A scratchy-voiced actor drawn to characters who were a bit rough around the edges, J.C. Quinn is best known for playing gruff guys such as crew member "Sonny" Dawson in the James Cameron thriller "The Abyss," starring Ed Harris, and rival pit crew chief Waddell in Tony Scott's car-racing flick "Days of Thunder," starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Before transitioning almost exclusively to feature films, Quinn spent the 1980s hopping from one TV series to the next in guest roles, including "Hill Street Blues" and "Miami Vice," having lived and trained for the theater in New York City for many years.