William Forsythe (actor)
William Forsythe (born June 7, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of tough-guy, criminal characters, and has starred in films such as Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Raising Arizona (1987), Dick Tracy (1990), Gotti (1996), The Rock (1996), and The Devil's Rejects (2005). He has also played recurring characters in television series such as Boardwalk Empire (2010) and Justified (2010).
William Forsythe | |
|---|---|
 Forsythe in 2007 | |
| Born | June 7, 1955 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978–present |
Forsythe was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in the indie film The Waterdance.
Early life
William Forsythe was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Billy Gene Forsythe (1932–2010) and Anita Elena Castellano (1938–).
Career
Forsythe started out in minor film roles and guest appearances in high-rated TV shows including CHiPs (1977), Hill Street Blues (1981) and T. J. Hooker (1982). He appeared in Once Upon a Time in America (1984), co-starred with John Goodman in Raising Arizona (1987) and as a renegade soldier in Extreme Prejudice.
Forsythe also portrayed comic book villain "Flattop" in Dick Tracy (1990), co-starred with Steven Seagal in Out for Justice (1991) and appeared with former National Football League player Brian Bosworth in the biker action film Stone Cold (1991). He portrayed Al Capone in the short-lived '90s revival of the classic '60s TV crime show The Untouchables (1993), and also starred in The Waterdance (1992) and the film noir Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995). Forsythe portrayed real-life mobster "Sammy The Bull" Gravano in Gotti (1996) and supported another ex-NFL player's foray into film acting when L.A. Raider Howie Long debuted in Firestorm (1998).
Forsythe portrayed serial killer John Wayne Gacy in Dear Mr. Gacy, a film adaptation of The Last Victim, the memoirs of Jason Moss, a college student who corresponded with Gacy his last year on death row. The film was released in 2010.[1]
Filmography
Films
- Long Shot (1978) as Billy
- King of the Mountain (1981) as Tom 'Big Tom'
- Smokey Bites the Dust (As 'Bill Forsythe', 1981) as Kenny
- The Man Who Wasn't There (1983) as 'Pug Face Crusher'
- Once Upon a Time in America (1984) as Phil 'Cockeye' Stein
- Cloak & Dagger (1984) as Morris
- The Lightship (1985) as Gene
- Savage Dawn (1985) as Pigiron
- Raising Arizona (1987) as Evelle
- Extreme Prejudice (1987) as Sergeant Buck Atwater
- Weeds (1987) as Burt The Booster
- Patty Hearst (1988) as 'Teko'
- Dead Bang (1989) as Arthur Kressler
- Torrents of Spring (1989) as Prince Ippolito Polozov
- Sons (1990) as Mikey
- Dick Tracy (1990) as Flattop
- Career Opportunities (1991) as Custodian
- Out for Justice (1991) as Richie Madano
- Stone Cold (1991) as 'Ice' Hensley
- The Waterdance (1992) as Bloss
- American Me (1992) as J.D.
- The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992) as Billy Beaudeen
- Relentless 3 (1993) as Walter Hilderman
- Direct Hit (1994) as Hatch
- Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995) as 'Franchise'
- Beyond Desire (1995) as Ray Patterson
- Virtuosity (1995) as Chief Billy Cochran
- Palookaville (1995) as Sid Dunleavy
- The Immortals (1995) as Tim James
- The Substitute (1996) as Holland
- For Which He Stands (1996) as Johnny Rochetti
- The Rock (1996) as FBI Agent Ernest Paxton
- Rule of Three (1997) as Mitch
- Big City Blues (1997) as Hudson
- Firestorm (1998) as Randall Alexander Shaye
- The Pass (1998) as Charles Duprey
- Ambushed (1998) as Mike Organski
- Soundman (1998) as Frank Rosenfeld
- Hell's Kitchen (1998) as Lou
- Row Your Boat (1999) as Gil Meadows
- The Last Marshal (1999) as DeClerc
- Four Days (1999) as Milton 'Milt'
- Blue Streak (1999) as Detective Hardcastle
- Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999) as Detective Chuck Fowler
- 18 Shades of Dust (1999) as Tommy Cucci
