30 Fascinating Facts Every Fan Should Know About Ed Harris

Edward Allen Harris, an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter, was born on November 28, 1950 in in Englewood, New Jersey, to Robert L. "Bob" Harris and Margaret. Here are 30 unknown facts about the actor:

1. He was listed as one among the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World,” by People’s Magazine in the year 2001.
2. In the movie "Sweetwater," in which he plays the role of Sheriff Jackson, he accidently shot very near to Luce Rains' (playing the character of Kingfisher) face during one of the takes of the scene in which Sheriff Jackson shoots Kingfisher in the hand. However, the guns were props and were only loaded with blanks.
3. In "Appaloosa," he realistically uses the ejector rod in his Peacemaker (Colt Model 1873 Single-Action Army Revolver), to push spent cases out of the cylinder. Actually, only few actors know how to use the weapons they use in movies and most of the actors don't even know what the ejector rod is.
4. As a part of the preparation of his title role in "Pollock," he learned how to paint in Jackson Pollock's style. He even had a studio built on his property and is said to have spent a lot of time painting and working on different Pollock pieces.
5. For his role in the 1983 movie "The Right Stuff," he insisted on auditioning twice, as he felt his first reading of the part to have not been good enough. He accepted the offer only after his second reading.
6. In the year 1997, he was paid $2.5 million for playing the role of Seth Frank in the movie "Absolute Power."
7. His father Robert L. "Bob" Harris, bought him a book about Jackson Pollock, since his father thought he had a strong resemblance to the painter. From then on, he had been fascinated with Pollock's life.
8. In the movie "A History of Violence," while shooting the first bar scene with Viggo Mortensen, Harris had to complete the scene without pants. Mortensen was uncontrobally laughing due to which the scene had to be re-shot many times. Thus, Harris had to remove his pants, making Mortensen act seriously. This cannot be seen as the bar table impedes the view.
9. In a scene from "The Abyss," where he had to hold his breath at the bottom of the submerged set, he almost drowned. He actually ran out of air and signaled for oxygen, but his safety diver could not get to him. He was given a regulator by another crew member, which was upside down, leading him to suck in water. It was one of the camera mans who ripped the upside down regulator and gave him one in the correct orientation. After the incident, he broke down and cried.
10. He learned how to ride a motorbike while working on the TV series "CHiPs," as Lonny.
11. He is said to have had just a few days between accepting to play the role of Christof and his first day shoot, while filming "The Truman Show."
12. It was so strenuous for Harris to star and direct the movie "Pollock" simultaneously that once he collapsed on the sets and was breifly hospitalized.
13. He had trouble in accepting the offer to play as Frankie Flannery in the 1990 movie "State of Grace," as he was recovering from the injuries he suffered on the set of his previous movie "The Abyss." Initally, Bill Pullman was cast as Frankie Flannery, but was later replaced by Harris.
14. He was honoured with an honorary degree from Muhlenberg College on May 17, 2015.
15. During the filming of the movie "Knightriders," he is said to have performed a number of pranks regularly at the hotel the filming crew stayed.
16. He punched "The Abyss" movie director James Cameron, right in the face, as the director reportedly kept filming while Harris was nearly drowing in the submerged set.
17. In a particular scene from the movie "Pollock," when he fell off the bicycle while trying to ride home carrying a case of beer, Harris really hurt his hand and had to get five stitches.
18. It is reported that in a scene from the movie "Swing Shift," where Harris will be seen plopping down on a chair, clad only in a towel, his genitals are fully exposed for a split second. This particular scene is still said to be intact in the first video release, but later disappeared from subsequent releases.
19. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 13, 2015.
20. He had such a traumatic experience, while filming "The Abyss," that he refused to talk about the movie for years. He was quoted saying "I'm not talking about The Abyss and I never will."
21. In preparation for the role of Christof in the movie "The Truman Show," the director Peter Weir, gave Harris a 10 page biography. A major part of this biography was about Christof doing a film on the homeless.
22. It took more than six years for Harris to get his dream project of "Pollock," to the cinema screen. It is reported that it was his father who gave the idea to make this movie.
23. Harris served as the football team captain in his senior year. He once said that he was very happy playing sports till the age of 18, but later didn't know what he wanted to do. He just wanted to learn about acting and then when he went on stage, he wanted to do nothing else in his life but act.
24. It was in the movie "Borderline," that he had the first major role, and he also received "introducing credit." However, even before the movie, he had appeared in several television shows and even had a supporting role in Michael Crichton's "Coma."
25. He is known for being serious on the filming sets. When asked about it, he said in an interview that "I don't like bullshittin'... so, I guess that comes across as serious."
26. He married his co-star Amy Madigan after working together in the movie "Places in the Heart," on November 21, 1983. The couple have one daughter Lily Dolores Harris born on May 3, 1993.
27. In the resuscitation scene from "The Abyss," he was not acting to Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in many of the shots, but was only yelling at thin air. In the scenes where she appeared, he was pounding and slapping her for real. During the filming of a particular scene, when she was informed that the camera broke in the middle of the scene, she stormed of the set and refused to perform such a difficult sequence again.
28. Initially, while planning about the character of Christof, Harris suggested the character to be a hunchback. However, he decided against it, when he saw his what he looked like with a prosthetic hump.
29. In the movie "Pollock," for the later scenes in which Jackson Pollock turns an alcoholic, he had to gain about 30 pounds and grow a beard. The entire crew took a six-week layoff to give Harris time to gain weight.
30. During the casting of the movie "Buffalo Soldiers," he was sent a copy of the script with the offer to play Sergeant Lee. But, Harris found himself drawn to the character of Colonel Berman and was sebsequently cast as the same.
31. Ed Harris Net Worth: Harris’ net worth is estimated to be $30 million.