Playing tough cop Nick Vera on the CBS crime drama "Cold Case" (2003-) was not the first time veteran character actor Jeremy Ratchford has essayed a lawman for a movie or television project - in his native Canada, he was twice nominated for a Gemini as a jaded cop in the acclaimed series "Blue Murder" (2001-04). But while policeman seemed to be a natural fit for the broad-shouldered performer, he had built an impressive list of roles since making his film debut in the mid 1980s, ranging from backwoods psychopath to super-powered mutant.