- Paradise Lost (1999) as Mike Stark
- Civility (2000) as Andrew LeBretian
- Luck of the Draw (2000) as Max Fenton
- G-Men from Hell (2000) as Dean Crept
- Camouflage (2001) as Alton Owens
- Blue Hill Avenue (2001) as Detective Torrance
- Outlaw (2001) as Ted Castle
- Coastlines (2002) as Fred Vance
- Hard Cash (2002) as Bo Young
- City by the Sea (2002) as 'Spyder'
- The Technical Writer (2003) as Joe
- The Librarians (2003) as Simon
- Scary Movie 3 (2003) as Cindy's Psychiatrist (Deleted Alternate Ending)
- The Last Letter (2004) as Mr. Griffith
- The L.A. Riot Spectacular (2005) as George Holliday
- The Devil's Rejects (2005) as Sheriff John Quincy Wydell
- Freedomland (2006) as Detective Boyle
- Jam (2006) as Ted
- 88 Minutes (2007) as FBI Agent Frank Parks
- Southern Gothic (2007) as Pitt
- Hack! (2007) as Willy
- Halloween (2007) as Ronnie White
- Stiletto (2008) as Alex
- iMurders (2008)[2] as Professor Uberoth
- The Nail: The Story of Joey Nardone (2009) as Massimo
- Happy in the Valley (2009) as Stewart
- Dear Mr. Gacy (2010) as John Gacy
- The Rig (2010) as Jim Fleming
- Jesse (2011) as Vince 'The Godfather'
- L.A., I Hate You (2011) as Uncle 'Rip'
- Born to Ride (2011) as Jack Steele
- Slip & Fall (2011) as Jerry
- Inkubus (2011) as Retired Detective Gil Diamante
- Loosies (2011) as Captain Tom Edwards
- Infected (2011) as Dr. Dennehey
- The Ghost Club: Spirits Never Die (2013) as Stanley
- Tom Holland's Twisted Tales (2014) as Mr. Smith (segment "To Hell With You")
- Hidden in the Woods (2014) as Uncle Costello
- Echoes of War (2015) as Randolph McCluskey
- Road to Juarez (2015) as Doug Hermann
- Laugh Killer Laugh (2015) as Frank Stone
- The Networker (2015) as Charles Mangano
- The Midnight Man (2016) as Fairbanks
- The Bronx Bull (2016) as Jake LaMotta
- The Hollow (2016) as John 'Big John' Dawson
- Check Point (2017) as The Sheriff
- The Little Mermaid (2018)
- Vault (2018) as 'Buddy Providence'
- Cold Pursuit (2019) as Brock 'Wingman' Coxman
- Awake (2019) as Roger Bower
- Roe v. Wade (2020) as Potter Stewart
- I Am Fear (2020) as Marco
- God's Not Dead: We The People (2021)
- Ida Red (TBA) as Lawrence Twilley
Television
- The Miracle of Kathy Miller (1981) as Mark
- CHiPs (1982) as 'Thrasher'
- Hill Street Blues (1983) as Richie
- Fame (1983) as Snake
- Baja Oklahoma (1988) as Tommy Earl Browner
- Blind Faith (1990) as Ferlin L'Heureux
- Cruel Doubt (1992) as Police Chief John Crone
- Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story (1992) as Terry Harper
- The Untouchables (1993–1994) as Al Capone
- Gotti (1996) as Sammy Gravano
- First Time Felon (1997) as Sorley
- Dollar for the Dead (1998) as Dooley
- Dead Man's Gun (1999) as Harlan Riddle
- UC: Undercover (2001-2002) as 'Sonny' Walker
- John Doe (2002) as 'Digger'
- Larva (2005) as Jacob Long
- Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy (2005)
- Shark (2006–2008) as Harry Russo
- Final Approach (2007) as Silas Jansen
- Entourage (2007-2009) as Eddie Kapowski
- Boardwalk Empire (2011–2013) as Manny Horvitz
- The Mentalist (2011–2012) as Steve Rigsby
- Mob Doctor (2012–2013) as Constantine Alexander
- Twisted Tales (2013) as Mr. Smith
- Justified (2014) as Michael
- Hawaii Five-0 (2015, 2017) as Harry Brown
- Marvel's Daredevil (2016) as Dutton
- The Making of the Mob: Chicago (2016) as Himself
- Chicago Justice (2017) as David Zachariah
- Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (2017) as Oleg Antakov / Ripper of Riga
- The Man in the High Castle (2018) as ARBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
- Magnum P.I. (2019) as Harry Brown[3]
References
- "Dear Mr. Gacy Teaser, Clip, and Q&A with William Forsythe".
- iMURDERS (DVD Review)
- Webb Mitovich, Matt (September 10, 2019). "Hawaii Five-0/Magnum P.I. Crossover Status: 'We've Narrowed Down a Story". TV Line. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
External links
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