William Sadler (actor)
{{Short description|American actor (born 1950)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = William Sadler
| image = William Sadler 2019.jpg
| caption = Sadler in 2019
| birth_name = William Thomas Sadler
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|4|13}}
| birth_place = Buffalo, New York, U.S.
| occupation = Actor
| yearsactive = 1977–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Marni Joan Bakst|1978|2024|end=died}}
| children = 1
| education = State University of New York, Geneseo (BA)
Cornell University (MFA)
}}
William Thomas Sadler (born April 13, 1950){{cite book|last=Burnett|first=Robyn|title=Crash Into Me: The World of Roswell|year=2002|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=1-55022-539-1|page=52|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oWCUyCG00cMC}} is an American actor. He has had roles in various Broadway productions including Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues (1985). He portrayed President Matthew Ellis in various Marvel Cinematic Universe media including Iron Man 3 (2013) and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2015–2016), and also portrayed Gino Fish in the Jesse Stone television films.
He has had starring roles in various television shows including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1998–1999), Roswell (1999–2002), The Pacific (2010) and Hawaii Five-0 (2010–2020). His film roles include Die Hard 2 (1990), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020).
Early life
Sadler was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Jane and William Sadler.{{Cite web| url= https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/william-sadler/bio/179272|title=William Sadler |website=TVGuide.com | accessdate =}}
From an early age, he enjoyed performing for an audience. Playing a variety of stringed instruments, he found hometown success during his high-school years at Orchard Park High School. He took on the persona of Banjo Bill Sadler,{{cite web | url= http://movies.aol.com/celebrity/bill-sadler/62570/biography| title = Bill Sadler biography| website = movies.aol.com| access-date= February 18, 2016}} a banjo-playing singer who cracked jokes while playing.
After graduating from high school, he enrolled at SUNY Geneseo; then spent two years at Cornell University, where he earned his master's degree in acting with a minor in speech communications. {{citation needed| date= February 2016}}
Career
{{BLP sources section|date=December 2017}}
A chance meeting with an old schoolmate on a trip into the city resulted in Sadler's casting in an off-off-Broadway production of Chekhov's Ivanov. After a brief turn at the Trinity Square Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island, Sadler moved back to New York and rented an apartment in the East Village, beginning twelve years in which he appeared in over 75 productions, including originating the role of Sgt. Toomey in the Broadway run of Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues, opposite Matthew Broderick in 1985.
Sadler is best known for his roles in the 1990 action film Die Hard 2 as Colonel Stuart, as Heywood in the 1994 prison drama The Shawshank Redemption, Death in the 1991 comedy Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and as Brayker in Demon Knight.
When he first auditioned for a role in Die Hard 2, he was told he was too young. With a make-up artist friend's help, Sadler re-auditioned as a 70-year-old, and won the part.{{cite news|title='Bill & Ted's' Grim Reaper Is a Vegetarian and Songwriter|work=The Los Angeles Times|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-27-ca-16-story.html|access-date=September 30, 2010|date=July 27, 1991|first=Sharon|last=Bernstein}}Cedrone, Lou (August 1, 1991). "William Sadler's role as Death gives birth to a comedy career". Kitchener-Waterloo Record (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada). p. C6. In addition to appearing in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey as Death, Sadler also appears as himself, with his real-life wife and 5-year-old daughter, in scenes where families around the world respond to Bill and Ted's actions. He reprised his Death role in the 2020 sequel Bill & Ted Face the Music.
Sadler was also a regular on the television series Roswell as Sheriff Jim Valenti, and in Wonderfalls as Darrin Tyler.
His other film credits include Trespass, K-9, Project X, Disturbing Behavior, Kinsey, The Battle of Shaker Heights, Purple Heart, Jimmy and Judy and August Rush.
Sadler's TV guest appearances include In the Heat of the Night, Roseanne, Tru Calling, Tour of Duty, CSI, Numb3rs, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He had a recurring role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Luther Sloan.
