William Devane
Date of birth: 1939-09-05
Place of birth: Albany, New York, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: William Joseph Devane, Γουίλιαμ Ντιβέιν, ویلیام دیوان
Biography
William Joseph Devane (born September 5, 1937) is an American film, television and theater actor, known for his role as Greg Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing and as James Heller on the Fox serial drama 24, the role he reprised in Live Another Day. He is also known for his supporting roles in films such as McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Family Plot), Marathon Man, Rolling Thunder and Space Cowboys. Devane began his acting career with the New York Shakespeare Festival where he performed in 15 plays. In 1966, Devane portrayed Robert F. Kennedy in the Off-Broadway spoof MacBird. He gained acclaim for his role as President John F. Kennedy in a television docudrama about the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Missiles of October, and again when he played blacklisted radio personality John Henry Faulk in the Emmy Award-winning TV movie Fear on Trial. He is widely known for his ten years as the ambitious and hardnosed politician-turned-corporate titan Greg Sumner on Knots Landing. In 1994, Devane appeared as Al Capone in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in an episode entitled "That Old Gang of Mine". He also had a recurring role on the CBS show Early Edition as the lead character's father. Devane appeared in the films McCabe & Mrs. Miller; Lady Liberty; Family Plot; Marathon Man; Rolling Thunder; Yanks; Testament; Timestalkers; Forgotten Sins; Exception to the Rule; Payback; Hollow Man and Space Cowboys. Devane has played members of the Presidential Cabinet on two evening dramas. In 2004, on The West Wing, he guest-starred as the Secretary of State and potential Vice-Presidential nominee. Devane appeared in several scenes with Martin Sheen; they also appeared together as President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, respectively, 30 years earlier in The Missiles of October. In 2005, he joined the cast of 24 as Secretary of Defense James Heller for seasons 4, 5 and 6.
Movie Credits
The Badge
2002-09-07
A sheriff begins an investigation into the death of a local transsexual after hearing that high rank
Payback
1999-02-05
With friends like these, who needs enemies? That's the question bad guy Porter is left asking after
Marathon Man
1976-10-08
A graduate student and obsessive runner in New York is drawn into a mysterious plot involving his br
Space Cowboys
2000-08-04
Frank Corvin, ‘Hawk’ Hawkins, Jerry O'Neill and ‘Tank’ Sullivan were hotdog members of Project Daeda
Rolling Thunder
1977-11-02
A Vietnam veteran, Charles Rane, returns home after years in a POW camp and is treated as a hero. He
Yanks
1979-09-19
During WWII, the United States set up army bases in Great Britain as part of the war effort. Against
Family Plot
1976-04-09
Spiritualist Blanche Tyler and her cab-driving boyfriend encounter a pair of serial kidnappers while
A Christmas Visitor
2002-11-24
The Boyajian family learned of 18-year-old John's death in the Persian Gulf War on Christmas Eve ele
Stargate: Continuum
2008-07-29
Ba'al travels back in time and prevents the Stargate program from being started. SG-1 must somehow r
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
1971-06-24
A gambler and a prostitute become thriving business partners in a remote Old West mining town until
Report to the Commissioner
1975-02-05
Police officer Patty Butler, alias "Chicklet," is the live-in girlfriend of Thomas 'Stick' Henderson
Monte Walsh
2003-01-17
Monte Walsh and Chet Rollins are long-time cowhands, working whatever ranch work comes their way, bu
The Kane Files: Life of Trial
2010-10-02
Scott Kane (Drew Fuller), a man with a checkered past is trying to live a clean life. When his son O
Poor White Trash
2000-12-01
Mike and Lenny are two buddies who dream of getting out of the trailer park. Out of desperation they
Night Watch
1995-10-04
UN agents Mike Graham and Sabrina Carver are sent by their director Nick Caldwell to investigate the
Murder C.O.D.
