William Devane
Birthday: 1939-09-05
Place of Birth: Albany, New York, USA
Synopsis
William Joseph Devane (born September 5, 1937) is an American film, television and theater actor, known for his role as Greg Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing and as James Heller on the Fox serial drama 24, the role he reprised in Live Another Day. He is also known for his supporting roles in films such as McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Family Plot), Marathon Man, Rolling Thunder and Space Cowboys.
Devane began his acting career with the New York Shakespeare Festival where he performed in 15 plays. In 1966, Devane portrayed Robert F. Kennedy in the Off-Broadway spoof MacBird. He gained acclaim for his role as President John F. Kennedy in a television docudrama about the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Missiles of October, and again when he played blacklisted radio personality John Henry Faulk in the Emmy Award-winning TV movie Fear on Trial. He is widely known for his ten years as the ambitious and hardnosed politician-turned-corporate titan Greg Sumner on Knots Landing.
In 1994, Devane appeared as Al Capone in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in an episode entitled "That Old Gang of Mine". He also had a recurring role on the CBS show Early Edition as the lead character's father. Devane appeared in the films McCabe & Mrs. Miller; Lady Liberty; Family Plot; Marathon Man; Rolling Thunder; Yanks; Testament; Timestalkers; Forgotten Sins; Exception to the Rule; Payback; Hollow Man and Space Cowboys.
Devane has played members of the Presidential Cabinet on two evening dramas. In 2004, on The West Wing, he guest-starred as the Secretary of State and potential Vice-Presidential nominee. Devane appeared in several scenes with Martin Sheen; they also appeared together as President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, respectively, 30 years earlier in The Missiles of October. In 2005, he joined the cast of 24 as Secretary of Defense James Heller for seasons 4, 5 and 6.
Acting
The Grinder
as Dean Sanderson Sr.
Television lawyer Dean Sanderson moves back to his small home town after his hit series, "The Grinder," is canceled thinking his time on TV qualifies him to run his family's law firm.
Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise
as Dr. Dix
Police Chief Jesse Stone now presides over the quiet, seaside village of Paradise, Massachusetts. When the facts don't add up in a brutal Boston-area murder case, Jesse opens an investigation filled with surprises, unlikely suspects and grave danger. Though it's widely believed the murder was committed by an incarcerated serial killer, Jesse suspects another killer is at large and is hell-bent on bringing him to justice.
Bad Turn Worse
as Big Red
Three teenage friends get in way over their head when they cross a down-home crime syndicate. They hope to make a break for it and escape their dead-end existence in a cotton-mill town but get sucked into the seedy underbelly of organized crime when one of them steals from the wrong man.
50 to 1
as Leonard Doc Blach
A misfit group of New Mexico cowboys find themselves on the journey of a lifetime when they learn their crooked-footed racehorse qualifies to run in the Kentucky Derby. Based on the true story of Mine That Bird, the cowboys must overcome impossible odds even before they reach Churchill Downs and the land of Kentucky's blue bloods.
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24: Live Another Day
as President James Heller
Jack Bauer comes out of hiding in London to head off a massive terrorist attack while being hunted down by American forces dispatched by President James Heller.
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Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt
as Dr. Dix
Jesse finds himself struggling to get his job back as the Paradise police chief, and he is forced to rely on his cop intuition to sort through a maze of misleading clues and hidden meanings as he attempts to solve a shocking and horrifying mob-related double homicide.
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Leprechaun's Revenge
as Pop O'Hara
An evil leprechaun who has been imprisoned within the roots of a majestic old oak tree, is accidentally set loose on St. Patrick's Day. Once free, he takes out his bloody revenge on the descendants of the people who originally imprisoned him.
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Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost
as Dr. Dix
Jesse investigates the suspicious death of a young friend while the police force deals with the arrogant new police chief who is the son-in-law of a town councilman.
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Good Morning, Killer
as Everett Morgan Gray
Follows FBI Special Agent Ana Gray as she hunts for a kidnapper. As Ana develops a rapport with the kidnapper's latest victim, the suspect suddenly changes his pattern. Now Ana must race to find him before he strikes again.
