William Atherton
Highest Rated: 100% Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019)
Lowest Rated: 0% Virus (1995)
Birthday: Jul 30, 1947
Birthplace: Orange, Connecticut, USA
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.
Photos
Highest Rated Movies
Filmography
Movies
| Credit | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% | 100% | Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters | Unknown (Character) | - | 2019 |
| No Score Yet | 22% | Clinical | Terry (Character) | - | 2017 |
| 18% | 31% | Jinn | Father Westhoff (Character) | $149.3K | 2014 |
| No Score Yet | 56% | The Citizen | Winston (Character) | - | 2013 |
| 36% | 47% | Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie | Earle Swinter (Character) | $200.8K | 2012 |
| No Score Yet | 21% | Jersey Shore Shark Attack | Dolan (Character) | - | 2012 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Getting Back to Zero | Unknown (Character) | - | 2011 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Kane Files | Daniel Morgan (Character) | - | 2010 |
| No Score Yet | 3% | Ghouls | Unknown (Character) | - | 2008 |
| No Score Yet | 50% | Black Crescent Moon | Jo Dexton (Character) | - | 2008 |
| 67% | 61% | The Girl Next Door | Adult David Moran (Character) | - | 2007 |
| 11% | 50% | Towards Darkness | John King (Character) | - | 2007 |
| No Score Yet | 47% | Kush | King (Character) | - | 2007 |
| No Score Yet | 27% | Into the Sun | Agent Block (Character) | - | 2005 |
| 50% | 20% | Headspace | Dr. Ira Gold (Character) | - | 2005 |
| 66% | 83% | The Last Samurai | Winchester Rep (Character) | $111.1M | 2003 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Burning Down the House | Arthur Kranston (Character) | - | 2001 |
| 71% | 37% | Race to Space | Stanton (Character) | - | 2001 |
| 22% | 43% | The Crow: Salvation | Nathan Randall (Character) | - | 2000 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Butterfly Legend | Arthur (Character) | - | 1999 |
| 83% | 80% | Introducing Dorothy Dandridge | Darryl Zanuck (Character) | - | 1999 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Michael Kael Contre la World News Company | James Denit (Character) | - | 1997 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Michael Kael vs. the World News Company | James Denit (Character) | - | 1997 |
| 43% | 65% | Hoodlum | Thomas Dewey (Character) | $23.5M | 1997 |
| 36% | 42% | Mad City | Dohlen (Character) | $10.6M | 1997 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Executive Power | President John Fields (Character) | - | 1997 |
| 4% | 51% | Bio-Dome | Dr. Noah Faulkner (Character) | $12.2M | 1996 |
| No Score Yet | 80% | Raven Hawk | Philip Thorne (Character) | - | 1996 |
| 20% | 54% | Frank and Jesse | Allan Pinkerton (Character) | - | 1995 |
| 0% | 34% | Virus | Dr. Reginald Holloway (Character) | - | 1995 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Broken Trust | Roemer (Character) | - | 1995 |
| No Score Yet | 50% | Saints and Sinners | Terence McCone (Character) | - | 1995 |
| 53% | 61% | The Pelican Brief | Bob Gminski (Character) | $100.7M | 1993 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Diagnosis of Murder | Eric Walker (Character) | - | 1992 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Chrome Soldiers | Sheriff Blackwell (Character) | - | 1992 |
| 12% | 63% | Oscar | Overton (Character) | $23.5M | 1991 |
| No Score Yet | 50% | Buried Alive | Cortland "Cort" van Owen (Character) | - | 1990 |
| 69% | 70% | Die Hard 2 | Richard Thornburg (Character) | $115.3M | 1990 |
| No Score Yet | 42% | Grim Prairie Tales | Arthur (Character) | - | 1990 |
| 94% | 94% | Die Hard | Richard Thornburg (Character) | $81M | 1988 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Intrigue | Doggett (Character) | - | 1988 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Fight for Jenny | Michael Rosen (Character) | - | 1986 |
| 27% | 28% | No Mercy | Allan Deveneux (Character) | $11.3M | 1986 |
| 73% | 83% | Real Genius | Prof. Jerry Hathaway (Character) | $130.8K | 1985 |
| 97% | 88% | Ghostbusters | Walter Peck (Character) | $298.2M | 1984 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Malibu | Stan Harvey (Character) | - | 1983 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Tomorrow's Child | Jim Spence (Character) | - | 1982 |
| 65% | 74% | Looking for Mr. Goodbar | James (Character) | - | 1977 |
| 60% | 76% | The Day of the Locust | Tod Hackett (Character) | - | 1975 |
| 36% | 38% | The Hindenburg | Boerth (Character) | - | 1975 |
| 85% | 66% | The Sugarland Express | Clovis Michael Poplin (Character) | - | 1974 |
| No Score Yet | 0% | Class of '44 | Fraternity President (Character) | - | 1973 |
| No Score Yet | 62% | The New Centurions | Johnson (Character) | - | 1972 |
TV
| Credit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82% | 86% | Castle | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2011 |
| 78% | 89% | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ned Bogden (Guest Star) | 2010 |
| 85% | 92% | Lost | Principal Reynolds (Guest Star) | 2010 |
| 70% | 80% | Life | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2008-2009 |
| 91% | 91% | Monk | Commander Nathan Whitaker (Guest Star) | 2008 |
| No Score Yet | 91% | Numb3ers | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2007 |
| 72% | 89% | Desperate Housewives | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2006 |
| 86% | 90% | Boston Legal | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2005 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Law & Order | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2004 2002 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Practice | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1999 1997 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Outer Limits | Unknown (Character) | 1998 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Nash Bridges | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1996 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Murder, She Wrote | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1991 1987 1985 |
| 82% | 98% | Tales From the Crypt | Unknown (Character) | 1991 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Equalizer | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1989 1987 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Centennial | Jim Lloyd (Character) | 1978-1979 |
QUOTES FROM William Atherton CHARACTERS
Maj. Carnagle says: Where's the laser?
Prof. Hathaway says: It's coming.
Maj. Carnagle says: Coming? Ha! It's not even breathing hard.
Adult David says: It's what you do last that counts.
Thornburg says: [After C4 Explosion] Tell me you got that!
Cameraman says: Ya.
Raymond Stantz says: Everything was fine with our system until the power grid was shut off by dickless here.
Walter Peck says: They caused an explosion!
Mayor says: [to the Ghostbusters] Is this true?
Peter Venkman says: Yes, it's true: this man has no dick.
Raymond Stantz says: Powergrid was shut off by dickless here.
Raymond Stantz says: Everything was fine with our system until the power grid was shut off by dickless here.
Walter Peck says: They caused an explosion!
Walter Peck says: They caused an explosion!
Mayor says: Is this true?
Mayor says: Is this true?
Peter Venkman says: Yes, it's true. This man has no dick.
Peter Venkman says: Yes it's true. [pause] This man has no dick.
Adult David says: You think you know about pain? Talk to my second wife. When she was nineteen she got between a couple of fighting cats, and one of them went at her, climbed her like a tree, tore gashes out of her thighs and breasts and belly that you can still see today. She got thirty stitches and a fever that lasted for days. My second wife says that's pain. She doesn't know shit, that woman.