Ned Vaughn (born November 20, 1964) is an American film and television actor who served as vice president of the Screen Actors Guild prior to becoming the founding executive vice president of SAG-AFTRA. He resigned that position on 21 August 2013, when he announced he would run as a Republican candidate for California's 66th State Assembly district, representing Los Angeles County's South Bay region.Bond, Paul (August 21, 2013) "No. 2 Officer of SAG-AFTRA Resigns to Run for State Assembly as a Republican" The Hollywood Reporter However, he later withdrew from the race.
Early life and education Ned Vaughn was raised in Huntsville, Alabama with his sister Anna by their parents, Helen and Ed Vaughn. Vaughn's father was a news anchor and reporter for Huntsville's CBS Television affiliate (WHNT-TV) before starting his career as a civilian public affairs officer for the U.S. Army's Space and Missile Defense Command, which included work on Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative, popularly known as Star Wars. Ned's mother, Helen, is an active professional artist whose early works were described as "celebrations of the many aspects of womanhood" and focusing on "the psychological truth of being female in today's society."
At age 10, Vaughn performed his first acting role in a community theater production of the musical Oliver!, staged in the Von Braun Center's 2000-seat concert hall. Vaughn continued acting as he attended Lee High School and performed in several productions while attending Birmingham-Southern College. It was there that Vaughn decided to pursue acting as a career. He drove to New York with just $600 and initially stayed with a family acquaintance, making the commute to New York City from Peekskill.
While taking classes at HB Studio in Greenwich Village, Vaughn made ends meet by working as a doorman at New York's Wellington Hotel, which he described as a crash course in human nature.
Acting career In January 1986, Vaughn booked his first professional job from his first audition: a Miami Vice-themed Pepsi commercial directed by Ridley Scott, which premiered during the 1986 Grammy Awards telecast. However, Vaughn's role did not appear in the final cut. Over the remainder of 1986, Vaughn was cast in more commercials and performed in the HB Playwrights Foundation production of K on K by Franz Kafka.
In February 1987, Vaughn was cast in his first starring film role in The Rescue, which also starred Kevin Dillon and featured James Cromwell. After filming was completed in New Zealand and Hong Kong, Vaughn moved to Los Angeles.
Vaughn's acting career quickly took off and in 1989, he was cast as Seaman Beaumont of the in the blockbuster film The Hunt for Red October. The same year, Vaughn joined the ABC television series China Beach, playing the role of Corporal Jeff Hyers. Throughout his career, Vaughn has gravitated toward characters who serve in the military (24, The Tuskegee Airmen, JAG, NCIS), law enforcement (Heroes, Frost/Nixon), and politics (The Unit).
In 1995, Vaughn appeared in Apollo 13. In 1998, Vaughn performed in Hellcab at the Tivoli Theatre in Dublin, Ireland during the Dublin Theatre Festival.
In addition to his film work, Vaughn has appeared in a wide variety of television programs, with nearly one hundred episodes to his credit. In 2011, Vaughn provided the face and voice of LAPD Captain Gordon Leary in video game L.A. Noire, which was the first video game to be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Screen Actors Guild / SAG-AFTRA leadership In 2008, Vaughn campaigned to merge the Screen Actors Guild with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). Vaughn was elected to the SAG board in 2008 and became SAG 1st Vice President in 2010. During his tenure, Vaughn focused on uniting SAG and AFTRA. In January 2012, it was announced that a merger referendum would be presented to members of both unions. Merger opponents and SAG board members Martin Sheen and Ed Harris, along with former SAG president Ed Asner, filed a federal lawsuit to block the referendum, but the vote went ahead. When their case was dropped, Vaughn commented, "Dropping this frivolous lawsuit is the first good decision the plaintiffs have made."Handel, Jonathan (May 16, 2012) "SAG-AFTRA Merger Lawsuit to be Dropped" The Hollywood Reporter On 30 March 2012, the merger passed overwhelmingly, with 86% of AFTRA members and 82% of SAG members voting to create SAG-AFTRA, the largest union representing performers in the entertainment and media industries. Vaughn was the organization's founding executive vice president, serving as the second-ranking and only Republican national officer of the 160,000-member organization.
Politics On 21 August 2013, Vaughn announced he would run as a Republican candidate for California's 66th State Assembly district, representing Los Angeles County's South Bay region. On the same day, he resigned his position as SAG-AFTRA executive vice president in order to focus on his Assembly campaign.Verrier, Richard (August 21, 2013) "Ned Vaughn resigns from SAG-AFTRA to run as Republican for Assembly" The Los Angeles Times On 16 October 2013 Vaughn announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy.
Personal life Vaughn married his wife, Adelaide, in 1997. They have five children and live in Augusta, Georgia.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1984 What Waits Below American Soldier #1 1988 The Rescue Shawn Howard 1988-1991 China Beach Cpl. Jeff Hyers / Dewey 14 episodes1990 Big Bad John Billy Mahoney 1990 The Hunt for Red October Seaman Beaumont (the Sonar trainee) - USS Dallas 1992 Wind competitive sailor Charley Moore 1992 Life Goes On Eric 3 episodes1994 Star Trek: The Next Generation Ensign Cortin "Corey" Zweller Episode: "Tapestry" 1995 Apollo 13 CAPCOM 2 1995 The Tuskegee Airmen Capt. Butler - B-17 TV movie1995 The Tie That Binds Officer David Carrey 1995-1996 Murder One Dean Crowley 12 episodes1996 JAG Lieutenant (jg) Arnoldi Episode: "Defensive Action"1996 Courage Under Fire Chelli 1999 Life Young Sheriff Warren Pike 2000 The Beach Boys: An American Family Al Jardine 2 episodes2001 JAG Lieutenant Carl Barrett Episodes: "Dog Robber: Part 1" & "Dog Robber: Part 2"2002 The Climb Michael Harris 2004 JAG Captain Rogers Episode: "What If"2005 24 terrorist Mitch Anderson 4 episodes2006 Shark Sam Bemis Episode: "Déjà Vu All Over Again"2006 Criminal Minds Donald Curtis Episode: "What Fresh Hell?"2007 Cane Michael Bronson 8 episodes2008 Frost/Nixon Secret Service Agent 2008NCIS Captain Dean Pullman Episode: "Stakeout"2009Mad Men Ed Lawrence Episode: "Souvenir"2011 The Event Dr. Reed 3 episodes2011 L.A. Noire Capt. Gordon Leary Video game2014 Parts Per Billion CDC Spokesman 2014 Atlas Shrugged Part III: Who Is John Galt? Gerald Starnes 2019 The Best of Enemies Wilbur Hobby 2021Queen of the SouthAgent Paul PanettaEpisode: "La Situación"2024MaXXXineNews Anchor
References
External links
Ned Vaughn for California Assembly