John Beasley

Actor John Beasley did not pursue acting until he was 44-years old. Beasley worked as a railroad clerk for the Union Pacific railroad before quitting to become an actor. He made his film debut in 1989 as a henchman in "Rapid Fire." The next year he broke into TV with a recurring role on "Brewster Place," a drama that starred Oprah Winfrey. In 1993, he earned a small role in the popular Disney sports movie "The Mighty Ducks," and a supporting role in the dark romantic comedy "Untamed Heart," which starred Marisa Tomei and Christian Slater. Beasley continued to garner small roles in film, and by the later '90s was snagging steady work on television, with appearances in "Early Edition," "The Pretender," and "Millenium." In 2002, he came a part of the main cast of the family drama "Everwood," where he played Irv Harper for 89 episodes of the show's four-season run.

Also in 2002, Beasley founded the John Beasley Theater in Omaha to promote theater, in particular the works of African-Americans. Three years later, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Despite his late start in the field of acting, Beasley has already appeared in over 20 films, the most notable of which are "The Sum of All Fears," "Walking Tall," and "The Gift." John Beasley died on May 30, 2023 in Omaha, NE at the age of 79.