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William Atherton

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.

Highest rated movies

95% 88% Ghostbusters 94% 94% Die Hard 87% 66% The Sugarland Express
83% 81% Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
77% 83% Real Genius
71% 40% Race to Space
69% 70% Die Hard 2
67% 61% The Girl Next Door

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Not the Science Type Cinematographer - 2021
100% 100% Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters Self - 2019
No Score Yet 23% Clinical Terry (Character) - 2017
18% 31% Jinn Father Westhoff (Character) $149.3K 2014
No Score Yet 57% The Citizen Winston (Character) - 2013
No Score Yet 22% Jersey Shore Shark Attack Dolan (Character) - 2012
38% 47% 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 3% Ghouls Unknown (Character) - 2008
No Score Yet 50% Black Crescent Moon Jo Dexton (Character) - 2008
No Score Yet 47% Kush King (Character) - 2007
11% 50% Towards Darkness John King (Character) - 2007
67% 61% The Girl Next Door Adult David Moran (Character) - 2007
50% 20% Headspace Dr. Ira Gold (Character) - 2005
No Score Yet 27% Into the Sun Agent Block (Character) - 2005
66% 83% The Last Samurai Winchester Rep (Character) $111.1M 2003
No Score Yet No Score Yet Burning Down the House Arthur Kranston (Character) - 2001
71% 40% Race to Space Stanton (Character) - 2001
18% 43% The Crow: Salvation Nathan Randall (Character) - 2000
83% 81% Introducing Dorothy Dandridge Darryl Zanuck (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet Butterfly Legend Arthur (Character) - 1999
33% 42% Mad City Dohlen (Character) $10.6M 1997
No Score Yet No Score Yet Executive Power President John Fields (Character) - 1997
43% 66% 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% 51% Bio-Dome Dr. Noah Faulkner (Character) $12.2M 1996
No Score Yet 80% Raven Hawk Philip Thorne (Character) - 1996
No Score Yet 50% Saints and Sinners Terence McCone (Character) - 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet Broken Trust Roemer (Character) - 1995
20% 54% Frank and Jesse Allan Pinkerton (Character) - 1995
0% 34% Virus Dr. Reginald Holloway (Character) - 1995
55% 61% 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% 64% Oscar Overton (Character) $23.5M 1991
No Score Yet 51% Buried Alive Cortland "Cort" van Owen (Character) - 1990
69% 70% Die Hard 2 Richard Thornburg (Character) $115.3M 1990
No Score Yet 43% Grim Prairie Tales Arthur (Character) - 1990
94% 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% 28% No Mercy Allan Deveneux (Character) $11.3M 1986
77% 83% Real Genius Prof. Jerry Hathaway (Character) $130.8K 1985
95% 88% 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% 74% Looking for Mr. Goodbar James (Character) - 1977
63% 75% The Day of the Locust Tod Hackett (Character) - 1975
31% 39% The Hindenburg Boerth (Character) - 1975
87% 66% The Sugarland Express Clovis Michael Poplin (Character) - 1974
No Score Yet 10% Class of '44 Fraternity President (Character) - 1973
60% 62% 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