1990-09-24
Someone is killing people in Portland, Oregon, and later blackmails the relatives, who profit most f
Vital Signs
1990-04-13
As they enter their third year of medical school, a group of young students must prepare to decide w
The Least Among You
2009-01-12
Black college graduate Richard Kelly reluctantly accepts a plea bargain requiring him to spend two s
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
1977-07-08
A troubled, rebellious teen drives his rambunctious baseball team out to Houston where they play an
Timestalkers
1987-03-10
History professor Scott McKenzie makes an anachronistic discovery in a photograph from the Old West
Freefall: Flight 174
1995-10-10
True story of a brand-new Canadian airliner running out of fuel in-flight and forced to glide to the
The Missiles of October
1974-12-18
Based in part on Robert F. Kennedy's book, "Thirteen Days," this film profiles the Kennedy Administr
Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost
2011-05-21
Jesse investigates the suspicious death of a young friend while the police force deals with the arro
Leprechaun's Revenge
2012-03-17
An evil leprechaun who has been imprisoned within the roots of a majestic old oak tree, is accidenta
The Dark
1979-04-27
At night the Mangler stalks the streets of Los Angeles, killing and mutilating random victims. On th
Chips, the War Dog
1990-03-24
In this made-for-tv movie, misfits Danny Stauffer and Chips (a chicken-chasing German shepherd) are
For the Love of Nancy
1994-10-02
The parents of an anorexic woman fight to save her life.
Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt
2012-05-19
Jesse finds himself struggling to get his job back as the Paradise police chief, and he is forced to
Flag of My Father
2011-11-01
Serving her country is an honour for Judith (GiGi Erneta: Friday NIght Lights, Vernonica Mars), an a
Obsessed
1992-09-26
Lorie Brindel works at an insurance company and falls in love with one of her clients, the much olde
Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story
1993-05-04
The take-down of an infamous leader of a small polygamous Mormon fundamentalist group, who ordered a
Red Alert
1977-05-18
A computer at a nuclear power plant malfunctions and receives erroneous information of a radiation l
The Dealership
2009-01-01
'The Dealership' is about the dysfunctional world of Carson Luxury Auto Gallery, a family-owned, use
50 to 1
2014-03-21
A misfit group of New Mexico cowboys find themselves on the journey of a lifetime when they learn th
Bad Turn Worse
2014-08-15
Three teenage friends get in way over their head when they cross a down-home crime syndicate. They h
Lady Liberty
1971-12-22
An Italian woman faces challenges at JFK Airport when Customs confiscates the mortadella sausage she
Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story
2001-06-22
A staunch professional executive and his wife coerce their rebellious teens and their older sister t
The Bait
1973-03-13
Tracy Fleming is a widowed police officer, with a young son, who has risen to the role of plaincloth
Lady in Waiting
1994-12-07
A divorced cop investigating the sadistic murders of high-class prostitutes discovers that the prime
Race to Space
2001-10-31
In the 1960s a young woman works at NASA as an animal trainer responsible for the chimpanzee who wil
Fear on Trial
1975-10-02
The story of John Henry Faulk, a radio/TV personality of the 1950s, who was blacklisted during the M
Testament
1983-11-04
It is just another day in the small town of Hamlin until something disastrous happens. Suddenly, new
Interstellar
2014-11-05
The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the li
Forgotten Sins
1996-03-07
A county sheriff is accused by his daughter of having abused her. Her accusation gets more and more
Doomsday Rock
1997-08-23
Dr. Paul Sorenson, a noted astronomer, believes that an approaching comet will collide with earth ba
Nightmare in Columbia County
1991-12-10
The recounting of a terrible crime that wracked a family and galvanized police in South Carolina in
The Other Victim
1981-11-04
After his wife is raped, a man struggles to find ways to express the anger and helplessness which th
Red Flag: The Ultimate Game
1981-10-03
Two fighter pilots, Phil Clark and Jay Rivers, who flew together in Vietnam are assigned to the elit
The Man Who Used to Be Me
2000-07-16
A burned-out ex-cop travels back in time and teams up with his younger self to catch his father's mu
Exception to the Rule
1997-01-01
An aggressive woman tries to blackmail a married gem trader who had an affair with her.
