Biography
John Diehl is an American character actor born on 1 May 1950 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He began his career in avant-garde theatre after moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, becoming an acting member of the Padua Hills Playwrights Festival and working with playwrights including Sam Shepard.
Diehl's early film roles included parts in Escape from New York (1981), Stripes (1981) and National Lampoon's Vacation (1983). He gained wider recognition as Detective Larry Zito on the television series Miami Vice from 1984 to 1987, leaving after his character was killed off. Subsequent credits include Stargate (1994), Nixon (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), Jurassic Park III (2001) and recurring appearances on The Shield.
Diehl has continued to work in film and television while maintaining a stage career. He has been married to singer Julie Christensen since 1992.