File:William Sadler (cropped).jpg
He appeared in three episodes as Sloan in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's final two seasons. In 2007, he played Carlton Fog on ABC's Traveler, and in 2008 he appeared in both NBC's Medium as well as Fox Television's Fringe. The 1989 pilot episode of the HBO horror anthology series Tales from the Crypt featured Sadler in its lead role. In March 2011, Sadler made a guest appearance in NBC's Chase.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/News/Kecks-Exclusives-Chase-1028019.aspx|title=Keck's Exclusives: NBC's Chase Casts Annie's Dad|publisher=TV Guide|access-date=January 18, 2011|date=January 18, 2011|first=William|last=Keck|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121023123/http://tvguide.com/News/Kecks-Exclusives-Chase-1028019.aspx|archivedate=January 21, 2011}}
Sadler portrayed Julius Caesar in the contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar on Broadway alongside Denzel Washington at the Belasco Theatre. Recently, he finished shooting with American independent filmmakers Dylan Bank and Morgan Pehme on the film Nothing Sacred. Sadler portrayed the robot Victor in the 2010 video game, Fallout: New Vegas. Sadler played Lee Underwood in Greetings from Tim Buckley, a film on Tim and Jeff Buckley, which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.{{cite web|title=Anthrax bassist Frank Bello joins Penn Badgely's Jeff Buckley film|url=http://www.hitfix.com/articles/anthrax-bassist-frank-bello-joins-jeff-buckley-film-greetings-from-tim-buckley|work=HitFix|access-date=October 2, 2012|date=August 23, 2011|author=HitFix Staff|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901040417/http://www.hitfix.com/articles/anthrax-bassist-frank-bello-joins-jeff-buckley-film-greetings-from-tim-buckley|archivedate=September 1, 2011}}{{cite web|last=Kurchak|first=Sarah|title=TIFF 2012 Adds Greetings From Tim Buckley, Spike Lee's Bad 25 Michael Jackson Doc, Skrillex Soundtrack|url=http://www.spinner.com/2012/08/15/tiff-2012-greetings-from-tim-buckley-spike-lee/|work=Spinner|access-date=October 2, 2012|date=August 15, 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018100948/http://spinner.com/2012/08/15/tiff-2012-greetings-from-tim-buckley-spike-lee/|archivedate=October 18, 2012}}
Sadler appeared as Matthew Ellis, the President of the United States, in Iron Man 3 (2013).Moore, Roger (May 2, 2013). "Final 'Iron Man' is more violent, Stark more fiery". Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, South Dakota). p. 5.
In 2015, Sadler was part of the Texas Frightmare Weekend,{{cite web|url=http://www.fangoria.com/new/texas-frightmare-weekend-2015-adds-demon-knight-star-william-sadler/|title=Texas Frightmare Weekend 2015 Adds "DEMON KNIGHT" star William Sadler!|access-date=November 5, 2012|date=February 27, 2015|work=Fangoria|author=Fangoria Staff|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150228092410/http://fangoria.com/new/texas-frightmare-weekend-2015-adds-demon-knight-star-william-sadler/|archivedate=February 28, 2015}} and starred in Ava's Possessions, which was screened at SXSW.{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/92474/sxsw-2015-first-look-at-avas-possessions/|title=SXSW 2015 - First Look at Ava's Possessions|access-date=November 5, 2012|date=March 9, 2015|work=Dread Central|first=Steve|last=Barton}}
On September 8, 2021, it was announced that Sadler was cast as Parkins Gillespie in 'Salem's Lot, an adaptation of Stephen King's novel of the same name.{{cite web|url=https://cinemablend.com/news/2573255/stephen-kings-salems-lot-movie-added-shawshank-redemption-star-wiliam-sadler-mist-green-mile|title=Stephen King's Salem's Lot Movie Just Added A Shawshank Redemption Star|website=CinemaBlend|date=September 8, 2021|first=Eric|last=Eisenberg|accessdate=October 29, 2022}}
