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All the world's a stage, but this one is home Photo from Oregon Shakespeare Festival Saturday Apr 3, 1999 at 2:00 AM Feb 16, 2011 at 7:47 AM JIM DAVIS Actor finds his haven in Ashland Tony Heald hates his new movie, 8mm. Although the show has brought in more than $30 million at the box office this spring, the Ashland actor who plays a bad-guy lawyer said it will not be among the highlights of his career. It's an ugly movie, Heald said. It's a grim movie and it's about ugly people who do horrible things to each other. It appeals to the lowest instincts of an audience. But he found at least one silver lining: They offered me a lot of money. Heald, 54, said his roles in movies and television -- and the money they bring -- allow him to live in Ashland, where he has found a home and an outlet for his creative work. For the past three seasons, Heald has acted in seven plays with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, including the currently running ``Othello and Rosmersholm, which officially opens this weekend. I'm here in Ashland, Heald said, because I want to devote the last 25 years of my career to art. David Dreyfoos, an associate producer for the festival, said Heald's presence in Ashland benefits the audiences. I think it's a boon when any actor that has a resume like Tony's wants to come to a place like this and be able to relook at their career and be able to fit into an ensemble, Dreyfoos said. Heald, who grew up in New York City, acted in plays throughout high school and college and eventually moved on to regional theater. During those years, Heald met his wife, Robin Herskowitz-Heald, who was a stage manager and who, at one time, babysat the recent Oscar-winning Gwyneth Paltrow. Early in his career, Heald moved to New York to try to make it in what is considered the theater capital of the country. But Heald kept getting parts at regional theaters and moving away from the city. His luck changed in 1979, when he appeared on the television game show $20,000 Pyramid and won the top prize. That money allowed him to stay in New York until he caught on. He has since performed live theater on and off Broadway as well as movies and television. He hit the film version of a jackpot in 1991 when he played a creepy psychiatrist in the movie The Silence of the Lambs, which became one of the most popular movies of all time. However, Heald said he enjoys performing in live theater better than movies. I tend to play secondary, less complicated roles (in movies), Heald said. I always play a sleazy lawyer like in `8mm,' or I play a sleazy psychiatrist like in `Silence of the Lambs.' In the summer of 1993, Heald was filming the movie The Client in Mississippi. Seeking to escape the heat and humidity, his wife and their two children -- Dylan and Zoe -- came to Ashland to visit Jill Rendall, a friend who is a stage manager with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I absolutely fell in love with the place, Herskowitz-Heald said. The town is so charming and beautiful and it seemed so relaxed. The next year, the entire Heald family came back to Ashland on a vacation from their home in Montclair, N.J. During their stay, Heald took in plays and said he was impressed by the quality of the performances. After the shows, Heald spoke with then-artistic director Henry Woronicz, who encouraged him to consider coming to Ashland. Heald, whose film career was heating up, liked what he had seen of Ashland but didn't even consider the offer. Soon after the vacation, Heald flew from New Jersey to Los Angeles to tape an episode of Murder, She Wrote with Angela Lansbury. During the show, he missed Dylan's seventh birthday. While he liked working with the legendary Lansbury, Heald was miserable because he was away from his family and because of the work. It was dreck, it really was, Heald said. I was doing it for the money. During that stint, Heald went out one night with an actor friend. He tried to persuade his friend to move to Ashland, telling him about the quality of the performances and the beauty of the town. I started thinking about what I was saying, Heald said. That night I called my wife and told her I was thinking about moving to Ashland. The family had a home built in Ashland and Heald worked enough film and television to be able financially to make the move. Heald started with the Shakespeare festival late in the 1997 season. He said he was pleased, saying the cast works as an ensemble. People who play the lead in one show -- they might play a tiny role in the other one, Heald said. People don't tend to get swelled heads here. And he was also surprised by the support the festival lends its actors -- such as dialogue coaches, movement coaches and dramaturgs, who interpret and research works to help actors and directors understand the characters. I could never hope to get that kind of help in New York, Heald said. They just don't do it. For whatever reason, they just don't see the need. Dreyfoos said Heald has managed to fit in well with the company. He said the festival strives to provide support for all of its actors, such as assigning a dramaturg to each play. That support, Heald said, led to four of the most memorable experiences in his career in the plays Rough Crossing, The Magic Fire, Turn of the Screw and Othello. To me, he said, that's incredible that I would have that high of a level of artistic satisfaction at this point in my career. He said he will continue to do films and television and wants to take every fourth season off for that work. In Ashland, Heald said his life at work has been able to meld with his life at home. At night, he comes home to stay with his family. Heald's son, Dylan, performed with him in The Magic Fire. He said he loves the small-town feel of Ashland. After that play opened, Heald attended a party with the cast and director Libby Appel. After the reception, he went home, changed clothes and went to the grocery store. As he walked down the aisle pushing his cart, Heald bumped into Appel, pushing her cart toward him. I found what I was hoping for here, Heald said. For all of those reasons, it's proven to be a very good decision.