Newly discovered headshots show Balloon Boy's father Richard Heene had many faces

October 21, 6:01 PMSan Diego Airport ExaminerJoel Siegfried

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When Richard Heene first came to Hollywood in 1993, he dreamed of getting a part in film or on television. He enrolled in acting school, where he met Mayumi who became his future wife and mother of his three children, including "Balloon Boy" Falcon Heene, and he stopped by the photography studio of Carrie Cavalier to pose for headshots.

Headshots are what all actors need when they go for auditions. They are used by casting directors. In such a photo, the face is always at the center of the picture, and there are usually no other surroundings. The subject is the main focus of attention.

These images are used in the entertainment and modeling industries to give potential employers an idea of the performer's range in persona and expressions, and suitability for various roles. They are intended to show the person at their best, as they currently appear.

CAPTION: (UPPER LEFT) Richard Alan Heene (Photo courtesy of Carrie Cavalier)

The San Diego Airport Examiner has been reporting on this story because the "Balloon Boy" incursion over Colorado caused a disruption in commercial flights, delays and course changes, not only at Denver International Airport, but other destinations  throughout the air traffic network as well, including San Diego. There have been balloon incursions into FAA controlled airspace over LAX. We do not live in a shoe box immune from such matters, nor are we isolated from the folly of others. However, there are pressing, much more important and relevant events taking place, and we will put this one behind us and move on. This will be the last report by the San Diego Airport Examiner on this subject. It includes exclusive photographs.

A Slide Show follows this article showing balloon rides across America.

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CAPTION: (UPPER RIGHT) Balloon Boy Falcon Heene (Photo courtesy of AP)

Ms. Cavalier has been making headshots of actors for more than 26 years in her Burbank studio. According to her website, she has photographed such personalities as David Hasselhoff and Ellen DeGeneres. She states that her goal is "always to create a portrait that dances off the page through careful collaboration between photographer and subjects."

Included in her archives are pictures she made for Richard Heene. In talking with the San Diego Airport Examiner, she described Heene as "charismatic, insecure, desperate, with the ability to mold, manipulate and charm others."

He also seemed to have a very volatile temper. The New York Daily News reported from court documents that Heene once got so enraged in a road incident that he trashed a Volkswagen during a fight with the car's owner.

These are not unlike the qualities of many in the entertainment industry.  Bad-Boy actors are legendary. Familiar names that come to mind include Mickey Rourke, Sean Penn, Robert Downey, Jr., Val Kilmer, Vincent Gallo, Marlon Brando, Klaus Kinski, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, and the legendary James Dean who died in a car crash at age 24, just two hours after receiving a speeding ticket.

CAPTION: (UPPER LEFT) Richard Alan Heene (Photo courtesy of Carrie Cavalier)

Unfortunately, Richard Heene never made it to that sacred pantheon of elite stardom. Other than his appearance in an episode of the ABC-TV reality show "Wife Swap", a search of the International Movie Data Base shows one credit as writer, producer, and composer for a video called "Box Time Playhouse". In it, Heene tells the story of three young children "that are taught the basic ideas of carpentry, roofing, painting, and landscaping through the incorporation of singing and dancing." There is also a scene in it of the children being magically transported, not unlike what happens in a balloon experience.

Writers are always told to write about what they know. Heene had worked as a contractor and roofer. He also has three young sons and a flying saucer shaped balloon. The plot appears to be based on his own life.

While Jim Alderden, the Sheriff of Larimer County has not yet filed formal charges against Richard Heene, he may someday find himself with a new role, that of prisoner in the State of Colorado.

CAPTION: (UPPER RIGHT) Richard Alan Heene (Photo courtesy of Carrie Cavalier)

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