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Bob Gunton

Highest Rated: 96% Argo (2012)

Lowest Rated: 0% Live at the Foxes Den (2013)

Birthday: Nov 15, 1945

Birthplace: Santa Monica, California, USA

Like all good character actors, Bob Gunton is probably known more by his face than his name - his craggy, often impassive visage has essayed a score of tough, taciturn, often morally questionable men, the best known of which was the cold-hearted warden in "The Shawshank Redemption." But the California native has given life to a wide variety of roles during his four decades as an actor, including several award-winning musical performances on Broadway and in several comedies, including "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" on the big screen and the cult series "Greg the Bunny" (2002) on the small screen. Born Robert Gunton, Jr. in Santa Monica, CA on Nov. 15, 1945, he attended St. Peter's College in Maryland and the University of California at Irvine, graduating in 1968. Soon after, the young man served in the Army from 1969 to 1971, where he received the Viet Service Medal and Bronze Star for Valor. Upon his return to civilian life, Gunton gravitated towards theater work; his earliest credit is the off-Broadway production "Who Am I?" in 1971. Over the next decade, he amassed an impressive list of stage credits in dramas, comedies, and musicals, including "King of Hearts," "Evita" (opposite Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin), "Big River," "How I Got That Story," and the 1989 revival of "Sweeney Todd." For his work, Gunton received a Drama Desk Award in 1980 for "Evita" and an Obie that same year for "How I Got That Story," as well as Tony nominations for "Evita" and "Sweeney Todd." Gunton began working in front of cameras in the early 1980s, starting with a supporting role in Alan J. Pakula's "Rollover" (1981). He would divide his time between film and television for the next decade, with occasional inroads onto a TV series, including a stint on the little-seen sketch improv show "Comedy Zone" (CBS, 1983-84) which also featured Joe Mantegna and Mark Linn-Baker. Gunton's screen persona was quickly established during this period; he was drawn to and effectively portrayed strong-willed men of power - like Jacqueline Bouvier's stepfather Hugh Auchincloss in "A Woman Called Jackie" (NBC, 1991), Governor George Wallace in "Unconquered" (CBS, 1989) - or calculating heels, like his villainous company spy in John Sayles' "Matewan" (1987). He also covered his share of military men ("Glory" (1989) and "Mission of the Shark" (CBS, 1991)) and government types ("The Public Eye" (1992)), before catching the attention of Oliver Stone, who cast him in smaller roles in "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) and "JFK" (1991). Higher profile projects seemed to follow, including turns in Stone's miniseries "Wild Palms" (ABC, 1993), "Patriot Games" (1992), the excellent Charles Starkweather biopic "Murder in the Heartland" (ABC, 1993), and the TV miniseries "Sinatra" (CBS, 1992) in which he played bandleader Tommy Dorsey. In 1994, Gunton caught audiences' attention as Warden Norton in Frank Darabont's "The Shawshank Redemption," an adaptation of a Stephen King novella that developed a sizable following in the decade after its release. Gunton's roles grew somewhat meatier after "Shawshank," though his characters remained essentially the same - he played Franklin D. Roosevelt in the TV movie "Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long" (TNT, 1995), Richard Nixon in the comic revisionist TV movie "Elvis Meets Nixon" (Showtime, 1997) and prosecuting attorney Finley Largent in Clint Eastwood's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" (1997). Gunton also appeared in the feature films "The Perfect Storm" (1999), John Woo's "Broken Arrow" (1996), and perhaps his most hissable antagonist in the Robin Williams melodrama, "Patch Adams" (1998). Gunton also logged considerable hours on episodic television and made-for-TV features, including recurring roles on "Nip/Tuck" (FX 2003-2010) and "Desperate Housewives" (ABC 2004-2012), as well as a turn as Woodrow Wilson in the HBO production "Iron-Jawed Angels" (2004). He also appeared in high profile films including "I Heart Huckabees" (2004), Matthew McConaughey's comeback vehicle "The Lincoln Lawyer" (2011), Best Picture Oscar winner "Argo" (2012), and miner rescue drama "The 33" (2015). He also began a recurring role on the comic book series "Daredevil" (Netflix 2015- ) as supervillain Leland Owlsley.

