Early life and career

Haley was born and raised in Northridge, California, the son of Haven Earle "Bud" Haley, a radio show host/disc jockey and actor.

Haley has appeared in numerous films, including Damnation Alley, John Schlesinger's The Day of the Locust, and Losin' It, as well as guest roles on TV. A well known child actor, he starred as Kelly Leak in the comedy The Bad News Bears. He also starred in The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training and The Bad News Bears Go to Japan.

He played Moocher in Peter Yates' acclaimed 1979 film Breaking Away and later in the short-lived TV series of the same name. Throughout the 1970s, he often played a tough, angry, pimply, long-haired misfit; although in his feature debut, the offbeat 1972 film, The Outside Man, he played Eric, a boy apparently so desperately lonely that he tries to impress the mob assassin holding him and his mother (Georgia Engel) hostage. Haley also shot a pilot for an American version of the popular British comedy The Young Ones titled Oh, No! Not THEM!. In 1974 he played Norm a misfit kid in the 12th episode of the Saturday morning children's show, Shazam! It is rumored that in 1984, Haley's friend Johnny Depp accompanied him to auditions for Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street; instead of Haley being chosen for a role, it was Depp who was spotted by director Craven, who asked him if he would like to read for a part.

Haley's acting career went dormant during most of the 1990s and early 2000s, when he moved to San Antonio, Texas, and eventually turned to directing, finding success as a producer and director of television commercials. With the recommendation of Sean Penn, Haley returned to acting in 2006, first appearing in Steven Zaillian's All the King's Men alongside Penn as Sugar Boy, his bodyguard, before giving a critically acclaimed performance as a recently paroled sex offender in Todd Field's Little Children. He stated that his preparation for the role was greatly influenced by the relationship shared between his mother and his brother True, who battled a heroin addiction before he died of an overdose. Haley was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this portrayal and in 2007 was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Haley owns a production company, JEH Productions, in San Antonio, Texas. In 2008, he appeared in Semi-Pro and starred in Winged Creatures with Kate Beckinsale, Guy Pearce and Dakota Fanning. He also stars in Zack Snyder's 2009 adaptation of the Alan Moore graphic novel, Watchmen, as Rorschach, a masked vigilante working to find the identity of a costumed hero killer, a role which earned Haley praise from many reviewers. The film also reunited him with Little Children co-star Patrick Wilson who played Nite Owl II, former partner of Rorschach. Also in 2010, Haley appeared in Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese, playing a patient of a hospital for the criminally insane.

Haley played the role of Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake. He has signed on to play the role in three installments in the series.

Haley was a series regular on Human Target as Guerrero, an ally of the Christopher Chance. The series premiered on January 17, 2010 on Fox, and lasted for two seasons before being cancelled in May 2011.

He played Willie Loomis in the 2012 film adaptation of Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton, and played Confederate States Vice President Alexander H. Stephens in Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg.

Personal life

Haley's first marriage was to Sherry Vaughan in 1979. He has two children: a son, Christopher (born 1986), and a daughter, Olivia (born 1998), by his second wife, Jennifer Hargrave. He married his third wife, Amelia Cruz, in 2004. The couple reside in San Antonio, Texas.

Awards

Wins

• Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor - 2006
• Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor - 2006
• Iowa Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor - 2006
• New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor - 2006
• Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor - 2006
• Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor - 2006
• San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor - 2006
• Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor - 2006
• Village Voice Film Poll for Best Supporting Actor - 2006

Nominations

• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor - 2006
• Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Ensemble Cast - 2006
• National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor - 2006
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role - 2006

Filmography

Film and television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1972-74	Wait Till Your Father Gets Home	Jamie Boyle
1972	Outside Man, TheThe Outside Man	Eric
1974	Planet of the Apes	Kraik	TV series
1974-76	Valley of the Dinosaurs	Gregory 'Greg' Butler
1975	Day of the Locust, TheThe Day of the Locust	Adore Loomis
1976	Bad News Bears, TheThe Bad News Bears	Kelly Leak
1977	Bad News Bears in Breaking Training, TheThe Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
1977	Damnation Alley	Bill
1978	Bad News Bears Go to Japan, TheThe Bad News Bears Go to Japan	Kelly Leak
1979	Breaking Away	Moocher
1983	Miss Lonelyhearts	Seventeen-and-Desperate
1983	Losin' It	Dave
1985	Zoo Gang, TheThe Zoo Gang	Little Joe
1990	Oh, No! Not THEM!	Adrian
1991	Dollman	Braxton Red
1991	Get a Life	Cousin Donald
1992	Nemesis	Einstein
1993	Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence	Frank Jessup
2006	All the King's Men	Roderick 'Sugar Boy' Ellis
2006	Little Children	Ronald James McGorvey	Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Iowa Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor National Society of Film Critics Awards for Best Supporting Actor New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Village Voice Film Poll for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated - Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Gold Derby Film Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
2008	Semi-Pro	Dukes
2009	Winged Creatures	Bob Jasperson	Released on DVD in the US as Fragments
2009	Watchmen	Walter Kovacs/Rorschach	Nominated - Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
2010-11	Human Target	Guerrero
2010	Shutter Island	George Noyce	Nominated - Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actor
2010	Nightmare on Elm Street, AA Nightmare on Elm Street	Freddy Krueger	Nominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Horror/Thriller
2011	Bolden!	Judge Perry
2012	Dark Shadows	Willie Loomis
2012	Lincoln	Alexander H. Stephens
2013	Parkland	Father Oscar Huber
2014	RoboCop	Rick Mattox
2015	Criminal Activities	Gerry	Also director
2016	The Birth of a Nation
2016	London Has Fallen	Chief Deputy Mason
2016	Preacher	Odin Quinncannon	Recurring role
2017	The Dark Tower	Sayre	Filming

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2009	Watchmen: The End is Nigh	Walter Kovacs/Rorschach
2009	Mortal Kombat	Freddy Krueger	Likeness
2014	The Evil Within	Ruvik

[ Source: Wikipedia ]