Jamey Sheridan brings a reserved authority to captains, fathers and ensemble dramas. We value his steadiness, though the supporting and procedural roles that suit him can also leave too much of the work familiar.
Fi1m perspective
Put Jamey Sheridan in charge of a department and the casting needs little explanation. His Captain James Deakins in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001–2006) belongs to a familiar line of authority figures, alongside the family men and occasional antagonists. We value his reserved, dependable presence in an ensemble. The difficulty is that an overseeing captain does not always get much opportunity to be anything else.
His television work has not been confined to supervision. There was a lead as Jack Shannon in Shannon's Deal (1990–1991), then the villainous Randall Flagg in The Stand (1994), before the long procedural stretch. Supporting film roles have been a steady part of the work since the late 1980s. Handsome Harry (2009), which he helped produce, gave him the lead as Harry Sweeney and an emotionally reserved character to explore. That is the sort of departure we would like to see offered more often.
Our strongest recommendations, though, put him among substantial casts. In Ang Lee's The Ice Storm (1997), he plays Jim Carver in a suburban family drama that is funny and uncomfortable. We were moved by the effort Joan Allen makes visible in keeping her composure. His Jim Carver fits that restrained company, although Allen is the actor we would single out. The weather symbolism is overworked, but the performances are worth tolerating it for.
Tom McCarthy's Spotlight (2015), with Sheridan as Jim Sullivan, gives his ensemble work another worthwhile setting. Its patient, attentive performances help make painstaking reporting absorbing, even when the explanatory dialogue becomes heavy. The cast's restraint matters when the subject is abuse and institutional complicity, and Sheridan is well suited to that approach. It is deeply upsetting material, handled carefully. Choose it when there is time to pay attention; this is not background viewing.
Biography
Jamey Sheridan is an American actor. Born on 12 July 1951 in Pasadena, California, he began his professional career on stage in the late 1970s after studying acting at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
He received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the 1987 Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Sheridan has appeared in numerous films, including The Ice Storm (1997) as Jim Carver, Wild America (1997), Syriana (2005) and Spotlight (2015). His television roles include Jack Shannon in Shannon's Deal (1990), Dr John Sutton in Chicago Hope (1995–1996), Captain James Deakins in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001–2006), William Walden in Homeland (2011) and Robert Queen in Arrow (2012–2019).
He is married to actress Colette Kilroy.
