William Fichtner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Fichtner
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Fichtner in 2018
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William Edward Fichtner
November 27, 1956 Mitchel Air Force Base, New York, U.S.
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| Education | Farmingdale State College (AS) SUNY Brockport (BS) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
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| Children | 2 |
William Edward Fichtner (born November 27, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for playing many different kinds of characters in movies and TV shows. He started his career with smaller roles in films like Virtuosity (1995) and Heat (1995).
William Fichtner has appeared in many popular movies. These include Contact (1997), Armageddon (1998), Black Hawk Down (2001), and Crash (2004). He also played important roles in TV series. He was Sheriff Tom Underlay in Invasion. Later, he became well-known as Alexander Mahone in Prison Break and Adam Janikowski in Mom.
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Early Life and Education
William Fichtner was born on Mitchel Air Force Base in New York. He grew up in a town called Cheektowaga, New York, near Buffalo. His parents are Patricia A. and William Frederick Fichtner. His family has German roots.
He finished Maryvale High School in 1974. He then went to Farmingdale State College and earned a degree in criminal justice in 1976. After that, he studied at the State University of New York at Brockport. He got another degree in criminal justice in 1978.
William Fichtner discovered acting by chance. He took an improvisation class to fulfill a school requirement. His professor saw his talent and encouraged him to take more acting classes. He then decided to study acting seriously at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. In 2008, Farmingdale State College gave him an honorary doctorate degree. He said that a college counselor helped him decide to pursue acting.
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Acting Career Highlights
William Fichtner began his acting journey on TV. He played Rod Landry in the show As the World Turns starting in 1987. Since then, he has been in many movies and TV shows. He is often called a "character actor." This means he is great at playing many different types of roles.
Famous Movie Roles
William Fichtner has been in many memorable films. He played a scientist in Contact. He was a tough colonel in the space adventure Armageddon. He also appeared in the action movie Black Hawk Down. In the movie Crash, his role helped the cast win a special award for their acting. He also played the bank manager in The Dark Knight. More recently, he was Eric Sacks, also known as The Shredder, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014).
Television and Video Game Work
On television, William Fichtner starred as Sheriff Tom Underlay in the sci-fi series Invasion. After that, he became very well-known for playing the smart FBI Agent Alexander Mahone in Prison Break. He was also a main character, Adam Janikowski, in the comedy series Mom from 2016 to 2021.
Besides movies and TV, William Fichtner has lent his voice to video games. He voiced Ken Rosenberg in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He also voiced Master Sergeant Sandman in the popular game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
Personal Life
William Fichtner is a big fan of the NFL team, the Buffalo Bills. He even appeared in a commercial for them. He also narrated a documentary called Four Falls of Buffalo. This film was about the Buffalo Bills playing in four Super Bowls in a row. He is good friends with actors Kim Coates and Eric Bana, who he worked with on Black Hawk Down.
Awards and Recognitions
William Fichtner has received several awards and nominations for his acting.
- In 2005, he was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television for his role in Invasion.
- He won an award at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival in 2017 for his acting in The Neighbor.
- In 2021, he was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on Mom.
See also
In Spanish: William Fichtner para niños
