William Fichtner
William Edward Fichtner[1] (born November 27, 1956) is an American actor.[2] He is known for his television roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay on Invasion, Alexander Mahone on Prison Break, Carl Hickman on Crossing Lines, and Adam Janikowski on Mom. His film appearances include Heat, Contact, Armageddon, The Perfect Storm, Go, Crash, Black Hawk Down, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
William Fichtner | |
|---|---|
Fichtner in 2018 | |
| Born | November 27, 1956 Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Bill Fichtner |
| Education | Farmingdale State College (AS) The College at Brockport, State University of New York (BS) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Fichtner was born on Mitchel Air Force Base[3] on Long Island and raised in Cheektowaga, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. He is the son of Patricia A. (née Steitz) and William Frederick Fichtner.[4][5][1] He has German ancestry.[6]
He graduated from Maryvale High School in 1974. After graduating from Farmingdale State College in 1976 with an associate degree in criminal justice, he attended the College at Brockport, State University of New York and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice in 1978. He then studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.
On May 18, 2008, Fichtner received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Farmingdale State College.[7] In his acceptance address, he credited Farmingdale admissions counselor Don Harvey with his decision to study acting. Harvey, who became a lifelong friend, took Fichtner to his first Broadway show.
Career
Fichtner began his acting career as Josh Snyder in As the World Turns in 1987. He has since appeared in the films Contact, Heat, Armageddon, Go, Equilibrium, Black Hawk Down, The Perfect Storm, The Longest Yard, Crash, Ultraviolet, Drive Angry and The Dark Knight. Mainly a character actor, one of his few leading roles is in Passion of Mind, also starring Demi Moore and Stellan Skarsgård. His role in Crash won him a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture award and a Best Acting Ensemble award from Broadcast Film Critics Choice. He appeared in the CBS sitcom Mom from 2015 to 2021.
Credited as Bill Fichtner, he voiced Ken Rosenberg in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Between 2005 and 2006, he also starred in the sci-fi TV series Invasion as Sheriff Tom Underlay. After Invasion was canceled, he played ruthless FBI Agent Alexander Mahone in three seasons of Prison Break (2006–2009).[8] In 2009, he co-presented the Vezina Trophy (for goal tending) at the National Hockey League awards show.[9][10] He later guest starred as judge Christopher Mulready in The West Wing episode "The Supremes." He also had a role as the Gotham National Bank manager in the feature film The Dark Knight and as Jurgen in Equilibrium.
In June 2009, Fichtner had a recurring role as TV producer Phil Yagoda on Entourage.[11] He also voiced Master Sergeant Sandman in the 2011 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. He also played Eric Sacks in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014).[12]
Personal life
Fichtner is a fan of the NFL team the Buffalo Bills, and appeared in a commercial for them before the 2014 season.[13] He narrated the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Four Falls of Buffalo, chronicling their four consecutive Super Bowl appearances from 1990–93.[14]
He is a close friend of his Black Hawk Down co-stars Kim Coates and Eric Bana.[15]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Quiz Show | Stage Manager | |
| 1995 | Virtuosity | Wallace | |
| Reckless | Rachel's Father | ||
| Strange Days | Officer Dwayne Engelman | ||
| Heat | Roger Van Zant | ||
| The Underneath | Tommy Dundee | ||
| 1996 | Albino Alligator | Law | |
| 1997 | Contact | Kent | |
| Switchback | Chief Jack McGinnis | ||
| 1998 | Armageddon | Colonel Willie Sharp | |
| 1999 | Go | Burke Halverson | |
| The Settlement | Jerry | ||
| 2000 | The Perfect Storm | David 'Sully' Sullivan | |
| Drowning Mona | Phil Dearly | ||
| Passion of Mind | Aaron | ||
| Endsville[16] | Prince Victor | ||
| 2001 | Pearl Harbor | Mr. Walker | |
| Black Hawk Down | SFC Jeff Sanderson | Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast | |
| What's the Worst That Could Happen? | Detective Alex Tardio | ||
| 2002 | Julie Walking Home | Henry | |
| Equilibrium | Jurgen | ||
| 2004 | Crash | Flanagan | Hollywood Film Festival Ensemble of the Year Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated—Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Cast |
| 2005 | Nine Lives | Andrew | Nominated—Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Cast |
| The Chumscrubber | Dr. Bill Stifle | ||
| The Amateurs | Otis | ||
| The Longest Yard | Captain Knauer | ||
| Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Dr. Wexler | Voice; Uncredited | |
| 2006 | Ultraviolet | Garth | |
| 2007 | Blades of Glory | Darren MacElroy | |
| First Snow | Ed | ||
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | Bank Manager | |
| 2010 | Forehead Tittaes[17] | Boss | Funny or Die sketch |
| Date Night | District Attorney Frank Crenshaw | ||
| 2011 | The Big Bang | Detective Poley | |
| Drive Angry | The Accountant | Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 2012 | Wrong | Master Chang | |
| 2013 | Phantom | Alex Kozlov | |
| The Lone Ranger | Butch Cavendish | ||
| Elysium | John Carlyle | ||
| 2014 | The Homesman | Vester Belknap | |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Eric Sacks | ||
