| William Fichtner | |
|---|---|
Fichtner at the 2011 USA Film Festival |
|
| Born | William Edward Fichtner November 27, 1956 Mitchel Air Force Base, East Meadow, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse | Betsy Aidem (divorced 1996; 1 child) Kymberly Kalil (July 25, 1998–present; 1 child) |
William Edward Fichtner(born November 27, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay on Invasion, as Alexander Mahone on Prison Break, as William Sharp in Armageddon, and as Ken Rosenberg in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
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Fichtner was born at Mitchel Air Force Base[1] in East Meadow, New York, and was raised in Cheektowaga, New York, the son of Patricia A. (née Steitz) and William E. Fichtner.[2][3] He is of German descent.[4]
Fichtner graduated from Glace Bay High School (Glace Bay, Nova Scotia) in 1974. After graduating from Farmingdale State College in 1976 with an associate degree in criminal justice, he attended SUNY Brockport and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice in 1978. Fichtner decided to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Fichtner credits his Farmingdale State College admissions counselor, Don Harvey, with his decision to study acting. Harvey, who became a lifelong friend, took Fichtner to his first Broadway show. On 18 May 2008, Fichtner was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Farmingdale State College.[5]
Fichtner began his acting career as Josh Snyder in As the World Turns in 1987. Fichtner's film credits include Contact, Heat, Armageddon, Go, Equilibrium, Black Hawk Down, The Perfect Storm, The Longest Yard, Crash, Ultraviolet, and The Dark Knight. Mainly a character actor, one of Fichtner's few leading roles is in Passion of Mind, also starring Demi Moore and Stellan Skarsgård. For his role in Crash he won a Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance Award and a "Best Acting Ensemble" Award from Broadcast Film Critics Choice.
Credited as Bill Fichtner, he lent his voice to the character Ken Rosenberg in the popular video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Between 2005 and 2006, Fichtner also starred in the science fiction drama series Invasion as Sheriff Tom Underlay. After Invasion was cancelled, Fichtner was chosen to play Agent Alexander Mahone in the second, third and fourth seasons (2006–2009) of Prison Break.[6] Later that year, he also presented an award at the National Hockey League award show. He also appears in The West Wing episode, "The Supremes" as Christopher Mulready, a brilliant conservative judge nominated to the Supreme Court. Fichtner also had a role as the Gotham National Bank manager, alongside Robert Xu in the feature film The Dark Knight, and as Jurgen in Equilibrium; both action movies feature Christian Bale.
In June 2009, Fichtner signed on to guest star on Entourage playing TV producer Phil Yagoda, who is trying to remake his hit 1990s teen series.[7]
His most recent film was 2011's Drive Angry.[8]
He also voices Master Sergeant Sandman in the 2011 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.[9]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–1994 | As the World Turns | Josh Snyder | TV Series |
| 1989 | Baywatch | Howard Ganza | TV Series: 1 Episode |
| 1992 | Malcolm X | Police in the Harlem Station | |
| 1994 | Quiz Show | Stage Manager | |
| 1994–1995 | Grace Under Fire | Ryan | TV Series: 8 Episodes |
| 1995 | Virtuosity | Wallace | |
| Reckless | Rachel's Father | ||
| Strange Days | Dwayne Engelman | ||
| Heat | Roger Van Zant | ||
| High Lonesome | Sheriff | ||
| Underneath | Tommy Dundee | ||
| 1996 | Albino Alligator | Law | |
| 1997 | Contact | Kent | |
| Switchback | Chief Jack McGinnis | ||
| 1998 | Armageddon | Colonel William Sharp | |
| 1999 | Go | Burke | |
| The Settlement | Jerry | ||
| 2000 | The Perfect Storm | David "Sully" Sullivan | |
| Drowning Mona | Phil Dearly | ||
| Passion of Mind | Aaron | ||
| Endsville | Prince Victor | ||
| 2001 | Pearl Harbor | Danny's Father | |
| Black Hawk Down | Sfc. Jeff Sanderson | ||
| What's the Worst That Could Happen? | Detective Alex Tardio | ||
| 2002 | MDs | Bruce Kellerman | TV Series: 10 Episodes |
| Julie Walking Home | Henry | ||
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Ken Rosenberg | – Voiceover (credited as Bill Fichtner) | |
| Equilibrium | Jürgen | ||
| 2004 | Crash | Flanagan | |
| The West Wing | Justice Christopher Mulready | TV Series: 1 Episode – "The Supremes" | |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Ken Rosenberg | – Voiceover (credited as Bill Fichtner) | |
| 2005–2006 | Invasion | Tom Underlay | TV Series: 22 Episodes |
| 2005 | The Moguls | Otis | |
| Nine Lives | Andrew | ||
| The Chumscrubber | Dr. Bill Stifle | ||
| Empire Falls | Jimmy Minty | ||
| The Longest Yard | Captain Knauer | ||
| Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Dr. Wexler, marriage counselor | Voice – uncredited | |
| 2006 | Ultraviolet | Garth | |
| 2006–2009 | Prison Break | Alexander Mahone | TV Series: 59 Episodes |
| 2007 | Blades of Glory | Darren MacElroy | |
| First Snow | Ed | ||
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | Bank Manager | |
| Turok | Logan | Video game – Voiceover | |
| 2009–2011 | Entourage | Phil Yagoda | TV Series: 8 Episodes |
| 2010 | Forehead Tittaes | Boss | Short Skit |
| Date Night | D.A. Frank Crenshaw | ||
| 2011 | The Big Bang | Detective Poley | |
| Drive Angry | The Accountant | ||
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 | Master Sergeant Sandman | Video game - Voiceover | |
| 2012 | "Wrong" | ||
| 2013 | Elysium | filming |