Hadley's Rebellion
1983-09-30
After he transfers to a new school, Hadley is victimized and ostracized by his too-cool classmates.
Deceit
2004-03-15
Ellen's life is turned upside down after her wealthy hubby vanishes at sea. Everyone close to her is
The Fall
2009-10-30
Two brothers are forced to confront a terrible crime that was hidden in their past.
Hollow Man
2000-08-04
Cocky researcher Sebastian Caine is working on a project to make living creatures invisible. Determi
Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise
2015-10-18
Police Chief Jesse Stone now presides over the quiet, seaside village of Paradise, Massachusetts. Wh
The Dark Knight Rises
2012-07-17
Following the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman assumes responsibility for Dent's crime
Good Morning, Killer
2011-12-13
Follows FBI Special Agent Ana Gray as she hunts for a kidnapper. As Ana develops a rapport with the
Jesse Stone: Sea Change
2007-05-22
Police Chief Jesse Stone's relationship with his ex-wife worsens, and he fears he's relapsing into a
In the Country
1967-01-01
During the Vietnam War, a young revolutionary, isolated with his lover in a country house, struggles
Jesse Stone: No Remorse
2010-05-09
Police Chief Jesse Stone, who was suspended by the Paradise, Mass. Town Council, begins moonlighting
Threat of Exposure
2002-11-07
A man poses as a hypnotherapist's patient to find the truth about his missing brother.
Ancient Secrets of the Bible
1992-05-15
Jesus Christ is the center of the worldwide Christian faith. Is there any historical, archaeological
The Preppie Murder
1989-09-24
This is the story of a young woman who was found dead. Now the police investigate, and evidence poin
Plotting 'Family Plot'
2001-03-06
Documentary about the making of Alfred Hitchcock's "Family Plot".
My Old Man's Place
1971-06-29
Two soldiers return from Vietnam with serious PTSD. They decide to go for a couple of days to a peac
Jesse Stone: Thin Ice
2009-03-01
Jesse Stone and Captain Healy are shot during an unauthorized stake-out in Boston. Meanwhile, a cryp
Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise
2006-04-30
When Jesse Stone looks into the murder of a teen-age girl whose body is found floating in a local la
The Irish Whiskey Rebellion
1972-01-10
An Irish radical turns East Coast bootlegger during Prohibition.
The Absolute Truth
1997-04-30
A television newswoman (Seymour) must betray a friend in order to expose a presidential candidate (D
Crime Club
1973-03-06
A group of public and private investigators looks into the suspicious death of the son of one of its
Truth
2015-10-16
As a renowned producer and close associate of Dan Rather, Mary Mapes believes she’s broken the bigge
The President's Child
1992-10-27
James Guthrie is a candidate for the presidency of the United States. Eight years ago he fell in lov
Honky Tonk Freeway
1981-08-21
Ticlaw, a small town in Florida, has only one attraction: a safari park. The government constructs a
Virus
1995-05-08
Who could have deliberately released a rare and deadly African plague that is now spreading uncontro
The 300-Year Weekend
1971-02-26
A doctor spends 24 hours in a clinic with a group of patients. Each character has his or her own sto
The River Why
2010-04-09
A young man abandons his family for a solitary life of fly-fishing. His goal was to find his own way
Rubdown
1993-09-15
A rich man offers his masseur, a former baseball player with damaged knees, $50,000 to have an affai
Jane Doe
1983-03-12
A young amnesiac who was left for dead following a brutal assault is now being stalked by her assail
The Pursuit of Happiness
1971-02-23
William Popper is the son of a stockbroker and is thoroughly disenchanted with "the system." So much
With Intent to Kill
1984-10-24
A high school football hero Bo Reinecker tries to piece together the events leading up to murder of
Judgment: The Court Martial of the Tiger of Malaya — General Yamashita
1974-06-11
Dramatization of the trial of General Yamashita.