(CNN) Actor John Heard, best known for playing the father in the "Home Alone" movies, has died, the Santa Clara County, California, medical examiner's office said.

The medical examiner's office said the actor was 71, but other reports list his age as 72. He died Friday.

While his role as Peter McCallister endeared him to generations of moviegoers in a singular way, Heard had a versatile and prolific career on stage as well as in movies and television.

Heard was a successful theater actor before transitioning to film, where he had a supporting role in the 1988 Tom Hanks film "Big," and he appeared in several other well-known films, including "Beaches," The Pelican Brief," and "Sharknado."

Heard's TV credits included appearances on "CSI: Miami," "Law & Order," "Battlestar Galactica," "Prison Break" and "Elementary."

"Bad guy" and "official" roles seemed to suit him, and he spun both into an Emmy-nominated guest arc on "The Sopranos."

Heard was married three times, most notably to "Superman" star Margot Kidder.

Though Heard found enduring success with a long line of supporting roles, he could never shake his "Home Alone" character. In an interview with the AV Club in 2015, Heard said he hoped a role in the viral "Sharknado" movie would move his image along.

"This is going to be a huge hit," he said of the film. "That is going to put to rest the 'Home Alone' dad image."