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Sam Waterston
Highest Rated: 93% The Killing Fields (1984)
Lowest Rated: 7% Shadow Conspiracy (1997)
Birthday: Nov 15, 1940
Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
An award-winning theater actor since the early 1970s, Sam Waterston became the soul of honesty, compassion and dedication through his portrayals of Abraham Lincoln in "Gore Vidal's Lincoln" (NBC, 1988) and his 16-year tenure as District Attorney Jack McCoy on "Law and Order" (NBC, 1990-2010). Blessed with a speaking voice that seemed imbued with these same qualities, he found his best showcases in earnest roles that required him to grapple with major issues, like Nick Carraway in "The Great Gatsby" (1974), physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in "Oppenheimer" (PBS, 1980), and journalist Sydney Schanberg in "The Killing Fields" (1984), which earned him an Oscar nomination. Television gave him his most memorable roles - in addition to Lincoln in the Vidal play and in "The Civil War" (PBS, 1990), he was the beloved father and lawyer in "I'll Fly Away" (NBC, 1991-93) and the prickly yet passionate McCoy on "Law and Order" and its many spin-offs. Admired for over four decades by critics, audiences and peers alike, Waterston was a star that eschewed the trappings of fame for the beauty of a great role.
Photos
Filmography
Movies
| Credit | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Man in the Woods | Headmaster Waldorf (Character) | - | 2020 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story | Self | - | 2020 |
| 72% | 76% | On the Basis of Sex | Erwin Griswold (Character) | $24.7M | 2018 |
| No Score Yet | 67% | The Mayo Clinic: Faith - Hope - Science | Unknown (Character) | - | 2018 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators | Narrator | - | 2017 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dateline: Saigon | Narrator | - | 2016 |
| 76% | 72% | Miss Sloane | George Dupont (Character) | $3.5M | 2016 |
| 27% | 50% | Anesthesia | Prof. Walter Zarrow (Character) | $22.4K | 2015 |
| No Score Yet | 43% | Please Be Normal | Dad (Character) | - | 2013 |
| No Score Yet | 86% | Cooper & Hemingway: The True Gen | Narrator | - | 2013 |
| 36% | 26% | Le Divorce | Chester Walker (Character) | $9.1M | 2003 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Commission | J. Lee Rankin (Character) | - | 2003 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Matthew Shepard Story | Dennis Shepard (Character) | - | 2002 |
| No Score Yet | 57% | A House Divided |
David Dickson (Character), Producer |
- | 2000 |
| No Score Yet | 54% | Exiled: A Law & Order Movie | Jack McCoy (Character) | - | 1998 |
| No Score Yet | 68% | Miracle at Midnight | Dr. Karl Koster (Character) | - | 1998 |
| 7% | 17% | Shadow Conspiracy | The President (Character) | $2.3M | 1997 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Proprietor | Harry Bancroft (Character) | $113.6K | 1996 |
| 57% | 70% | The Journey of August King |
Mooney Wright (Character), Producer |
$6.0K | 1995 |
| No Score Yet | 34% | The Enemy Within | President William Foster (Character) | - | 1994 |
| No Score Yet | 62% | David's Mother | John Nils (Character) | - | 1994 |
| 63% | 72% | Serial Mom | Eugene Sutphin, D.D.S. (Character) | $6.8M | 1994 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | David | John Nils (Character) | - | 1994 |
| No Score Yet | 27% | Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker | Daniel Chamberlain (Character) | - | 1994 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | I'll Fly Away: Then and Now | Forrest Bedford (Character) | - | 1993 |
| 91% | 85% | The Man in the Moon | Matthew Trant (Character) | $2.2M | 1991 |
| 78% | 88% | Mindwalk | Jack Edwards (Character) | $7.6K | 1991 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | I'll Fly Away | Forrest Bedford (Character) | - | 1991 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Amazing Stories: The Movie IV | Jordan Manmouth (Character) | - | 1991 |
| No Score Yet | 92% | Lantern Hill | Andrew Stuart (Character) | - | 1990 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Captive in the Land | Royce (Character) | - | 1990 |
| No Score Yet | 62% | Welcome Home | Woody (Character) | $830.7K | 1989 |
| 92% | 91% | Crimes and Misdemeanors | Ben (Character) | $17.6M | 1989 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Nightmare Years | Bill Shirer (Character) | - | 1989 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami | Jim Delmore (Character) | - | 1987 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Room Upstairs | Travis Coles (Character) | - | 1987 |
