Harris' first major role came in 1980 in the movie Borderline. The following year he was cast in Knightrider as a motorcycle stunt rider.

In 2008 and 2009 he stars in Touching Home, Appaloosa and Once Fallen.

1. "Yeah, King Arthur on motorcycles. It sounded totally bizarre to me. But I had always been a major Camelot fan; I played King Arthur in a production in Oklahoma City when I was first starting out." — Ed Harris on his role in Knightrider
2. "I’m not a piano player. I’m not from Germany. I didn’t live in 1827. I’m an actor from New Jersey, born in 1950, so for me, it seemed like a stretch. A good one." — Ed Harris on his role in Copying Beethoven
3. "One thing I learned about Mr. Pollock's art, which any art student knows I'm sure, but was indeed a revelation to me, is that Jackson fully believed and lived by 'don't use the accident, because I deny the accident'. One cannot even approximate Pollock's work unless every stroke, every pour, every slap, every fling, every shake, every splash, every splatter and every flick has a specific intention." — Ed Harris on artist Jackson Pollock