A chubby, sympathetic character player (even when playing bad guys), Ned Beatty had performed in more than seventy plays when John Boorman spotted him on Broadway in "The Great White Hope" and signed him for "Deliverance" (1972). As the glib, likable salesman Bobby Trippe, who falls victim to sodomy at the hands of a demonic mountain vagrant, Beatty delivered a stunning performance in what still may be his most memorable role to date.
In the movies that followed (including "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean" 1972 and "The Last American Hero" 1973), Beatty continued to shine, particularly in the role of Reese, the worn-down concert organizer married to Lily Tomlin who arranges a memorable striptease fund-raiser in Robert Altman's critically acclaimed "Nashville" (1975). His electrifying turn as Arthur Jensen, the evangelical, opportunistic TV CEO in Sidney Lumet's "Network" (1976), further established his versatility and earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Beatty then opted for the comic book role of Otis, Gene Hackman's bumbling henchman, in the first two "Superman" movies (1978 and 1980 respectively).
Beatty got plenty of film work during the 80s, perhaps most notably as a corrupt yet likable cop in "The Big Easy" (1988), but in spite of their number, the roles Hollywood offered did not get better, leading him to accept parts in small, independent films like "Hear My Song" (1991). This schmaltzy Irish comedy gave him rare top billing in the romantic role of tax fugitive-Irish tenor (and 50s heartthrob) Josef Locke and brought him good notices, a Golden Globe nomination and probably revived his career. He weighed in with a solid portrayal of the working-class father in the inspirational sports pic "Rudy" (1993) but contributed just one scene as a Florida lawyer in the forgettable studio flop "Just Cause" (1995).
Equally prolific on TV, he earned Emmy Award nominations for his starring performance in the 1979 ABC movie "Friendly Fire" (with Carol Burnett) and for "Last Train Home" (The Family Channel, 1990). He also played despised FBI chief J Edgar Hoover in the miniseries "Robert Kennedy and His Times" (CBS, 1985). Beatty starred in two short-lived sitcoms on CBS ("Szysnyk" 1977-78 and "The Boys" 1993) before surfacing for two seasons (1993-95) in the role of Bolanger, the smart if slovenly cop who got the girl, in the critical acclaimed NBC series, "Homicide: Life on the Street".
This veteran of the stage returned only infrequently to the boards after his movie debut, performing in "The Accidental Death of an Antichrist" (1982) and "Love Letters" (1990) at theaters in L.A. His love for the stage persevered, however, and, in 1996, Beatty embarked on a fourteen month tour as Cap'n Andy in Harold Prince's Tony award-winning revival of Jerome Kern's "Showboat". Many audience members did not recognize him minus the 50 pounds he had shed for the role.