Personal life
Sadler married his wife, Marni Joan Bakst, on May 6, 1978.{{cite news |first=Bethany |last=Braun-Silva |title=Actor William Sadler shares heartfelt tribute to wife Marni Bakst after her passing |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/actor-william-sadler-shares-heartfelt-tribute-wife-marni/story?id=117015461 |publisher=ABC News |date=December 21, 2024 |access-date=April 4, 2025}} They had a daughter together, Sadler Colley Bakst, born on February 17, 1986.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0049260/?ref_=nmbio |title=Marni Joan Bakst |website=IMDb |access-date=December 20, 2024}} On December 19, 2024, Sadler confirmed his wife had passed away after a "two year battle with cancer".{{Cite tweet |last=Sadler |first=William |user=Wm_Sadler |number=1869948637599412251 |date=December 19, 2024 |title=Early yesterday morning, my wife, Marni Bakst, finally lost her two year battle with cancer... |language=en-US |access-date=December 20, 2024}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| style="width:70px;"| Year
! style="width:250px;"| Title ! style="width:260px;"| Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1982
| Hotel Clerk | |
| 1986
| Off Beat | Dickson | |
| 1987
| Dr. Carroll | |
| 1989
| K-9 | Don, Car Salesman | |
| rowspan="3" | 1990
| Senator Vernon Trent | |
| Die Hard 2
| Colonel William Stuart | |
| {{sortname|The|Hot Spot}}
| Frank Sutton | |
| rowspan="2" | 1991
| Death / English Family Member |
| Rush
| Monroe | |
| 1992
| Trespass | Don Perry | |
| 1993
| Freaked | Dick Brian | |
| 1994
| {{sortname|The|Shawshank Redemption}} | Heywood | |
| 1995
| Frank Brayker | |
| rowspan="2" | 1996
| The Mummy | |
| Solo
| Colonel Frank Madden / Improved Solo | |
| 1997
| Bill 'Wild Bill' Overbeck | |
| rowspan="3" | 1998
| Ambushed | Jim Natter | |
| Disturbing Behavior
| Dorian Newberry | |
| Reach the Rock
| Quinn | |
| rowspan="2" | 1999
| Stealth Fighter | Admiral Frank Peterson | |
| {{sortname|The|Green Mile|dab=film}}
| Klaus Detterick | |
| 2001
| Skippy | Ringo | |
| 2002
| Another Life | Man |
| 2003
| The Battle of Shaker Heights | Abraham 'Abe' Ernswiler | |
| 2004
| Kinsey | Kenneth Braun | |
| rowspan="3" | 2005
| Devour | Ivan Reisz | |
| Confess
| Senator Roger Lampert | |
| Purple Heart
| Colonel Allen | |
| rowspan="4" | 2006
| Uncle Rodney | |
| Premium
| Cole Carter | |
| Unspoken
| Dad | |
| {{sortname|The|Wine Bar|nolink=yes}}
| Bartender | Short film |
| rowspan="3" | 2007
| {{sortname|A|New Wave}} | Mr. Dewitt | |
| August Rush
| Thomas Novacek | |
| {{sortname|The|Mist|dab=film}}
| Jim Grondin | |
| rowspan="2" | 2008
| William Shaw | |
| {{sortname|The|Good Student}}
| Phil 'Honest Phil' Palmer | |
| rowspan="6" | 2009
| Stream | Dr. Shelby | Short film |
| Shadowheart
| Thomas Conners | Direct-to-video |
| {{sortname|The|Hills Run Red|dab=2009 film}}
| Wilson Wyler Concannon | |
| Last Day of Summer
| Mr. Crolick | |
| Beyond All Boundaries
| Lieutenant Colonel Lewis 'Chesty' Puller (voice) | Short film |
| Red & Blue Marbles
| John | |
| rowspan="2" | 2010
| Melvin Smarty | Bob | |
| Mineville
| Tom O'Roarke | |
| rowspan="2" |2011
| John Capper | |
| Open Gate
| Robert | |
| rowspan="3" | 2012
| Frank Cassidy / Valet | |
| See Girl Run
| Marty | |
| Greetings from Tim Buckley
| |
| rowspan="4" | 2013
| |
| Machete Kills
| Sheriff Doakes | |
| The Suspect
| Sheriff Dixon | |
| ''Frank the Bastard
| Cyrus Gast | |
| rowspan="2" | 2014
| Freedom | Plimpton | |
| The Historian
| Dr. Valerian Hadley | |
| 2015
| Ant-Man | President Matthew Ellis |
| rowspan="2" | 2016
