ Petski, Denise (August 9, 2021). "'The First Lady': Jackie Earle Haley, Maria Dizzia & Jeremy Bobb To Recur On Showtime Anthology Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  32. ^ "Killing It Cast Talks "Awesome" Guest Stars in Season 2 of Peacock's Hit Comedy Series". 17 August 2023.
  33. ^ "Jackie Earle Haley (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 8 February 2022. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
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