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Ronald Jason Eldard (b. February 20, 1965 on Long Island, New York) is an American film, television and stage actor best known for his understated character roles on both the screen and the stage.
Nicknamed "Ron", Eldard is the second youngest of seven children. His mother died when he was young and as a result he and his siblings were sent to live with various family members.
He graduated from the prestigious New York High School for the Performing Arts' Drama Department.
Prior to acting, Eldard was a Golden Gloves boxer and in high school he was able to bench press an impressive 312lbs. He still remains physically active today and is highly interested in jiu jitsu.
Eldard met his former girlfriend, Julianna Margulies, in an acting class in 1991. They co-starred in NBC's hit show ER together, with Eldard playing the role of a paramedic by the name of Shep. They also starred together in Ghost Ship in 2002. Their relationship ended in 2003.
Eldard made his film debut in the 1989 comedy True Love, co-starring Annabella Sciorra.
Eldard has performed on Broadway in critically acclaimed productions of On the Waterfront, Biloxi Blues, Bash: Latterday Plays, and Death of a Salesman. The latter two were filmed for Showtime productions.
Vanity Fair's April 2001 issue contained an article entitled The Co-Stars, including Eldard among a group of often overlooked actors (also included were Chris Cooper, William Fichtner, Dylan Baker, and David Morse). The article stated that "every Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, and Brad Pitt needs actors like these, the men who can hold their own on-screen against anyone, even if they don't have the biggest trailer on the set. In literally hundreds of films, these five actors have done a lot of the dirty work so that the stars can shine a little more brightly. Without them, who would play the guy who doesn't get the girl? Who would play "the friend", and who would play "the villain"? Who would drive the other car in the chase sequence? Who would move the plot forward? And who would die in Reel Four? Leave the heroics to the leading men."
On January 9, 2006 he debuted in the role of Father Flynn in the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway production of Doubt opposite the esteemed British actress Dame Eileen Atkins.