| The Duel | Lawrence Sullivan Ross, Governor of Texas | |
| The Hollow
| Sheriff Beau McKinney | |
| rowspan="3" | 2018
| Deadly Crush | Sheriff Dusty Hawkins | |
| Living Among Us
| Samuel | |
| The Statement
| Counselor | Short film |
| rowspan="2" | 2019
| Henry Barrow | |
| VFW
| Walter Reed | |
| rowspan="2" | 2020
| Detective Wilson | |
| Bill & Ted Face the Music
| Death | Also executive producer |
| 2021
| Father William Hagan | |
| 2022
| Gilbert McAlister | |
| 2022
| A Stage of Twilight{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12978528/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st#cast | title=A Stage of Twilight (2022) - Full cast & crew - IMDb | website=IMDb }} | Barry | |
| 2024
| Parkins Gillespie | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| style="width:75px;"| Year
! style="width:290px;"| Title ! style="width:266px;"| Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1977
| {{sortname|The|CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People|nolink=yes}} | Unknown | Episode: "Henry Winkler Meets William Shakespeare" |
| 1978
| {{sortname|The|Great Wallendas|nolink=yes}} | Dieter Schmidt | rowspan=2 | Television film |
| rowspan="2" | 1981
| Charlie and the Great Balloon Chase | Joey |
| Nurse
| Dr. George Bradford | Episode: "Margin for Error" |
| 1982
| The Neighborhood | Neighbor | Television film |
| rowspan="2" | 1983
| Newhart | Guest | Episode: "Lady & the Tramps" |
| AfterMash
| Joe Warner | Episode: "Fallout" |
| 1985
| The Grim Reaper, Various Characters | Unknown episodes |
| 1986
| {{sortname|The|Equalizer|The Equalizer (1985 TV series)}} | Rick Dillon / Kevin Moore | Episode: "Shades of Darkness" |
| 1987
| Major Rigby | Episode: "Dislocations" |
| 1987–1988
| Lieutenant Charlie Fontana | 12 episodes |
| rowspan="4" | 1988
| Ritchie Epman | Episodes: "Blind Spot: Part 1" & "Blind Spot: Part 2" |
| St. Elsewhere
| Mr. Oppenheimer | Episode: "The Abby Singer Show" |
| Cadets
| Colonel Tom Sturdivant | Television film |
| Dear John
| Ben | Episode: "The Younger Girl" |
| rowspan="6" | 1989
| Roseanne | Dwight | 2 episodes |
| Hooperman
| Lanny Hardin | Episode: "Look Homeward, Dirtbag" |
| Unconquered
| Coach Dickey | Television film |
| Murphy Brown
| Colonel Fitzpatrick | Episode: "Off the Job Experience" |
| Hard Time on Planet Earth
| Officer Rollman | Episode: "The Way Home" |
| Gideon Oliver
| Franklin Finney | Episode: "By the Waters of Babylon" |
| 1989–1994
| Niles Talbot The Grim Reaper | Episodes: "The Man Who Was Death" "The Assassin" |
| 1990
| Anthony Prine | Television film |
| rowspan="2" | 1991
| The Last to Go | Treat |rowspan=3| Television film |
| Tagget
| Yuri Chelenkoff |
| 1992
| Mr. Rush (Presenter) |
| rowspan="2" | 1993
| Night Driving | Eddy | Television short film |
| Jack Reed: Badge of Honor
| Anatole |rowspan=4| Television film |
| rowspan="2" | 1994
| Sam Grace |
| Roadracers
| Sarge |
| rowspan="2" | 1995
| The Omen | Dr. Linus |
| {{sortname|The|Outer Limits|dab=1995 TV series}}
| Frank Hellner | Episode: "Valerie 23" |
| 1996
| Shamus Bloom | Episode: The Fifth Sepulcher |
| 1998–1999
| Episodes: "Inquisition", "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges", "Extreme Measures" |
| 1999
| US Attorney Sharp | Television film |
| 1999–2002
| Roswell | 61 episodes |
| rowspan="3" | 2003
| Ed | Lee Leetch | Episode: "The Case" |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent
| Kyle Devlin | Episode: "Graansha" |
| Project Greenlight
| Himself | Unknown episodes |
| rowspan="2" | 2004
| Darrin Tyler | 13 episodes |
| JAG
| Saul Wainwright | Episode: "Retrial" |
| rowspan="4" | 2005
| Scotty Murray | Episode: "Forever Blue" |
| Tru Calling
| Travis | Episode: "Enough" |
| Law & Order: Trial by Jury
