Scott Glenn

Born: 26th January 1942
Where: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

If casting directors want a grizzled, lantern-jawed hardman to put some spine into a character the call goes out to Glenn.

He has leant his steely-eyed gravitas to countless films including Apocalypse Now, The Right Stuff and Buffalo Soldiers.

Overcoming severe childhood scarlet fever which threatened to leave him with a limp, Harris launched himself into a punishing physical regime.

He spent three years in the Marines and then worked as a newspaper reporter for the Kenosha Daily Tribune in Wisconsin.

He moved to New York to pursue an acting career and performed on stage off-Broadway and in the TV soap opera The Edge of Night.

In 1970, he headed to Los Angles with his wife, where he made his film debut in The Babymaker.

In 1978, he moved with his family to Idaho, where he worked as barman, huntsman and mountain ranger for two years, and occasionally acted in stage productions.

In 1980, Scott played John Travolta's villainous rival in Urban Cowboy, and two years later had his first starring role in a major feature The Challenge.

Throughout the 80s he had many diverse roles, including astronaut drama The Right Stuff, the Western Silverado and the controversail Saigon.

In the beginning of the 90s his career was at its peak - he appeared as a determined sub captain in The Hunt for Red October, a cooly efficient FBI agent in The Silence of the Lambs and a firefighter in Backdraft.

Subsequent appearances included forgettable films such as Courage Under Fire and Extreme Justice until he enjoyed a second fruitful spell.

He played a veteran climber in the hit Vertical Limit and also starred in the Oscar-winning Training Day.

Recent roles have included a psychotic Vietnam vet in the excellent Buffalo Soldiers and in The Shipping News opposite Kevin Spacey.

Upcoming projects include Puerto Vallarta Squeeze with Harvey Keitel.