As one of Hollywood's leading men, Bruce Boxleitner has starred in a major motion picture franchise, numerous feature films, and several popular television series, produced a major network film and TV series, performed on Broadway, and authored two science fiction novels.
Boxleitner received his formal acting training on stage. A native mid-westerner, he is an alumnus of Chicago's prestigious Goodman Theatre. In 1972, he starred in the Broadway production of Status Quo Vadis with
Ted Danson. He then relocated to Los Angeles and quickly landed a guest spot on the legendary TV series
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) as well as numerous guest roles on series, including
Hawaii Five-O (1968),
Baretta (1975),
Police Woman (1974), and
Gunsmoke (1955).
Boxleitner's big break occurred when he was cast opposite
James Arness in the pilot for the epic TV series
How the West Was Won (1976). He went on to star in the CBS series
Bring 'Em Back Alive (1982); mini-series
East of Eden (1981); and TV movie
The Last Convertible (1979).
In 1982, Boxleitner was cast as the title role in Disney's cult film
Tron (1982) which garnered him science fiction fans worldwide. However, it was in Boxleitner's four-year run for CBS's
Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983), starring opposite
Kate Jackson, which endeared him to fans everywhere and made him a household name. In 1994, Boxleitner joined the cast of the popular TV series
Babylon 5 (1993) as John Sheridan, President of the Interstellar Alliance, a war hero-turned-diplomat at the helm of Earth Alliance Space Station in the year 2259. The show aired for five seasons.
Boxleitner most recently starred with
Jeff Bridges in
Tron: Legacy (2010), the popular motion picture sequel to TRON. The cast includes
Garrett Hedlund and
Olivia Wilde. In addition, Boxleitner reprised his role in
Tron: Uprising (2012) on Disney's XD TV network, his first animated TV series. The multi-talented cast includes
Elijah Wood,
Mandy Moore,
Lance Henriksen, and
Paul Reubens. The original TRON recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Several motion pictures include
Gods and Generals (2003) with
Robert Duvall,
Jeff Daniels,
Stephen Lang and
Mira Sorvino;
The Babe (1992) with
John Goodman and
Kelly McGillis;
Kuffs (1992) with
Christian Slater; and
The Baltimore Bullet (1980) with
James Coburn.
Numerous TV movie credits include
The Secret (1992) with
Kirk Douglas;
Perfect Family (1992) with
Jennifer O'Neill and
Joanna Cassidy;
Double Jeopardy (1992) with
Rachel Ward,
Sally Kirkland and
Sela Ward;
Passion Flower (1986) with
Barbara Hershey and
Nicol Williamson; and Hallmark Channel movies,
Love's Everlasting Courage (2011) and
Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door (2006); among many others. The veteran actor has appeared in numerous recurring roles on TV series including
GCB (2012) and
Heroes (2006), and has guest-starred on
NCIS (2003) and
Chuck (2007), among others.
A skilled horseman, Boxleitner utilized his talents in numerous western TV series and films including The Gambler television movie
series that aired on CBS and NBC, starring opposite
Kenny Rogers;
Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice (1994) with
James Arness (Arness' final film); CBS' remake of
Red River with
Gregory Harrison,
James Arness and
Laura Johnson;
Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone (1994) with
Hugh O'Brian; and
Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills (1986), based on legendary western author
Louis L'Amour's novel of the same name.
Boxleitner was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City in April 2012 honoring him for his illustrious career in western films. He is a two-time recipient of the Wrangler Award.
In 2013, Boxleitner co-starred with
Andie MacDowell and
Dylan Neal in Hallmark Channel's first-ever prime-time series,
Debbie Macomber's
Cedar Cove (2013) to rave reviews and an average of 2 million viewers. The #1 rated cable program was renewed for a third season and is scheduled to premiere in the summer of 2015.
In 1999, Boxleitner authored "Frontier Earth" and in 2001, its sequel "Frontier Earth: Searcher", published by The Berkley Publishing Group. Boxleitner resides in Los Angeles with his wife, publicist
Verena King, and has three sons: Sam, Lee and Michael.