William Edward Fichtner (born November 27, 1956) is an American actor. He has appeared in a number of notable film and TV series. He is known for his roles as Sheriff Tom Underlay in the cult favorite television series Invasion, Alexander Mahone on Prison Break, The Lone Ranger and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Early life
Fichtner was born in Mitchel Air Force Base on Long Island, and was raised in Cheektowaga, New York, the son of Patricia A. (née Steitz) and William E. Fichtner. He has German ancestry.
Fichtner graduated from Maryvale High School (Cheektowaga) 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 then studied 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.
Career
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 voiced the character Ken Rosenberg in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Between 2005 and 2006, Fichtner also starred in the science-fiction TV series Invasion as Sheriff Tom Underlay. After Invasion was cancelled, Fichtner played FBI Agent Alexander Mahone in the second through fourth seasons (2006â€"2009) of Prison Break. Later that year, he presented an award at the National Hockey League award show. He also appears in The West Wing episode, "The Supremes" as Christopher Mulready, a conservative judge nominated to the Supreme Court. Fichtner 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 signed on to guest star on Entourage playing TV producer Phil Yagoda, who is trying to remake his hit 1990s teen series. He also voices Master Sergeant Sandman in the 2011 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
Fichtner played Eric Sacks in 2014's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Personal life
Fichtner is a long time fan of both the Buffalo Bills and the Buffalo Sabres. Fichtner currently lives in Prague, Czech Republic, where he is filming the television series Crossing Lines.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
References
External links
- William Fichtner at the Internet Movie Database
- William Fichtner at the official Contact movie website
- Random Roles at the Onion A.V. Club
