“Captain Deakins put himself through college as a beat cop,” says Sheridan. “He’s young for his job and has his eyes on the police commissioner’s job. He’s a straight-arrow, streetwise, family man who is both patient and demanding with his detectives.”

Sheridan was born and raised in Pasadena, California. Long after his transition to stage work, he received a Tony Award nomination in 1987 for his performance in the revival of “All My Sons.” He made his feature-film debut in “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and began guest-starring in such series as “Spenser: For Hire” before catching the collective eyes of TV network executives who featured him in the title role of “Shannon’s Deal” for two seasons from 1990-91.

Following Sheridan’s star turn in the drama, he began a string of starring roles in such early-1990s films as “Stanley & Iris” (opposite Jane Fonda), “All I Want for Christmas,” “A Stranger Among Us” (opposite Melanie Griffith) and “Whispers in the Dark.” He scored favorable reviews for his work as a villain in the miniseries “Stephen King’s ‘The Stand’” in 1994 and also appeared that year with Meredith Baxter in the TV movie “My Breast.” In 1995, Sheridan became an ensemble cast member on “Chicago Hope” during the medical drama’s second season.

More recently, Sheridan starred in the films “Cradle Will Rock” and “The Ice Storm.” He turned in a memorable performance as Ozzie Nelson in the TV movie “Ricky Nelson: Original Teen Idol” in 1999. His other TV movies include “Hamlet,” “The Lost Child” and “The Echo of Thunder.”

On the stage, he played Brutus in “Julius Caesar” at New York’s Shakespeare-in-the-Park and previously appeared on Broadway in “Long Day’s Journey into Dark” and “Biloxi Blues.” Sheridan recently finished filming the Irwin Winkler film “Life as a House” opposite Kevin Kline and Kristen Scott Thomas.

Sheridan is married and is the father of two children. His birthday is July 12.