Jamey Sheridan -- who became an actor only after a knee injury ruined his chances for a dancing career -- first gained notice as a maverick attorney in the quirky drama �Shannon�s Deal,� then became a sensitive doctor on �Chicago Hope� -- now he fleshes out another popular TV profession as a politically savvy captain of police detectives in �Law & Order: Criminal Intent.�
�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.