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Jesse Stone: No Remorse
as Dr. Dix
Police Chief Jesse Stone, who was suspended by the Paradise, Mass. Town Council, begins moonlighting for his friend, State Homicide Commander Healy, by investigating a series of murders in Boston, leaving Rose and Suitcase to handle a crime spree in Paradise on their own. Jesse pours his energy into his work in an effort to push away his twin demons: booze and women. When his investigation leads to notorious mob boss Gino Fish, Jesse's pursuit becomes hazardous.
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The River Why
as Dutch Hines
A young man abandons his family for a solitary life of fly-fishing. His goal was to find his own way in the fishing world and thereby find himself and love.
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The Kane Files: Life of Trial
as Thompson
Scott Kane (Drew Fuller), a man with a checkered past is trying to live a clean life. When his son Owen falls ill, Kane finds his only option is to turn to Daniel Morgan (William Atherton), the local kingpin of the criminal underworld. Morgan offers to help Kane's family, but double-crosses him. When Morgan tries killing Kane by employing a dirty cop, Jace Olsen (Ethan Embry), Kane escapes from prison to seek his revenge and save his son. With the FBI (William Devane) and Police (Embry) on his tail, Kane must utilize all his deadly skills to save his family and himself.
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Stargate: Continuum
as President Henry Hayes
Ba'al travels back in time and prevents the Stargate program from being started. SG-1 must somehow restore history.
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Threat of Exposure
as Col. Weldon
A man poses as a hypnotherapist's patient to find the truth about his missing brother.
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The Badge
as The Judge
A sheriff begins an investigation into the death of a local transsexual after hearing that high ranking politicians may have been involved. Although he is homophobic, his investigation causes him to be rejected by others, forcing him to seek help from the people he once despised.
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24
as President James Heller
Counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer fights the bad guys of the world, a day at a time. With each week's episode unfolding in real-time, "24" covers a single day in the life of Bauer each season.
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Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story
as Tom Kincaid
A staunch professional executive and his wife coerce their rebellious teens and their older sister to take a plane trip for a weekend in the mountains. The older sister does not make it to the plane in time and the family leaves without her. Their small private plane then develops trouble and crashes away from any people. This forces the group to band together to survive the wilderness conditions, including an avalanche.
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The Michael Richards Show
as Brady McKay
The Michael Richards Show is a sitcom that debuted on NBC in 2000. The show starred Michael Richards as reality-challenged but successful private detective Vic Nardozza who gets the job done despite his unconventional methods.
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Hollow Man
as Dr. Kramer
Cocky researcher Sebastian Caine is working on a project to make living creatures invisible. Determined to achieve the ultimate breakthrough, Caine pushes his team to move to the next phase — using himself as the subject. The test is a success, but when the process can't be reversed and Caine seems doomed to future without flesh, he starts to turn increasingly dangerous.
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Space Cowboys
as Eugene Davis
Frank Corvin, ‘Hawk’ Hawkins, Jerry O'Neill and ‘Tank’ Sullivan were hotdog members of Project Daedalus, the Air Force's test program for space travel, but their hopes were dashed in 1958 with the formation of NASA and the use of trained chimps. They blackmail their way into orbit when Russia's mysterious ‘Ikon’ communications satellite's orbit begins to degrade and threatens to crash to Earth.
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The Man Who Used to Be Me
as Older Sam Ryan
A burned-out ex-cop travels back in time and teams up with his younger self to catch his father's murderer.
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Poor White Trash
as Ron Lake
Mike and Lenny are two buddies who dream of getting out of the trailer park. Out of desperation they resort to burglary as a means of financing Mike's college education. Their dream is jeopardized one summer day when their ploy to shoplift Near Beer begins a crime spree and a series of mishaps during which they are threatened with jail.
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Payback
as Carter
With friends like these, who needs enemies? That's the question bad guy Porter is left asking after his wife and partner steal his heist money and leave him for dead -- or so they think. Five months and an endless reservoir of bitterness later, Porter's partners and the crooked cops on his tail learn how bad payback can be.
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Exception to the Rule
as Lawrence Kellerman
An aggressive woman tries to blackmail a married gem trader who had an affair with her.
