William Atherton
Highest Rated: 100% Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019)
Lowest Rated: 0% Virus (1995)
Birthday: Jul 30, 1947
Birthplace: Orange, Connecticut, USA
A pale, fair-haired, lanky performer, William Atherton first distinguished himself in the theater. After becoming the youngest member of the Long Wharf Theater Company (New Haven, Connecticut) while still a high school student, he went on to off-Broadway where he originated the part of Ronnie Shaughnessy in John Guare's "The House of Blue Leaves," as well as the title roles of David Rabe's "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" (both 1971) and David Wiltse's "Suggs in the City" (1972). That year also saw him make his Broadway debut in the short-lived "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window" and his feature debut in "The New Centurions." Often cast as weaklings or high-strung characters, Atherton attracted attention as the likably charismatic escaped convict husband of Goldie Hawn in Steven Spielberg's "The Sugarland Express" (1974) and struck the correct balance of ambition and bewilderment as the aspiring art director whose perceptions of Hollywood shape John Schlesinger's "The Day of the Locust" (1975). He also turned up as a persistent suitor of Diane Keaton in "Looking For Mr. Goodbar" (1977), his last feature for seven years.
Photos
William Atherton
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Not the Science Type | Cinematographer | - | 2021 |
100% |
|
Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters | Self | - | 2019 |
No Score Yet |
|
Clinical | Terry (Character) | - | 2017 |
18% |
|
Jinn | Father Westhoff (Character) | $149.3K | 2014 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Citizen | Winston (Character) | - | 2013 |
No Score Yet |
|
Jersey Shore Shark Attack | Dolan (Character) | - | 2012 |
38% |
|
Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie | Earle Swinter (Character) | $200.8K | 2012 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Getting Back to Zero | Unknown (Character) | - | 2011 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Kane Files | Daniel Morgan (Character) | - | 2010 |
No Score Yet |
|
Ghouls | Unknown (Character) | - | 2008 |
No Score Yet |
|
Black Crescent Moon | Jo Dexton (Character) | - | 2008 |
No Score Yet |
|
Kush | King (Character) | - | 2007 |
11% |
|
Towards Darkness | John King (Character) | - | 2007 |
67% |
|
The Girl Next Door | Adult David Moran (Character) | - | 2007 |
50% |
|
Headspace | Dr. Ira Gold (Character) | - | 2005 |
No Score Yet |
|
Into the Sun | Agent Block (Character) | - | 2005 |
66% |
|
The Last Samurai | Winchester Rep (Character) | $111.1M | 2003 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Burning Down the House | Arthur Kranston (Character) | - | 2001 |
71% |
|
Race to Space | Stanton (Character) | - | 2001 |
18% |
|
The Crow: Salvation | Nathan Randall (Character) | - | 2000 |
83% |
|
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge | Darryl Zanuck (Character) | - | 1999 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Butterfly Legend | Arthur (Character) | - | 1999 |
33% |
|
Mad City | Dohlen (Character) | $10.6M | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Executive Power | President John Fields (Character) | - | 1997 |
43% |
|
Hoodlum | Thomas Dewey (Character) | $23.5M | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Michael Kael Contre la World News Company | James Denit (Character) | - | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Michael Kael vs. the World News Company | James Denit (Character) | - | 1997 |
4% |
|
Bio-Dome | Dr. Noah Faulkner (Character) | $12.2M | 1996 |
No Score Yet |
|
Raven Hawk | Philip Thorne (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet |
|
Saints and Sinners | Terence McCone (Character) | - | 1995 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Broken Trust | Roemer (Character) | - | 1995 |
20% |
|
Frank and Jesse | Allan Pinkerton (Character) | - | 1995 |
0% |
|
Virus | Dr. Reginald Holloway (Character) | - | 1995 |
55% |
|
The Pelican Brief | Bob Gminski (Character) | $100.7M | 1993 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Diagnosis of Murder | Eric Walker (Character) | - | 1992 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Chrome Soldiers | Sheriff Blackwell (Character) | - | 1992 |
11% |
|
Oscar | Overton (Character) | $23.5M | 1991 |
No Score Yet |
|
Buried Alive | Cortland "Cort" van Owen (Character) | - | 1990 |
69% |
|
Die Hard 2 | Richard Thornburg (Character) | $115.3M | 1990 |
No Score Yet |
|
Grim Prairie Tales | Arthur (Character) | - | 1990 |
94% |
|
Die Hard | Richard Thornburg (Character) | $82.3M | 1988 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Intrigue | Doggett (Character) | - | 1988 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Fight for Jenny | Michael Rosen (Character) | - | 1986 |
31% |
|
No Mercy | Allan Deveneux (Character) | $11.3M | 1986 |
77% |
|
Real Genius | Prof. Jerry Hathaway (Character) | $130.8K | 1985 |
95% |
|
Ghostbusters | Walter Peck (Character) | $298.5M | 1984 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Malibu | Stan Harvey (Character) | - | 1983 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Tomorrow's Child | Jim Spence (Character) | - | 1982 |
61% |
|
Looking for Mr. Goodbar | James (Character) | - | 1977 |
63% |
|
The Day of the Locust | Tod Hackett (Character) | - | 1975 |
31% |
|
The Hindenburg | Boerth (Character) | - | 1975 |
87% |
|
The Sugarland Express | Clovis Michael Poplin (Character) | - | 1974 |
No Score Yet |
|
Class of '44 | Fraternity President (Character) | - | 1973 |
60% |
|
The New Centurions | Johnson (Character) | - | 1972 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
82% | 87% | Castle | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2011 |
78% | 83% | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ned Bogden (Guest Star) | 2010 |
86% | 90% | Lost | Principal Reynolds (Guest Star) | 2010 |
70% | 93% | Life | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2008-2009 |
89% | 87% | Monk | Commander Nathan Whitaker (Guest Star) | 2008 |
No Score Yet | 93% | Numb3ers | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2007 |
86% | 91% | Boston Legal | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2005 |
No Score Yet | 83% | Law & Order | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2002 2004 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Practice | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 1999 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Outer Limits | Franklin Murdoch (Character) | 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Nash Bridges | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1996 |
No Score Yet | 89% | Murder, She Wrote | Greg Dalton (Guest Star) | 1985 1987 1991 |
82% | 90% | Tales From the Crypt | Unknown (Character) | 1991 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Equalizer | Gideon (Guest Star) | 1989 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Centennial | Jim Lloyd (Character) | 1978-1979 |