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Highest rated movies

96% 90% Argo Watchlist 95% 93% Glory Watchlist
94% 93% Matewan
Watchlist
89% 98% The Shawshank Redemption
Watchlist
86% 82% Dolores Claiborne
Watchlist
86% 90% 61*
Watchlist
83% 82% The Lincoln Lawyer Watchlist
80% 67% 24: Redemption
Watchlist
80% 68% Get the Gringo
Watchlist
72% 73% Fracture Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
38% 28% The Inheritance Charles Abernathy (Character) - 2024
40% 73% Unbroken: Path to Redemption Major Zeigler (Character) $6.2M 2018
No Score Yet 31% The List Mr. Stern (Character) - 2018
No Score Yet 75% Mountain Top Maxwell Forrest (Character) - 2017
48% 59% The 33 President Sebastián Piñera (Character) $12.0M 2015
No Score Yet 58% Larry Gaye: Renegade Male Flight Attendant Flight School Instructor (Character) - 2015
54% 42% Decoding Annie Parker Dr. Benton (Character) $39.9K 2013
No Score Yet No Score Yet Highland Park Burt (Character) - 2013
0% 69% Live at the Foxes Den Tony O'Hara (Character) - 2013
8% 33% Runner Runner University Dean (Character) $19.3M 2013
No Score Yet 50% Jimmy Sheriff Brinson (Character) - 2013
96% 90% Argo Cyrus Vance (Character) $136.0M 2012
51% 66% Trouble With the Curve Watson (Character) $35.8M 2012
80% 68% Get the Gringo Thomas Kaufman (Character) - 2012
83% 82% The Lincoln Lawyer Cecil Dobbs (Character) $58.0M 2011
No Score Yet 29% The Trial Joe Whetstone (Character) $19.2K 2010
No Score Yet 33% Tenure William Thurber (Character) - 2009
80% 67% 24: Redemption Ethan Kanin (Character) - 2008
60% 44% The Lazarus Project Father Ezra (Character) - 2008
No Score Yet 16% Player 5150 Nick Villa (Character) - 2008
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Least of These Father Thomas Peters (Character) - 2008
No Score Yet 55% Numb Dr. Townshend (Character) - 2007
72% 73% Fracture Judge Frank Gardner (Character) $39.0M 2007
21% 51% Dead Silence Edward Ashen (Character) $16.5M 2007
No Score Yet 32% Pandemic Dr. Max Sorkosky (Character) - 2007
60% 74% Believe in Me Hugh Moreland (Character) $208.6K 2006
No Score Yet No Score Yet Ichabod! Baltus Van Tassel (Character) - 2004
56% 89% Iron Jawed Angels President Woodrow Wilson (Character) - 2004
63% 75% I Heart Huckabees Mr. Silver (Character) $12.8M 2004
No Score Yet 46% Judas High Priest Caiaphas (Character) - 2004
56% 61% Dallas 362 Joe (Character) $18.9K 2003
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Pact James (Character) - 2002
No Score Yet 56% When Billie Beat Bobby Jerry Perenchio (Character) - 2001
86% 90% 61* Dan Topping (Character) - 2001
50% 12% Scenes of the Crime Steven (Character) - 2001
46% 64% The Perfect Storm Alexander McAnally III (Character) $182.6M 2000
14% 30% Running Mates Sen. Terrence Randall (Character) - 2000
17% 14% Bats Dr. Alexander McCabe (Character) $10.1M 1999
21% 73% Patch Adams Dean Walcott (Character) $135.0M 1998
No Score Yet 75% Elvis Meets Nixon Richard M. Nixon (Character) - 1997
No Score Yet 59% Buffalo Soldiers Col. Grierson (Character) - 1997
No Score Yet 22% Changing Habits Bishop Creighton (Character) - 1997
53% 44% Broken Arrow Pritchett (Character) $70.6M 1996
11% 38% The Glimmer Man Frank Deverell (Character) $20.4M 1996
No Score Yet 85% In Pursuit of Honor Col. John Hardesty (Character) - 1995
86% 82% Dolores Claiborne Mr. Pease (Character) $22.8M 1995
21% 72% Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls Burton Quinn (Character) $107.5M 1995
No Score Yet 36% Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long Franklin D. Roosevelt (Character) - 1995
89% 98% The Shawshank Redemption Warden Samuel Norton (Character) $27.3M 1994
No Score Yet 56% Roswell Frank Joyce (Character) - 1994
64% 67% Demolition Man Chief George Earle (Character) $57.2M 1993
10% 34% Father Hood Lazzaro (Character) $3.3M 1993
No Score Yet 60% Wild Palms Unknown (Character) - 1993
No Score Yet 70% Murder in the Heartland Governor Anderson (Character) - 1993
61% 51% The Public Eye Older Agent (Character) $3.0M 1992
No Score Yet 62% Sinatra Tommy Dorsey (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet 33% Missing Pieces Mr. Gabor (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet 54% Mission of the Shark Chaplain (Character) - 1991
No Score Yet 14% Judgment Monsignor Beauvais (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Bride in Black Sydney (Character) - 1990
13% 38% Cookie Richie Segretto (Character) $1.4M 1989
95% 93% Glory Gen. Harker (Character) $25.5M 1989
58% 37% The Pick-Up Artist Fernando Portacarrero (Character) $11.6M 1987
94% 93% Matewan C.E. Lively (Character) $23.9K 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal Harry Gibbs (Character) - 1982
70% 38% Rollover Sal Naftari (Character) - 1981

