Updated July 24, 2017 00:21:48

Emmy-nominated actor John Heard, best known for playing the father in the Home Alone movie series, has died at the age of 72.

His death was confirmed by the Santa Clara Medical Examiner's office in California late on Saturday (local time).

TMZ reported that Heard, who lived in southern California, was found at a Palo Alto, California, hotel where he was recovering from back surgery.

According to the site, police had been called to the hotel to reports of a medical emergency, but Heard was pronounced dead at the scene.

Heard played Peter McCallister, the father of Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin, in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

He earned an Emmy nomination for a guest role as a corrupt police detective in The Sopranos.

Heard also played Tom Hanks' rival in the movie Big.

Photo: John Heard starred as a corrupt cop alongside James Gandolfini in The Sopranos. (Supplied: HBO)

He was briefly married to fellow actor Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the Superman films alongside Christopher Reeve.

Also among his list of film credits were Battlestar Galactica, Beaches, Gladiator and White Chicks.

Fellow actor and co-star of Cutter's Way, Jeff Bridges posted his condolences for the "wonderful actor" on Twitter.

AP/ABC

Topics: film-movies, actor, arts-and-entertainment, death, united-states

First posted July 23, 2017 06:48:53