---
name: "John Diehl"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-diehl"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "1 May 1950"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 79
updated: "2026-09-16T21:21:02.452861+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# John Diehl

Actor. Born 1 May 1950 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 1 May 1950, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- **Active:** 1984–2006
- **Also known as:** John Henry Diehl, جان دی‌یل

## 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.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, miamivice.fandom.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *Friday Night Lights* (2006), Fi1m 86, as Richard Sherman — [page](https://film.one/tv/friday-night-lights.md)
- *Falling Down* (1993), Fi1m 71, as Dad (Back Yard Party) — [page](https://film.one/film/falling-down.md)
- *Miami Vice* (1984), Fi1m 81, as Larry Zito — [page](https://film.one/tv/miami-vice.md)

## Also known for

- *Jurassic Park III* (2001), Cooper
- *Pearl Harbor* (2001), Senior Doctor
- *Con Air* (1997), Poe's Lawyer (uncredited)
- *Stargate* (1994), Lieutenant Kawalsky
- *Escape from New York* (1981), Punk
- *A Time to Kill* (1996), Tim Nunley
- *National Lampoon's Vacation* (1983), Assistant Mechanic
- *Lie to Me* (2009), Charlie Everett

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/john-diehl