| Paul Rice | Episode: "Blue Wall" |
| Law & Order
| Kevin Drucker | Episode: "Life Line" |
| rowspan="2" | 2006
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Karl 'Red' Cooper | Episode: "Killer" |
| {{sortname|The|Path to 9/11}}
| Neil Herman |
| rowspan="4" | 2007
| Numb3rs | J. Everett Tuttle | Episode: "Democracy" |
| {{sortname|The|Black Donnellys}}
| Munst | Episode: "All of Us Are in the Gutter" |
| Jesse Stone: Sea Change
| Gino Fish | Television film |
| Traveler
| Carlton Fog | 7 episodes |
| 2008
| Medium | John Edgemont | Episode: "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" |
| 2008–2011
| Fringe | Dr. Sumner | Episodes: "The Equation" & "Alone in the World" |
| rowspan="3" | 2009
| Jesse Stone: Thin Ice | Gino Fish |rowspan=2| Television film |
| Jesse Stone: No Remorse
| Gino Fish |
| Criminal Minds
| Ray Finnegan | Episode: "Reckoner" |
| 2010
| Lieutenant Colonel Lewis 'Chesty' Puller | Miniseries |
| 2010–2020
| Various episodes: seasons 1–5, 10 |
| rowspan="3" | 2011
| Brett Gelles | Episode "Where There's a Will" |
| Person of Interest
| Seamus O'Mara | Episode: "Pilot" |
| Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost
| Gino Fish | Television film |
| rowspan="2" | 2012
| Damages | Helmut Torben | 6 episodes |
| Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt
| Gino Fish | Television film |
| rowspan="3" | 2013
| Nate McKenny | 2 episodes |
| Elementary
| Ian Gale | Episode: "Blood Is Thicker" |
| Homeland
| Michael Higgins | 3 episodes |
| 2013–2019
| Sam Milhoan | 4 episodes |
| 2014
| Episode: "Fastest Man Alive" |
| 2014–2015
| George Peters | 2 episodes |
| rowspan="3" | 2015
| Edge | Bill 'Big Bill' |rowspan=2| Television film |
| Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise
| Gino Fish |
| Z Nation
| Sam Custer | Episode: "Zombie Road" |
| 2015–2019
| Armin Janko | Episodes: "Absolute Power"[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5023724 Blue Bloods "Absolute Power" episode], imdb.com; accessed February 18, 2016.& "Identity" |
| 2015–2016
| President Matthew Ellis | 3 episodes |
| 2016
| Clay Williams | 4 episodes |
| 2017
| Chuck Cooper | |
| 2017–2018
| Power | Tony Teresi | |
| 2018
| Bull | Father Andy | Episode: "A Higher Law" |
| 2018–2020
| John F. Kelly, Jeff Sessions, Mitch McConnell, Various Voices | |
| 2019–2020
| Reverend Elias | |
| rowspan="2" | 2019
| Michael Sheehan | Miniseries |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
| Gary Dolan | Episode: "Facing Demons" |
| rowspan="2" | 2020
| Hunters | Dr. Friedrich Mann | Episode: “Eilu v’ Eilu” |
| The Comey Rule
| Miniseries |
| 2023
| Gene McCusker | Miniseries |
| 2025
| Walter Fields | Episode: "The Watcher" |
=Web=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| style="width:75px;"| Year
! style="width:250px;"| Title ! style="width:150px;"| Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2016
| 2 episodes |
| 2017
| Day 5 | Bob / Sandman | 4 episodes |
=Video games=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| style="width:75px;"| Year
! style="width:250px;"| Title ! style="width:150px;"| Voice role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2008
| Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy | Alexander Conklin | Credited as Bill Sadler |
| 2010
| Victor | |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://therealwilliamsadler.com/ Official website]
- {{IMDb name|6669|William Sadler}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadler, William}}
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:American people of English descent
Category:American people of German descent
Category:American people of Scottish descent
Category:Male actors from Buffalo, New York