| 63% | 52% | September | Peter (Character) | $404.8K | 1987 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Devil's Paradise | Jones (Character) | - | 1987 |
| 33% | 52% | Just Between Friends | Harry Crandall (Character) | $5.9M | 1986 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Certain Desire | Inspecteur Gerry Morrison (Character) | - | 1986 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Fifth Missile | Capt. Allard Renslow (Character) | - | 1986 |
| 20% | 43% | Warning Sign | Cal Morse (Character) | - | 1985 |
| No Score Yet | 80% | Finnegan Begin Again | Paul Broadbent (Character) | - | 1985 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Love Lives On | Bernie (Character) | - | 1985 |
| 93% | 91% | The Killing Fields | Sydney Schanberg (Character) | - | 1984 |
| No Score Yet | 40% | Dempsey | Doc Kearns (Character) | - | 1983 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | In Defense of Kids | Paul Wilcox (Character) | - | 1983 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Games Mother Never Taught You | David Bentells (Character) | - | 1982 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Sweet William | William McClusky (Character) | - | 1980 |
| 57% | 54% | Heaven's Gate | Frank Canton (Character) | - | 1980 |
| 81% | 78% | Hopscotch | Cutter (Character) | - | 1980 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Downtown Farmer | Felix (Character) | - | 1980 |
| No Score Yet | 69% | Friendly Fire | C.D. Bryan (Character) | - | 1979 |
| No Score Yet | 26% | Eagle's Wing | White Bull (Character) | - | 1979 |
| 65% | 58% | Capricorn One | Peter Willis (Character) | - | 1978 |
| 78% | 79% | Interiors | Mike (Character) | - | 1978 |
| No Score Yet | 0% | Sweet Revenge | Le Clerq (Character) | - | 1976 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dandy, the All-American Girl | Le Clerq (Character) | - | 1976 |
| 73% | 40% | Rancho Deluxe | Cecil Colson (Character) | - | 1975 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mahoney's Last Stand | Felix (Character) | - | 1975 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Journey Into Fear | Mr. Graham (Character) | - | 1975 |
| 39% | 47% | The Great Gatsby | Nick Carraway (Character) | - | 1974 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Reflections of Murder | Michael Elliott (Character) | - | 1974 |
| No Score Yet | 65% | The Glass Menagerie | Tom Wingfield (Character) | - | 1973 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Who Killed Mary What's 'er Name? | Alex (Character) | - | 1971 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Cover Me Babe | Cameraman (Character) | - | 1970 |
| No Score Yet | 33% | Three | Taylor (Character) | - | 1969 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Time for Giving | Desmond (Character) | - | 1969 |
| No Score Yet | 66% | Fitzwilly | Oliver (Character) | - | 1967 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean | Andy (Character) | - | 1966 |
TV
| Credit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? | Guest | 2024 |
| No Score Yet | 83% | Law & Order | Exec. Asst. D.A. Jack McCoy (Character) | 1994-2010 2022-2024 |
| No Score Yet | 10% | The View | Guest | 2015 2022 |
| 90% | 87% | Grace and Frankie | Sol (Character) | 2015-2022 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Visionaries | Host | 2013-2020 2022 |
| No Score Yet | 48% | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | Guest | 2020 2022 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Guest | 2020 |
| 78% | 81% | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Jack McCoy (Guest Star) | 2007 2010 2018 |
| 83% | 85% | Godless | John Cook (Character) | 2017 |
| No Score Yet | 91% | The Newsroom | Charlie Skinner (Character) | 2012-2014 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Rachael Ray | Guest | 2008 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Colbert Report | Guest | 2007 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Stephen Hawking's Sci Fi Masters | Havelman (Character) | 2007 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2005 |
| No Score Yet | 65% | Family Guy | Dr. Kaplan (Guest Voice) | 2000 |
| 91% | 90% | Homicide: Life on the Street | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 1999 |
| 82% | 96% | Tales From the Crypt | Unknown (Character) | 1993 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | I'll Fly Away | D.A. Forrest Bedford (Character) | 1991-1993 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Civil War | Abraham Lincoln (Voice) | 1990 |
| No Score Yet | 82% | Amazing Stories | Unknown (Character) | 1986 |