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IMDbPro

William Forsythe(I)

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000379
William Forsythe at an event for Freedomland (2006)
At the stroke of midnight, pirate radio host Devlin Deeds taunts the airwaves with tethering stories of murder, madness, and the macabre in small town New England.
Play trailer1:29
The Witching Hour (undefined)
55 Videos
99+ Photos
Dynamically entertaining heavyset US actor with piercing eyes, William Forsythe has a superb talent for playing some truly unlikable and downright nasty characters that dominate the films in which he appears! If you're cast as the hero against Forsythe's villain, then you have your work cut out for you, as Forsthye's raw energy and menace on screen is second to none. He started out in a couple of minor film roles and guest appearances in high-rated TV shows including CHiPs (1977), Hill Street Blues (1981) and T.J. Hooker (1982). He quickly moved into high-quality feature films, including playing a small-time hoodlum in Once Upon a Time in America (1984), an hilariously funny performance as a bumbling jail escapee alongside John Goodman in the knockout Raising Arizona (1987) and as a renegade soldier in Extreme Prejudice (1987).

The energetic Forsythe portrayed comic book villain "Flattop" in Dick Tracy (1990), was foolish enough to tangle with vengeful cop Steven Seagal in the hyper-violent Out for Justice (1991) and locked horns with ex-NFL linebacker Brian Bosworth in the biker action film Stone Cold (1991). With his expertise in playing icy villains, Forsythe was perfect to portray Prohibition mobster Al Capone in the short-lived '90s revival of the classic '60s crime show, The Untouchables (1993), and he continued the motif of playing edgy, nefarious individuals in the thought-provoking The Waterdance (1992), the oily film noir piece Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995), as real-life mobster Sammy Gravano, aka "The Bull", in Gotti (1996) and supporting another ex-NFL player's foray into film acting, when L.A. Raider Howie Long debuted in Firestorm (1998).

Forsythe has remained perpetually busy in the new century with a plethora of feature film, telemovie and TV series appearances, and has developed a minor cult following amongst film fans for his attention grabbing dramatic skills - check out his performances in City by the Sea (2002), The Devil's Rejects (2005) and Halloween (2007).
BornJune 7, 1955
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJune 7, 1955
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000379
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 1 nomination total

    Photos122

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    Known for

    Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter in Raising Arizona (1987)
    Raising Arizona
    7.3
    • Evelle
    • 1987
    Warren Beatty in Dick Tracy (1990)
    Dick Tracy
    6.2
    • Flattop
    • 1990
    The Devil's Rejects (2005)
    The Devil's Rejects
    6.7
    • Sheriff Wydell
    • 2005
    Andy Garcia in Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)
    Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
    6.7
    • Franchise
    • 1995

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actor



    • Primitive
      • Caro Kann
      • Released
      • TV Series
      • 2020
    • A Christmas Cop
      • Captain Carol
      • In Development
      • 2026
    • The Roaring Game
      • Coach
      • Post-production
    • A Motel
      • Pre-production
    • Just Breathe
      • Tony
      • Completed
    • The Witching Hour
      • Devlin Deeds
      • Post-production



