John Beasley (actor)

---

title: "John Beasley (actor)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1943-births", "2023-deaths", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "21st-century-american-male-actors", "20th-century-african-american-male-actors", "american-male-film-actors", "american-male-stage-actors", "american-male-television-actors", "male-actors-from-omaha,-nebraska", "actors-from-omaha,-nebraska", "technical-high-school-(omaha,-nebraska)-alumni", "21st-century-african-american-male-actors"] description: "American actor (1943–2023)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Beasley_(actor)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actor (1943–2023) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
caption	Beasley with Crystal R. Fox in the 2009 production of Fences
name	John Beasley
birth_date
birth_place	Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
occupation	Actor
years_active	1989–2022
spouse
children	2
relatives	Malik Beasley (grandson)
::

| image = |imagesize = | caption = Beasley with Crystal R. Fox in the 2009 production of Fences | name = John Beasley | birth_date = | birth_place = Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1989–2022 | spouse = | children = 2 | relatives = Malik Beasley (grandson)

John Beasley (June 26, 1943 – May 30, 2023) was an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Rudy (1993), The Apostle (1997), The Sum of All Fears (2002), Walking Tall (2004), The Purge: Anarchy (2014), Sinister 2 (2015), and his role as Irv Harper in the TV series Everwood (2002–2006). In 2002, Beasley founded the "John Beasley Theater & Workshop" in Omaha, Nebraska, to promote live theater, especially works written by or featuring African Americans.

Life and career

Beasley was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 26, 1943. He did not begin his acting career until his mid-40s. Prior to that he was a railroad man with the Union Pacific Railroad. He established the John Beasley Theater and Workshop in South Omaha, and he would remain working there for nearly a dozen years.

Beasley played General Lasseter in The Sum of All Fears and Reverend C. Charles Blackwell in The Apostle. In 1992, he played Jesse and Terry Hall's father in The Mighty Ducks. He starred in the 2004 remake of Walking Tall.

Beasley made numerous guest roles on television and has appeared in several television films. His most prominent role in a television series was as Irv Harper in the WB series Everwood. He also appeared in the TV Land sitcom The Soul Man, which aired its fifth and final season in 2016. Beasley also claimed that even if he had not made it to Broadway, he still would have had a successful career.

Personal life and death

Beasley married Judy Beasley, and would remain her husband for nearly sixty years, until his death. They had two sons and six grandchildren. His grandson Malik is a professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons.

Beasley died at a hospital in Omaha on May 30, 2023, at the age of 79.

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	V.I. Warshawski	Ernie
1992	**	Mr. Hall
1993	Rudy	Coach Warren
1993	Untamed Heart	Cook
1994	Little Big League	Roberts
1997	**	Brother C. Charles Blackwell
1999	**	Col. Slesinger
1999	Crazy in Alabama	Nehemiah Jackson
2000	**	Rev. James
2000	Lost Souls	Mike Smythe
2000	**	Albert Hawkins
2002	**	Gen. Lasseter
2004	Walking Tall	Chris Vaughn Sr.
2014	**	Papa Rico Sanchez
2015	I'll See You in My Dreams	Mike
2015	Sinister 2	Father Rodriguez
2019	The Turkey Bowl	Judge Tibbins
2020	Cowboys	Ben the Friendly Ranger
2020	Spell	Earl
2022	Firestarter	Irv Manders
::

Television

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Brewster Place	Mr. Willie	Episodes: "Open for Business", "Spring Fever", "Whatever Happened to Patience Jones", "Bernice Sands Comes Home"
1993	Laurel Avenue	Mr. Coleman	TV miniseries
1994	Roseanne	Reggie	Episode: "Two for One"
1997	To Sir, with Love II	Ogden	Episode: "Pilot"
1998	Early Edition	Capt. Leon Haines	Episodes: "A Minor Miracle", "The Quality of Mercy"
1999	Millennium	James Edward Hollis	Episodes: "Darwin's Eye", "Via Dolorosa", "Goodbye to All That"
1999	A.T.F.	Sec. Robert Edward	TV film
2000	Freedom Song	Jonah Summer	TV film
2000	Disappearing Acts	Mr. Banks	TV film
2000, 2003	Judging Amy	Judge Henry Bromell	Episodes: "Dog Days", "Shock and Awe", "Kilt Trip"
2000–2001	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Charles Moore	Episodes: "Crate 'n' Burial", "Evaluation Day"
2002–2006	Everwood	Irv Harper	Main role
2006	**	Gus	Episode: "The Comb and the Box"
2007	NCIS	Daryl Hardy	Episode: "Suspicion"
2007	Boston Legal	Det. Walter McKay	Episode: "The Chicken and the Leg"
2009	Chasing a Dream	Peter Boscow	TV film
2010	CSI: Miami	Henry Dawson	Episode: "Backfire"
2011	Harry's Law	Judge Ronald Winston	Episode: "Pilot"
2011	Detroit 1-8-7	Joe King	Episode: "Beaten/Cover Letter"
2011	Treme	Don Encalade	Episodes: "Carnival Time", "Can I Change My Mind?", What Is New Orleans?", "Do Watcha Wanna"
2012–2016	**	Barton Ballentine	Main role (season 1), recurring (seasons 2–5)
2017	**	Cliff	TV film
2017	Shots Fired	Mr. Dabney	Recurring role
2018	**	Mortimer Rosenthal	Episode: "Comrades in Arms"
2019	Limetown	The Reverend	Episodes: "Rake", "Napoleon"
2019	The Mandalorian	Bartender	Episode: "Chapter One"
2021	Your Honor	Elijah Davies	Episode: "Part Ten"
::

References

References

1. "John Beasley". The History Makers.
2. Anderson, Jake. (May 30, 2023). "Omaha actor John Beasley dies Tuesday at age of 79". [[KETV]].
3. (May 31, 2023). "Veteran character actor John Beasley, who appeared in the TV drama 'Everwood,' dies at 79".
4. (May 31, 2023). "Actor John Beasley of 'Rudy,' 'The Mighty Ducks' dies at 79".
5. (May 31, 2023). "John Beasley, veteran actor from 'Everwood' and 'The Soul Man,' dies at 79".
6. Barnes, Mike. (May 31, 2023). "John Beasley, Actor on 'Everwood' and 'The Soul Man,' Dies at 79".
7. Andreeva, Nellie. (July 28, 2015). "'The Soul Man' Picked Up For Fifth & Final Season By TV Land". Deadline.
8. Biga, Leo Adam. (September 6, 2022). "John Beasley Is Ready for the Role of a Lifetime".
9. "John Beasley, Actor on 'Everwood' and 'The Soul Man,' Dies at 79".
10. "Lost Souls".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::