William Fichtner

Infobox actor


caption = William Fichtner, 2003
birthname = William Edward Fichtner
birthdate = birth date and age|1956|11|27
birthplace = East Meadow, New York
deathdate =
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yearsactive =
spouse = Betsy Aidem, born East Meadow, Long Island, New York, 28 October 1957 (divorced 1996, 1 child),
Kymberly Kalil (25 July 1998, 1 child)
homepage =
academyawards =
emmyawards =
tonyawards =

William Edward "Bill" Fichtner (born November 27, 1956) is an American supporting actor, often credited as "William Fichtner" and occasionally as "Bill Fichtner". He is best known for his roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay on "Invasion", as Alexander Mahone on "Prison Break" and as "Ken Rosenberg" in "Grand Theft Auto Vice City" and "Grand Theft Auto San Andreas".

Fichtner also had a small role as the Gotham National Bank manager in the hugely successful movie "The Dark Knight".

Biography

Personal life

Fichtner was born in East Meadow, New York, and raised in Cheektowaga, New York, where he graduated from Maryvale High School. He is the son of Patricia and William E. Fichtner. [ [http://www.tv-now.com/stars/fichtner.html William Fichtner TV Listings - Find William Fichtner on TV | TV-Now.com] ] He has German ancestry. [ [http://www.williamfichtner.org/old/faq.html William Fichtner Q & A] ] His sister is a Colonel in the USAF and his nephew was a member of Sleepaway. After graduating from Farmingdale State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice in 1978, Fichtner decided to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. On 18 May 2008, Fichtner was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by his alma mater Farmingdale State College.

Career

Mr. 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" and "The Dark Knight". 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 ' and '. From 2005-2006, 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 (2006-2008) of "Prison Break". [ [http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=televisionNews&storyID=2006-06-19T071722Z_01_N19276383_RTRIDST_0_TELEVISION-FICHTNER-DC.XML Clean 'Break' for Fichtner] "Reuters". June 19, 2006. Retrieved June 19, 2006.] 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.

Film and TV Appearances

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0001209|name=William Fichtner
*tvtome person|id=20987|name=William Fichtner
* [http://contact-themovie.warnerbros.com/cmp/cast.html#name7 William Fichtner] at the official Contact movie website.
* [http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/random_roles_william_fichtner Random Roles] at the Onion A.V. Club
* [http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/Fichtner_Firsthand/] at Fichtner_Firsthand