    • 9 Windows (2024)
      9 Windows
      3.7
      • Detective Tim Boyle
      • 2024
    • William Forsythe, Jeremy London, Nathan Tape, Yohance Myles, Elena Sanchez, Miles Doleac, Amber Reign Smith, and Lindsay Anne Williams in Open (2023)
      Open
      8.2
      • Captain Edgar J. Steadman
      • 2023
    • William DeMeo and James Russo in Gravesend (2020)
      Gravesend
      5.5
      TV Series
      • Santini Traffato
      • 2021
    • God's Not Dead: We the People (2021)
      God's Not Dead: We the People
      4.3
      • Robert Benson
      • 2021
    • William Forsythe, Josh Hartnett, John David Allen, Mark Boone Junior, Frank Grillo, Melissa Leo, Robert Ogden Barnum, George Carroll, Deborah Ann Woll, David Sardy, Jeremy M. Rosen, Beau Knapp, Matt Clegg, Sofia Hublitz, and John Swab in Ida Red (2021)
      Ida Red
      5.6
      • Lawrence Twilley
      • 2021
    • William Forsythe, Carlo Rota, and Kathleen Munroe in A Perfect Plan (2020)
      A Perfect Plan
      4.4
      • Grayson
      • 2020
    • Kristina Klebe in I Am Fear (2020)
      I Am Fear
      3.2
      • Marco
      • 2020
    • Jay Hernandez and Perdita Weeks in Magnum P.I. (2018)
      Magnum P.I.
      6.3
      TV Series
      • Harry Brown
      • 2019
    • Rufus Sewell in The Man in the High Castle (2015)
      The Man in the High Castle
      7.9
      TV Series
      • J. Edgar Hoover
      • 2018–2019
    • Run with the Hunted (2019)
      Run with the Hunted
      5.2
      • Augustus
      • 2019
    • William Forsythe, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Francesca Eastwood, and Malik Yoba in Awake (2019)
      Awake
      5.0
      • Roger Bower
      • 2019
    • Don Johnson, Chazz Palminteri, Theo Rossi, Clive Standen, and Samira Wiley in Vault (2019)
      Vault
      5.5
      • Buddy Providence
      • 2019
    • Laura Flannery in Roe v. Wade (2019)
      Roe v. Wade
      3.7
      • Justice Potter Stewart
      • 2019
    • Liam Neeson in Cold Pursuit (2019)
      Cold Pursuit
      6.2
      • Brock
      • 2019
    • Gary Sinise, Alana De La Garza, Tyler James Williams, Daniel Henney, and Annie Funke in Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (2016)
      Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders
      6.2
      TV Series
      • Oleg Antakov
      • Ripper of Riga
      • 2017

    Producer



    • William Forsythe, Fred Williamson, Bill Goldberg, Ricky Harris, Kenny Johnson, Michelle Lee, and Mindy Robinson in Check Point (2017)
      Check Point
      3.2
      • producer
      • 2017
    • Elizabeth Daily in The Unlikely's (2016)
      The Unlikely's
      6.6
      • producer
      • 2016
    • Jam (2006)
      Jam
      5.7
      • associate producer
      • 2006
    • The Last Letter (2004)
      The Last Letter
      4.8
      • executive producer
      • 2004
    • Paradise Lost (1999)
      Paradise Lost
      4.6
      • associate producer
      • 1999
    • Burt Reynolds and William Forsythe in Big City Blues (1998)
      Big City Blues
      3.3
      • co-producer
      • 1998

    Writer



    • Erika Eleniak and William Forsythe in The Librarians (2003)
      The Librarians
      4.3
      • screenplay
      • 2003

    Videos55

    Ambushed
    Clip 0:52
    Ambushed
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:37
    Official Trailer
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:37
    Official Trailer
    Official Teaser Trailer
    Trailer 1:29
    Official Teaser Trailer
    Trailer
    Trailer 1:27
    Trailer
    Trailer
    Trailer 1:06
    Trailer
    Trailer
    Trailer 2:33
    Trailer

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative name
      • Bill Forsythe
    • Height
      • 6′ (1.83 m)
    • Born
      • June 7, 1955
      • Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
    • Spouses
        Teresa Forsythe June 30, 2024 - present
    • Children
        Rebecca Forsythe
    • Other works
      Has acted and sung on stage in theater productions of the musicals "Hair," "1776," and "Godspell".
    • Publicity listings
      • 1 Interview
      • 4 Articles
      • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Once confessed to disguising himself as a gas company worker and even a singing telegram performer in a gorilla suit to gain entry into casting sessions.
    • Quotes
      [on being referred to as a "character actor"] I love what I do. And in the true sense, from my training, I try to create a character each time. It is something I do. But I don't want that term to limit what I can do. I prefer people to say to me, "You're one of my favorite actors," rather than "You're one of my favorite character actors." It sounds like a slam. At least it sounds that way to me.
    • Trademarks
        Deep authorative voice
    • Nickname
      • Bill

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