TV

Credit
95% 89% Elementary Frederick Wentz (Guest Star) 2019
65% 79% The Cool Kids Colonel Christianson (Guest Star) 2019
91% 79% The Blacklist Unknown (Guest Star) 2018
88% 87% Trial & Error Jeremiah Jefferson Davis (Guest Star) 2017
78% 83% Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Lawrence Hendricks Sr. (Guest Star) 2017
94% 78% Royal Pains General William Collins (Guest Star) 2010-2013 2016
92% 89% Marvel's Daredevil Leland Owlsley (Character) 2015
76% 76% Trophy Wife Francis Harrison (Guest Star) 2014
95% 85% New Girl Ed (Guest Star) 2014
67% 64% Up All Night Unknown (Guest Star) 2012
No Score Yet 64% Family Guy Warden (Guest Voice) 2011
42% 27% Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviour Marshall Phelps (Guest Star) 2011
No Score Yet 90% The Mentalist Alexander Harrington (Guest Star) 2010
87% 87% 24 Ethan Kanin (Character),
Unknown (Guest Star)
2007 2009-2010
86% 90% Boston Legal Attorney William Connolly (Guest Star) 2008
No Score Yet No Score Yet Women's Murder Club Unknown (Guest Star) 2007
No Score Yet No Score Yet Pandemic Dr. Max Sorkosky (Character) 2007
No Score Yet 93% Numb3ers Boyd Resnick (Guest Star) 2006
No Score Yet No Score Yet Courthouse Judge Homer Conklin (Character) 1995 2006
72% 89% Desperate Housewives Noah Taylor (Guest Star) 2004-2006
74% 82% Nip/Tuck Agent Sagamore (Guest Star) 2005
No Score Yet No Score Yet Greg the Bunny Junction Jack Mars (Character) 2002 2004
92% 80% Veronica Mars Unknown (Guest Star) 2004
89% 88% Monk Dwight Ellison (Guest Star) 2004
No Score Yet No Score Yet Judging Amy Unknown (Guest Star) 2003-2004
No Score Yet 80% CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Director Robert Carvallo (Guest Star) 2003
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mister Sterling Unknown (Guest Star) 2003
No Score Yet No Score Yet Touched by an Angel Unknown (Character) 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet Family Law Unknown (Guest Star) 2000
61% 78% Ally McBeal Unknown (Guest Star) 1998
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Outer Limits Clute Nichols (Character) 1998
No Score Yet No Score Yet Wild Palms Unknown (Character) 1993
No Score Yet No Score Yet Sinatra Unknown (Character) 1992
92% 90% Star Trek: The Next Generation Capt. Benjamin Maxwell (Guest Star) 1991
No Score Yet 83% Law & Order Unknown (Guest Star) 1990
71% 89% Miami Vice Unknown (Guest Star) 1988
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Equalizer Cronin (Guest Star) 1985