Jul 14, 1961

Northridge, California, USA

Jackie Earle Haley (born July 14, 1961, in Northridge, California, U.S.) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. Before his Academy Award-nominated role in the 2006 film Little Children, he was best known for his portrayal of Kelly Leak, the motorcycle-riding, cigarette-smoking little leaguer in The Bad News Bears and its sequels.<br/><br/>

Haley has appeared in numerous films, including Damnation Alley, The Day of the Locust, and Losin' It, as well as guest roles on TV. He played "Mooche... ... (read more...) r" in the acclaimed 1979 film Breaking Away and later in the short lived TV series of the same name. Throughout the 1970s, he often played a tough, angry, pimply, long-haired misfit. He has made guest appearances on such TV shows as Marcus Welby, M.D., The Waltons, The Love Boat, Renegade, and Get a Life.<br/><br/>

While Haley's acting career went dormant during most of the 1990s and early 2000s, he resorted to driving limos and delivering pizza in order to make a living before turning to directing. He eventually turned to a career as a successful producer and director of television commercials. He returned to acting in 2006, appearing in All the King's Men, and giving a critically acclaimed performance as a recently paroled sex offender in 2006's Little Children. The latter role was influenced by the relationship between his brother Tru, who died of a heroin overdose, and their mother. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this portrayal and in 2007 was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<br/><br/>

Currently, Haley owns a production company, JEH Productions, in San Antonio, Texas. He will next appear in Semi-Pro and Winged Creatures. He also has been cast in Zack Snyder's adaptation of the Alan Moore graphic novel, Watchmen as Rorschach, a superhero detective turned masked killer.

Haley was born and raised in Northridge, California. His first marriage was to Sherry Vaughan in 1979. He has two children: Christopher (born 1986) with his second wife and Olivia (born 1998) from a previous relationship. He married his third wife, Amelia Cruz, in 2004.<br/><br/>