Ron Eldard

An amiable, engaging performer of stage, film and TV, Ron Eldard received critical acclaim in his feature debut opposite Annabella Sciorra as the immature bridegroom in "True Love" (1989), Nancy Savoca's low-budget, slice-of-life sleeper about an Italian wedding in the Bronx. (His Off-Broadway debut had come in an almost identical role as Tony in "Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding.") The attention, however, spooked him, and he passed on the first round of film offers coming his way, electing instead to remain in Queens and concentrate on theater while deciding what he wanted from life. After starring as Servy in the 1991 Off-Broadway production of "Servy-n-Bernice 4Ever," the former Golden Gloves contender decided to stick his toe in TV waters, and his rugged athletic looks and ability gave him credibility as a former baseball player who resorts to crime to support his family in the 1992 ABC movie "Jumpin' Joe." Eldard went on to play policemen in two short-lived sitcoms: in ABC's "Arresting Behavior" (1992), he was cast as the precinct playboy teamed with a veteran while in Fox's clever and classy "Bakersfield, P.D." (1993), he was a detective whose entire knowledge of policing came from TV.