Story highlights John Heard endeared himself to moviegoers as dad in "Home Alone" series

Prolific star of stage, TV and film was nominated for Emmy for "The Sopranos"

(CNN) Actor John Heard, best known for playing the father in the "Home Alone" movies, has died, the Santa Clara County, California, medical examiner's office said.

The medical examiner's office said the actor was 71, but other reports list his age as 72. He died Friday.

While his role as Peter McCallister endeared him to generations of moviegoers in a singular way, Heard had a versatile and prolific career on stage as well as in movies and television.

Heard was a successful theater actor before transitioning to film, where he had a supporting role in the 1988 Tom Hanks film "Big," and he appeared in several other well-known films, including "Beaches," The Pelican Brief," and "Sharknado."

Heard's TV credits included appearances on "CSI: Miami," "Law & Order," "Battlestar Galactica," "Prison Break" and "Elementary."

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