Sam Waterston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sam Waterston
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Waterston at the PaleyFest 2013 panel for The Newsroom
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| Born |
Samuel Atkinson Waterston
November 15, 1940 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Barbara Rutledge Johns
(m. 1964; div. 1975)Lynn Louisa Woodruff
(m. 1976) |
| Children | 4, including James and Katherine |
| Awards | Full list |
Samuel Atkinson Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is a famous American actor. He is well-known for his roles in plays, TV shows, and movies. Sam Waterston has won many awards, like an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He was also nominated for an Academy Award and a Tony Award.
His acting career has lasted for over 60 years, performing on both stage and screen. In 2010, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Two years later, in 2012, he was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Waterston studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and the American Actors Workshop. He began his career in theater in New York City, appearing in many Shakespeare plays. He played Abraham Lincoln on Broadway in Abe Lincoln in Illinois in 1993. For this role, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
In movies, he played Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby (1974). He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Sydney Schanberg in The Killing Fields (1984). He also appeared in several Woody Allen films, including Hannah and Her Sisters (1986).
Waterston became very famous for playing Jack McCoy on the NBC crime series Law & Order from 1994 to 2010, and again from 2022 to 2024. For this role, he won a Screen Actors Guild Award. He also played Charlie Skinner in the HBO drama series The Newsroom (2012–2014).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sam Waterston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on November 15, 1940. He was the third of four children. His father, George Chychele Waterston, was a language teacher. His mother, Alice Tucker, was a landscape painter.
Sam's mother had English family roots and was a descendant of passengers from the Mayflower. His father moved to the U.S. from Scotland. Sam has three siblings: Roberta, George, and Ellen.
Waterston went to high school at the Groton School and graduated in 1958. He then earned a college degree from Yale College in 1962.
Acting Career Highlights
Starting Out in Theater and Film (1963–1973)
Sam Waterston is a classically trained actor with many stage performances. In 1962, he made his first appearance on Broadway. He played Jonathan in the play Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad. The next year, he performed in William Shakespeare's As You Like It.
He made his first movie appearance in the 1965 drama The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean. He returned to Broadway in other plays like First One Asleep, Whistle (1966). In 1969, he starred in the play Indians on Broadway.
During this time, Waterston also acted in supporting roles in movies. These included the romantic comedy Fitzwilly (1967) and the comedy Generation (1969). He had a main role in the British romantic drama Three. He also acted in the film Savages. Waterston continued performing in plays like Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing (1972). For this, he won a Drama Desk Award.
Becoming Well-Known (1974–1993)
Waterston often performed in summer theater productions. In 1973, he acted with Katharine Hepburn in the TV drama The Glass Menagerie. He received an Primetime Emmy Award nomination for this role.
In 1974, he played Nick Carraway in the movie The Great Gatsby. He acted alongside Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. For his performance, he received two Golden Globe Award nominations.
He appeared in the comedy film Rancho Deluxe (1975) and the thriller Journey into Fear (1975). In 1977, he acted in the British-American thriller Capricorn One. Also in 1977, he starred in a play of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure with Meryl Streep.
Waterston worked with director Woody Allen for the first time in the drama Interiors (1978). In 1980, he starred in the play Benefactors on Broadway. He also played J. Robert Oppenheimer in the miniseries Oppenheimer (1980). This role earned him nominations for a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award.
In 1984, Waterston played American journalist Sydney Schanberg in the British drama The Killing Fields. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for this role. He worked with Woody Allen again in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989).
He also had a supporting role in The Man in the Moon (1991), which was Reese Witherspoon's first movie. He played President Abraham Lincoln in the miniseries Lincoln (1988). Waterston also voiced Lincoln in the 1990 documentary The Civil War.
From 1991 to 1993, Waterston played a district attorney in the TV series I'll Fly Away. He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama for this role. In 1993, he played Abraham Lincoln on stage again in Abe Lincoln in Illinois. He received nominations for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award.
Law & Order and Continued Success (1994–2010)
In 1994, Waterston began his famous role as Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy on the NBC TV series Law & Order. He played this character, who later became the Manhattan District Attorney, until the show ended in 2010. He was the second longest-serving cast member on the show.
For his role as Jack McCoy, he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. He also received several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. He made guest appearances as McCoy on other crime shows like Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Because of the show's success, Waterston and his co-star Jerry Orbach were called "Living Landmarks" in New York City.
Waterston appeared as a celebrity contestant on Jeopardy! twice. He also made a popular guest appearance on Saturday Night Live in 1995. He played Richard Helms in the political drama Nixon (1995). He also acted in The Proprietor (1996) and Shadow Conspiracy (1997). In 2003, he acted in Le Divorce.
In 2008, Waterston played Polonius in a Shakespeare in the Park production of Hamlet. His performance received good reviews. In 2009, he played Abraham Lincoln in a concert to celebrate Lincoln's 200th birthday.
Established Actor (2011–Present)
Waterston has had several other important TV roles. He played Charlie Skinner in The Newsroom, an HBO series that ran from 2012 to 2014. In 2015, Waterston appeared as Prospero in a Shakespeare in the Park production of The Tempest.
In 2015, Waterston joined the cast of the Netflix series Grace and Frankie. He starred alongside Martin Sheen, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin. His character, Sol, appeared in all seven seasons of the show, which ended in 2022.
In 2017, he played Marshal John Cook in the Netflix western series Godless. Waterston also played George DuPont in the political thriller Miss Sloane. He played Erwin Griswold in the biographical drama On the Basis of Sex, about Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
In 2021, Waterston returned to the revival of Law & Order, playing District Attorney Jack McCoy again. In 2022, he played George Shultz in the Hulu series The Dropout. On February 2, 2024, it was announced that Waterston would be leaving Law & Order after 20 seasons.
Personal Life
Family Life
Sam Waterston married his first wife, Barbara Johns, in 1964. They had one son, actor James Waterston. They divorced in 1975. In 1976, Waterston married his second wife, Lynn Louisa Woodruff. They have three children, including actress Katherine Waterston.
Activism and Beliefs
Waterston is a board member of Oceana, a group that works to protect the oceans. In 2012, he received the Goodermote Humanitarian Award for his support of refugees worldwide. Waterston is also a fan of the Mark Morris Dance Group.
Waterston is a practicing Episcopalian.
Political Involvement
Waterston has been involved in politics. He was a spokesperson for the Unity08 movement, which tried to create a non-partisan presidential ticket in 2008. He had been a Democrat but left the party in 1964. However, he supported Democratic President Barack Obama for re-election in 2012. As of 2016, Waterston is a registered Democrat.
On October 18, 2019, Waterston was arrested outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. He was protesting the Trump administration's policies on climate change with his Grace and Frankie co-star Jane Fonda.
Awards and Recognition
Waterston was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in The Killing Fields (1984). He also received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe Award nominations for I'll Fly Away, winning a Golden Globe in 1994.
He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1994 for his performance in Abe Lincoln in Illinois. For his role as Jack McCoy in Law & Order, Waterston received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award nomination. He also received 11 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Law & Order, winning one in 1999.
In 2003, Waterston received the Richard Nelson Current Award of Achievement. In 2010, he received the 2,397th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2012, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
In 2022, the Japanese composer Eiko Ishibashi created an album called 'For McCoy' to honor his portrayal of prosecutor Jack McCoy. On May 27, 2024, Waterston was made an honorary class member of Princeton University.
See also
In Spanish: Sam Waterston para niños
