Ned Beatty

After "Deliverance" (1972) introduced him to American film audiences as the victim of one of the most horrific and infamous incidents of onscreen violence in cinematic history, actor Ned Beatty quickly became one of Hollywood's most rock-steady supporting everymen. Throughout the remainder of the 1970s, Beatty was seemingly omnipresent in the decade's seminal films, including "Nashville" (1975), "All the President's Men" (1976), "Network" (1976) and "Superman" (1978). Never a leading a man, Beatty nonetheless earned a reputation as one of the top supporting actors in the trade. While the his later decade films were not as prominent, Beatty landed several high-quality small-screen projects, including a regular role as a member of the original cast of what many considered to be one of the best shows ever produced for television, "Homicide: Life on the Street" (NBC, 1993-99). Though he would never match the sheer volume of hits in his first decade of film work, his myriad of roles as amicable middle-aged men, well-meaning public officials and later big-hearted grandfathers, would earn him the distinction of being the one of the busiest and most beloved actors in Hollywood.