Anthony Heald is an American character actor known for portraying Hannibal Lecter's jailer, Dr. Frederick Chilton, in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Red Dragon (2002), and for playing vice principal Scott Guber in David E. Kelley's Boston Public (2000–2004). Heald also had a recurring role as Judge Cooper on Kelley's The Practice and Boston Legal. He had a prominent role as a troubled psychic in The X-Files episode "Closure".

Early life and education

Heald was born in New Rochelle, New York, the son of an editor. He graduated from Michigan State University in 1971.

Career

Heald has worked extensively on Broadway and has been twice nominated for the Tony Award for his work as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in Anything Goes (1988) and Terrence McNally's Love! Valour! Compassion! (1995). He also appeared in McNally's The Lisbon Traviata (1989), Inherit the Wind (1998), Deep Rising (1998), and Lips Together, Teeth Apart (1991). Heald recorded over 60 audio books/books on tape, including works as varied as Where the Red Fern Grows, The New York Times bestsellers such as The Pelican Brief, Jurassic Park and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Moby-Dick, several works by science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, as well as a sizable number of titles in the Star Wars audio book library. On television, Heald made appearances in shows including Miami Vice ("The Prodigal Son"), Law & Order ("The Troubles" and "Virtue"), The X-Files ("Closure"), and the Cheers series finale ("One for the Road"). He later appeared on the Cheers spin-off Frasier. He also played vice principal Scott Guber in David E. Kelley's Boston Public (2000–2004). Heald also had a recurring role as Judge Cooper on Kelley's The Practice and Boston Legal. In film, Heald appeared as Hannibal Lecter's jailer, Dr. Frederick Chilton, in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Red Dragon (2002). He also appeared as different characters in three adaptations of John Grisham best-sellers: a villainous lawyer in The Pelican Brief (1993), an FBI Agent in The Client (1994), and a psychiatrist in A Time to Kill (1996). He also played a government agent posing as an acting student in Outrageous Fortune (1987), George Lazan in Postcards from the Edge (1990), and an FBI Mystique Interrogator in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).

Personal life

Heald lives in Ashland, Oregon, with his wife Robin (daughter of violist Karen Tuttle ) and children Zoe and Dylan. He has converted to Judaism, his wife's faith. He regularly performs in productions of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. During the 2010 season of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Heald played Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

Filmography

Film

Television