Hart Bochner
About
Biography
Biography
This son of noted character actor Lloyd Bochner made his film debut as the oldest son of George C Scott in "Islands in the Stream" (1976), adapted from the unfinished Hemingway novel. His chiseled good looks, thick dark hair and soulful brown eyes made him a natural to play charming cads, and Hart Bochner began honing that screen persona as the preppie nemesis to Dennis Christopher in the Oscar-nominated sleeper "Breaking Away" (1979). Along those same lines, he went on to portray Doc, the sinister and scheming medical student in the Canadian thriller "Terror Train" (1980) before "Rich and Famous" (1981), George Cukor's remake of 1943's "Old Acquaintance," allowed him to display a sexier side as the journalist lover of the slightly older Jacqueline Bisset. Unfortunately, "Supergirl" (1984) reduced him to beefcake, and his other film that year, "The Wild Life," was an unsuccessful attempt to clone "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and did nothing for his career.
Bochner found success and more varied roles on the small screen, making his TV-movie debut in "Haywire" (CBS, 1979) as Bill Hayward, the troubled son (and the picture's grown-up producer) of theatrical agent-producer Leland Hayward and his wife Margaret Sullavan. He also grew a beard for his role as the younger husband of a female bigamist (Dyan Cannon) in the hilarious "Having It All" (ABC, 1982), a great vehicle for Cannon's talent and charm. However, his most notable TV appearances came opposite Jane Seymour in three miniseries outings. He first played her adult son in ABC's "John Steinbeck's 'East of Eden'" (1981), but in "Ernest Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises'" (NBC, 1984) they appeared as the star-crossed lovers Lady Brett Ashley and Jake Barnes, who had been left impotent by a war wound. The pair later teamed as a husband and wife separated by WWII in the epic miniseries "War and Remembrance" (ABC, 1988-89).
Back on the big screen, Bochner acted in "Making Mr. Right" (1987), then delivered a brief, yet memorable turn as an unethical, opportunistic businessman who flirts with the wife of Bruce Willis' character and pays the ultimate price for his treachery in "Die Hard" (1988). Teaming with Argentinean writer-director Martin Donovan, he tackled his first leading role in a feature, offering an arresting turn as a sexually ambiguous roommate of a Buenos Aires movie theater owner (Colin Firth) in "Apartment Zero" (also 1988). His role as an assassin-turned-serial killer, considered by many to be his best, courted controversy in an Argentina still reeling from the political turmoil that saw thousands of people disappear. 1990's "Fellow Traveller" (released theatrically in Europe and shown on HBO in the USA) proved a worthy follow-up, casting him as a dashing movie star who runs afoul of the blacklist during the McCarthy era, but he returned to playing the bad guy as a sleazy executive in that year's "Mr. Destiny," which teamed him for the first time with Jon Lovitz. For his second film with Donovan, he managed to get by on unshaven-hunk appeal in the little seen "Mad at the Moon" (1992).
Although he continued to appear in such TV fare as "Children of the Dust" (CBS, 1995), Bochner began to move toward a career behind the camera. In 1992, he wrote, produced and directed the short "The Buzz," starring Lovitz. Two years later, he tackled his first feature, "PCU," a boisterous though flawed look at "political correctness" on college campuses that featured Jeremy Piven, David Spade and Megan Ward. His sophomore effort, "High School High" (1996), penned by David Zucker, Robert N LoCash and Pat Proft, reunited him with Lovitz who played an idealistic teacher working in a run-down, urban bastion of education. While there were some funny gags, the script veered between realism and farce and proved ultimately unsatisfying. With no directing projects forthcoming, Bochner stepped before the camera as Bridget Fonda's abusive husband in "Break Up" (Cinemax, 1999) and was back in his best beefcake mode as Susan Sarandon's younger lover in "Anywhere But Here" (also 1999). He followed with a turn as Professor Solomon in John Ottman's directing debut, "Urban Legends: The Final Cut" (2000).
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1976
Film debut in "Islands in the Stream", playing the eldest son of a sculptor (George C Scott)
1979
Played the preppie nemesis to Dennis Christopher in "Breaking Away"
1980
Appeared as a younger man involved with Jacqueline Bisset in "Rich and Famous"
1980
TV-movie debut in "Haywire" (CBS), playing Bill Hayward
1981
Initial TV collaboration with Jane Seymour, played her adult son Aron Trask in the ABC miniseries "John Steinbeck's 'East of Eden'"
1982
Made stage debut in Los Angeles production of "The Wager"
1982
Grew a beard to play Dyan Cannon's young husband in the ABC TV-movie about a female bigamist "Having It All"
1984
Reteamed with Seymour for the NBC miniseries "Ernest Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises'", this time playing Jake Barnes to her Lady Brett Ashley
1988
Played first leading role in features in "Apartment Zero", directed by Martin Donovan
1988
Cast as Byron Henry opposite Seymour as his wife Natalie in the epic ABC miniseries "War and Remembrance"; Jan-Michael Vincent and Ali MacGraw had created roles in "The Winds of War"
1988
Had small role as a smarmy businessman in "Die Hard"
1990
First screen collaboration with Jon Lovitz, "Mr. Destiny"
1991
Co-starred in the murder mystery "And the Sea Will Tell" (CBS)
1992
Reteamed with Martin Donovan for "Mad at the Moon"
1992
Wrote, produced and directed the short "The Buzz", featuring Jon Lovitz
1993
Portrayed a cop investigating a series of rapes at an apartment complex in the CBS movie "Complex of Fear"
1994
Feature directorial debut, "PCU"
1995
Cast as member of the Ku Klux Klan in the period drama "Children of the Dust" (CBS)
1996
Helmed second feature "High School High", starring Lovitz
1999
Enjoyed a one-night stand with Susan Sarandon (who read much more into it) in Wayne Wang's "Anywhere But Here"
1999
Returned to features as Bridget Fonda's boyfriend in "The Break Up"; aired on Cinemax in lieu of a theatrical release
2000
Portrayed Professor Solomon in John Ottman's feature directing debut, "Urban Legends: Final Cut"
2001
Had featured role in "Investigating Sex"
Family
