William Atherton

A pale, fair-haired, lanky performer, William Atherton first distinguished himself in the theater. After becoming the youngest member of the Long Wharf Theater Company (New Haven, Connecticut) while still a high school student, he went on to off-Broadway where he originated the part of Ronnie Shaughnessy in John Guare's "The House of Blue Leaves", as well as the title roles of David Rabe's "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" (both 1971) and David Wiltse's "Suggs in the City" (1972). That year also saw him make his Broadway debut in the short-lived "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window" and his feature debut in "The New Centurions". Often cast as weaklings or high-strung characters, Atherton attracted attention as the likably charismatic escaped convict husband of Goldie Hawn in Steven Spielberg's "The Sugarland Express" (1974) and struck the correct balance of ambition and bewilderment as the aspiring art director whose perceptions of Hollywood shape John Schlesinger's "The Day of the Locust" (1975). He also turned up as a persistent suitor of Diane Keaton in "Looking For Mr. Goodbar" (1977), his last feature for seven years.

During that hiatus, Atherton concentrated primarily on stage work, including a one-man show and Broadway productions of Arthur Miller's "The American Clock" (1980) and Herman Wouk's "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" (1983). He roared back to features as Walter Peck, the zealous bureaucrat opposed to the methods of the "Ghostbusters" (1984), arguably the most memorable in a series of high profile supporting roles that included the comically unctuous professor in "Real Genius" (1985) and a zealous newsman in "Die Hard" (1988) and its first sequel "Die Hard 2: Die Harder" (1990). Atherton's Dr. Noah Faulkner in the box office disaster "Bio-Dome" (1996) was really a variation on the creepy academic from "Real Genius", and his transparently vacuous local anchor in "Mad City" (1997) was a rehash of his Thornburg character from the "Die Hard" franchise. The 90s also saw him essay a number of historical figures: Allan Pinkerton in HBO's "Frank and Jesse" (1995), then-state prosecutor Thomas E Dewey in "Hoodlum" (1997) and Hollywood mogul Darryl Zanuck in Martha Coolidge's "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge" (HBO, 1999).

• Also Credited As:
  William Atherton Knight II
• Born:
  July 30, 1947 in Orange, Connecticut, USA
• Job Titles:
  Actor

Family

• Father: Robert Atherton Knight.
• Mother: Myrtle Knight.

Education

• Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, BFA, 1969
• Pasadena Playhouse, Pasadena, California

Milestones

• 1964 Stage debut in The Boy Friend at the Clinton (Connecticut) Playhouse
• 1971 Originated title role in off-Broadway production of David Rabe s The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel
• 1971 Portrayed Ronnie Shaughnessy in original off-Broadway production of John Guare s The House of Blue Leaves
• 1972 Broadway debut, The Sign in Sidney Brustein s Window
• 1972 Created title role of David Wiltse s Suggs in the City on stage
• 1972 Screen acting debut in The New Centurions
• 1974 Gained critical attention for his work opposite Goldie Hawn in Steven Spielberg s The Sugarland Express
• 1974 Sang What ll I Do? behind title credits for The Great Gatsby
• 1975 Played saboteur who planted the bomb on The Hindenberg
• 1975 Portrayed a budding art director smitten by aspiring starlet Karen Black in The Day of the Locust
• 1976 Acted the part of Bing Ringling in New York Shakespeare Festival production of Guare s Rich and Famous
• 1977 Cast as Diane Keaton s beau in Looking for Mr. Goodbar
• 1978 Performed in one-man show, William Atherton: Acting, Ethics, Person
• 1978 TV miniseries debut, Centennial (NBC)
• 1980 Returned to Broadway in Arthur Miller s The American Clock
• 1983 Back on Broadway as Lieutenant Commander John Challee in revival of Herman Wouk s The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
• 1984 Co-starred in Ghostbusters as the butt of perhaps Bill Murray s funniest line
• 1988 Created role of newscaster Dick Thornburg in Die Hard
• 1990 Reprised role of Thornburg in Die Hard 2: Die Harder
• 1992 Delivered an assured performance as the corrupt sheriff in Chrome Soldiers (USA Network)
• 1993 Appeared in The Pelican Brief
• 1995 Portrayed Allan Pinkerton in Frank and Jesse (HBO)
• 1996 Co-starred as Dr. Noah Faulkner, the head of the environmentally-controlled scientific community called Bio-Dome
• 1997 Played New York state prosecutor Thomas E Dewey in Hoodlum
• 1997 Returned to journalistic mode as an arrogant TV newscaster in Costa-Gavras Mad City
• 1998 Essayed pathetically hormonal US President in routine thriller Executive Power
• 1999 Portrayed Darryl Zanuck in Martha Coolidge s Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (HBO)