Bob Gunton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bob Gunton
Gunton in 1963
Born	Robert Patrick Gunton Jr. (1945-11-15) November 15, 1945 (age 79) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Paulist Seminary St Peter's College University of California, Irvine
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1965–present

Robert Patrick Gunton Jr. (born November 15, 1945) is an American actor. He is known for playing characters who are often in charge or have a lot of authority. Some of his famous roles include Warden Samuel Norton in the movie The Shawshank Redemption and Chief George Earle in Demolition Man. He also played Dr. Walcott in Patch Adams and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in Argo.

On television, he played Leland Owlsley in the Daredevil series. He was also Secretary of Defense Ethan Kanin in 24 and Noah Taylor in Desperate Housewives. Besides movies and TV, Bob Gunton has had a long career in theater. He played Juan Perón in the first Broadway show of Evita. He also played the main character in the 1989 show Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. For these roles, he was nominated for Tony Awards. He has also won other awards like the Drama Desk Award and the Obie Award.

Early Life and Service

Where did Bob Gunton grow up?

Bob Gunton was born in Santa Monica, California. His mother was Rose Marie, and his father was Robert Patrick Gunton Sr., who was a leader in a workers' group. Bob went to Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. He also studied at Paulist Seminary St Peter's College and the University of California, Irvine. Bob is a lifelong Catholic and first thought about becoming a priest.

What did Bob Gunton do in the Vietnam War?

Bob Gunton served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1971. He was a radio operator with the 101st Airborne Division. He was part of the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord in South Vietnam. This battle was a tough 23-day fight.

He and a friend were given the Bronze Star Medal for being very brave. They went back to the base to get important radios during the final moments of evacuation. This made sure the radios did not fall into enemy hands. Because of this, he was one of the last people to leave the base. During the battle, he lost one of his dog tags, which are like ID tags for soldiers. It was returned to him more than 40 years later in 2018.

Acting Career Highlights

What are Bob Gunton's famous theater roles?

Bob Gunton played Juan Perón in the first Broadway show of Evita in 1980. This role earned him a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He also starred as the main character in a 1989 Broadway show of Sweeney Todd. He received another Tony Award nomination for this performance. He has also been in other plays like Working and Big River.

What are Bob Gunton's notable film and TV roles?

Bob Gunton is well-known for playing Warden Samuel Norton in the 1994 movie The Shawshank Redemption. In this film, he played the head of Shawshank State Prison. He also played President Richard Nixon in a TV special about the Watergate tapes.

He was also in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded" as Captain Benjamin Maxwell. Bob Gunton played President Woodrow Wilson in the 2004 film Iron Jawed Angels. He also appeared as Cecil Dobbs in the 2011 movie The Lincoln Lawyer.

On television, he was a guest star in Desperate Housewives. He also played United States Secretary of Defense Ethan Kanin in the sixth season of 24. He later became a regular cast member, playing Kanin as the White House Chief of Staff and then as the United States Secretary of State. In 2015, Gunton played Leland Owlsley in the TV series Daredevil. In 2021, he helped bring back the character Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters: Afterlife using special effects.

Stage Performances

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

See also

In Spanish: Bob Gunton para niños