| 2016 | Independence Day: Resurgence | General Joshua T. Adams | |
| American Wrestler: The Wizard | Coach Plyler | ||
| 2017 | Hot Summer Nights | Shep | |
| The Neighbor | Mike | ||
| Krystal | Dr. Farley | ||
| 2018 | 12 Strong | Colonel John Mulholland | |
| Traffik | Mr. Waynewright | ||
| O.G. | Danvers | ||
| Armed | Richard | ||
| Cold Brook | Ted Markham | Also director and co-writer[18] | |
| All the Devil's Men | Brennan | ||
| 2019 | Josie & Jack | Raeburn | |
| Finding Steve McQueen | Enzo Rotella | ||
| 2021 | The Space Between | Donny Rumson | |
| The Birthday Cake | Uncle Ricardo | ||
| TBA | The Gettysburg Address | John G. Nicolay | Voice; Post-production |
| Hypnotic | TBA | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–1994 | As the World Turns | Josh Snyder | 79 episodes |
| 1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Boros | 2 episodes |
| Baywatch | Howard Ganza | Episode: "Rookie School" | |
| 1994–1995 | Grace Under Fire | Ryan Sparks | 8 episodes |
| 1995 | A Father for Charlie | Sheriff | Television film |
| 2002 | MDs | Bruce Kellerman | 10 episodes |
| 2004 | The West Wing | Christopher Mulready | Episode: "The Supremes" |
| 2005 | Empire Falls | Jimmy Minty | 2 episodes |
| American Dad! | Harland | Voice; Episode: "Homeland Insecurity" | |
| 2005–2006 | Invasion | Sheriff Tom Underlay | 22 episodes Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television |
| 2006–2009 | Prison Break | Alexander Mahone | 59 episodes |
| 2009–2011 | Entourage | Phil Yagoda | 8 episodes |
| 2010 | Night and Day | Dan Hollister | Pilot |
| 2012 | Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden[19] | Mr. Guidry | Television film |
| 2013–2014 | Crossing Lines | Carl Hickman | 22 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Empire | Jameson Henthrop | 4 episodes |
| 2016–21 | Mom | Adam Janikowski | Recurring (season 3), Main cast (seasons 4–8); 84 episodes Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series |
| 2016 | Shooter | Rathford O'Brien | Episode: "Killing Zone" |
| 2017 | Porsche: Decades of Disruption | Narrator | Voice; Documentary |
| Top Gear America | Himself | Host; 8 episodes | |
| 2019 | Veep | Felix Wade | Episode: "Discovery Weekend" |
| 2020 | Corporate | Brett | Episode: "Fuck You Money" |
| 2022 | Joe vs. Carole | Rick Kirkham | Limited series[20] |
| 2023 | The Company You Keep | Leo | Main role |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Ken Rosenberg | Credited as Willian Fichtner |
| 2004 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Credited as Bill Fichtner | |
| 2008 | Turok | Logan | |
| 2011 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 | Master Sergeant Sandman | [21] |
| 2012 | Infex | The Administrator | |
| 2013 | Disney Infinity | Butch Cavendish | |
| 2014 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | The Shredder | Nintendo 3DS version |
| 2021 | Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition | Ken Rosenberg | Remaster of Vice City & San Andreas only |
References
- ^ a b Faris, Anna (host) (2019-11-25). "Bill Fichtner". Unqualified. Event occurs at 0:30.
William Edward Fichtner—not a 'junior', my father's middle name was Frederick—...
- ^ "William Fichtner Biography (1956-)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (January 17, 2002). "'Black Hawk Down' Comes Up in D.C." People. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ David Niles. "Worcester Telegram & Gazette Archives". Nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ The Post-Journal (December 29, 2009). . Post-Journal. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ . WilliamFichtner.org (official site). Archived from the original on June 18, 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ . Farmingdale State College. 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011.
- ^ Clean 'Break' for Fichtner[dead link] Reuters. June 19, 2006. Retrieved June 19, 2006.
- ^ "Hockey, Hollywood stars align for '09 Awards in Vegas".
- ^ "NHL Awards Winners". nhl.com. NHL. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- ^ "Entourage Admits Caan, Fichtner, Letscher". TVGuide.com. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (May 9, 2013). "'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Adds William Fichtner". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ Fichtner, William (September 4, 2014). . Buffalo Bills. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ Warren, Matt (10 December 2015). "Buffalo Bills '30 for 30' documentary, 'Four Falls of Buffalo,' premieres". Buffalo Rumblings. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ "Interviews with COLD BROOK Stars William Fichtner and Kim Coates".
- ^ Endsville at IMDb
- ^ "Forehead Tittaes w/ Marion Cotillard". Funny Or Die. March 9, 2010.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (8 June 2017). "William Fichtner To Make Directing Debut On 'Cold Brook'". Deadline. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ Kaufman, Alexander C. (October 4, 2012). "National Geographic Channel to Show Osama bin Laden Thriller 'Seal Team Six'". TheWrap. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ Zorrilla, Mónica Marie (July 1, 2021). "Peacock's 'Joe Exotic' Series Replaces Dennis Quaid With William Fichtner as Rick Kirkham". Variety. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ Gaudiosi, John (April 11, 2011). . IGN. Archived from the original on 2018-10-25. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
External links
- William Fichtner at IMDb
- "Random Roles: William Fichtner" at The A.V. Club