Ed Harris's Real Name: Edward Allen Harris

Quick answer: Ed Harris's full name is Edward Allen Harris. He was born on November 28, 1950, and grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey (some institutional bios note Englewood as birthplace). He performs under the short form Ed Harris.

Real name and early life

IMDb biography, the Television Academy, and Britannica-style references identify Edward Allen Harris—professionally Ed Harris—born November 28, 1950 (IMDb bio; Television Academy; Britannica; NJ Hall of Fame). He was a high-school football captain in Tenafly, played football at Columbia University, then left to study theater at the University of Oklahoma and earned a BFA at California Institute of the Arts (1975). Edward is the formal given name; Allen is the middle name; Ed is the professional short form.

Career highlights

Harris’s early acclaim included John Glenn in The Right Stuff (1983) and the lead in James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989). He earned four Academy Award nominations: Gene Kranz in Apollo 13 (1995), Christof in The Truman Show (1998), the title role in Pollock (2000)—which he also directed—and The Hours (2002). Later credits include A History of Violence, Appaloosa (director/star), HBO’s Westworld, and Top Gun: Maverick. He has long been married to actress Amy Madigan. Across film and television, billing stayed Ed Harris; the documented full name is Edward Allen Harris. Awards databases and encyclopedias restore Edward Allen when stating the birth name behind the familiar Ed credit on posters and home-video packaging.

Name notes for searchers

Ed is a nickname form of Edward, not a separate legal surname. Prefer Television Academy, IMDb bio primaries, and Britannica. Wikipedia is a pointer after those primaries.

Apollo 13, Truman Show, and Pollock discs keep Edward Allen Harris’s Ed Harris billing on classic-drama shelves.

New Jersey Hall of Fame and Television Academy pages lead with Ed Harris while birth-name lines and older theater programs restore Edward Allen Harris for the Tenafly-raised actor.