William Atherton Knight (born July 30, 1947) is an American actor, best known for portraying Richard Thornburg in '' Die Hard'' and its sequel and Walter Peck in ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, thr ...

''.

Early life

Atherton was born in

Orange, Connecticut Orange is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 14,280 at the 2020 census. The town is governed by a Board of Selectmen. History The Paugusset, an Algonquian people, once lived in the area that is now Oran ...

, the son of Myrtle (née Robinson) and Robert Atherton Knight. He studied acting at the Drama School at Carnegie Tech and graduated from

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

in 1969.

Career

Atherton was successful on the New York stage immediately after graduating and worked with many of the country's leading playwrights including David Rabe, John Guare, and Arthur Miller, winning numerous awards for his work on and off Broadway. He got his big break playing hapless fugitive Clovis Poplin in '' The Sugarland Express'' (1974), the feature film debut of

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

. After this, he garnered major roles in dark dramas such as ''

The Day of the Locust ''The Day of the Locust'' is a 1939 novel by American author Nathanael West set in Hollywood, California. The novel follows a young artist from the Yale School of Fine Arts named Tod Hackett, who has been hired by a Hollywood studio to do scen ...

'' (1975) and '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977), as well as the big-budget disaster film '' The Hindenburg'' (1975). Atherton also starred as cowboy Jim Lloyd in the miniseries ''

Centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at a ...

'' (1978), based on the novel by

James Michener James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and ...

. He appeared in the comedy ''

'' (1984) as

EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

agent Walter Peck. K. Thor Jensen wrote, "Atherton, who plays cowardly EPA lawyer Walter Peck, is the real villain of the movie (his releasing the ghosts from the containment unit added to the chaos in New York), ewas so hated that after the movie came out he was harassed on the street and challenged to fights in bars."

Martha Coolidge Martha Coolidge (born August 17, 1946) is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. She has directed such films as ''Valley Girl'', ''Real Genius'' and '' Rambling Rose''. Early life Coolidge was born in N ...

chose Atherton to play Professor Jerry Hathaway in the teen comedy ''

Real Genius ''Real Genius'' is a 1985 American comic science fiction film directed by Martha Coolidge and written by Neal Israel, Pat Proft, and PJ Torokvei. Starring Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret, the film, set on the campus of Pacific Tech, a science ...

'' (1985). Atherton played reporter Richard "Dick" Thornburg in the blockbuster action film '' Die Hard'' (1988), and reprised the role in its sequel ''

Die Hard 2 ''Die Hard 2'' (also known by its tagline ''Die Harder'')The film's onscreen title is ''Die Hard 2'', as also given at the initial home-video release'official website The film's original advertising used "Die Harder" as a tagline, and many rele ...

'' (1990). Other film credits include '' No Mercy'' (1986), ''

The Pelican Brief ''The Pelican Brief'' is a legal-suspense thriller by John Grisham, published in 1992 by Doubleday. It is his third novel after '' A Time to Kill'' and ''The Firm''. Two paperback editions were published, both by Dell Publishing in 1993. A na ...

'' (1993), ''

Bio-Dome ''Bio-Dome'' is a 1996 American stoner comedy film directed by Jason Bloom. It was produced by Motion Picture Corporation of America on a budget of $8.5 million and was distributed theatrically by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The plot of the film revo ...

'' (1996), '' Mad City'' (1997), '' The Crow: Salvation'' (2000), ''

The Last Samurai ''The Last Samurai'' is a 2003 epic period action drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Logan and Marshall Herskovitz from a story devised by Logan. The film stars Ken Watanabe in the ...

'' (2003), ''

Grim Prairie Tales ''Grim Prairie Tales'' is a 1990 American independent horror Western film, written and directed by Wayne Coe, and starring an ensemble cast including James Earl Jones, Brad Dourif, Will Hare, Marc McClure, William Atherton, and Lisa Eichhorn. ...

'' (1990), the TV movies ''

Buried Alive Premature burial, also known as live burial, burial alive, or vivisepulture, means to be buried while still alive. Animals or humans may be buried alive accidentally on the mistaken assumption that they are dead, or intentionally as a form of t ...

'' (1990), '' Headspace'' (2005) and ''

Virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsk ...

'' (1995). He has also made guest appearances on such television series as ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'', ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The seri ...

'', ''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a t ...

'', ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

'', '' The Equalizer'', ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 200 ...

'', ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

'' and ''

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

''. Atherton provided the voice of Dr. Destiny on ''

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived b ...

''. He had a recurring role in NBC's detective drama ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...

''. While starring in ''The Day of the Locust'', Atherton was offered and accepted the opportunity to provide lead vocals for "

What'll I Do "What'll I Do" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1923. It was introduced by singers Grace Moore and John Steel late in the run of Berlin's third ''Music Box Revue'' and was also included in the following year's edition."American Classics - ...

", the main title theme for the

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award from four nominations, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, the Cec ...

film version of ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby ...

''. His 2007 appearances included the film '' The Girl Next Door'', an adaptation of the best-selling Jack Ketchum novel of the same name. He also reprised his role as Walter Peck in '' Ghostbusters: The Video Game'', released on June 16, 2009. Atherton was cast in the final season of ABC's ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

''. He appeared in the musical '' Gigi'' for the Reprise Theatre in Los Angeles as "Honoré Lachailles" in 2011. Following his work on the musical, he stepped into a comedic role in ''

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie ''Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie'' is a 2012 American absurdist comedy film starring, written, directed, and produced by the comedy duo Tim & Eric (Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim) in their feature directorial debuts. The plot follows Heide ...

'' (2012), produced by

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show '' Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 2 ...

Funny or Die Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a re ...

, Gary Sanchez Productions and Abso Lutely Productions. In summer 2014, Atherton was cast in a recurring role as Viceroy Mercado in the

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. La ...

series ''

Defiance Defiance may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Defiance'' (1952 film), a Swedish drama film directed by Gustaf Molander * ''Defiance'' (1980 film), an American crime drama starring Jan-Michael Vincent * ''Defiance'' (2002 film), a ...

s second season. Atherton co-starred in the 2017

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

thriller, ''Clinical'', and appears in several upcoming documentaries on his most iconic films. The first to be released is the 2019 ''Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters'' which features the original 1984 cast.

Personal life

Atherton has been married to writer Bobbi Goldin since December 8, 1980. On the

Phil Donahue Phillip John Donahue (born December 21, 1935) is an American media personality, writer, film producer and the creator and host of ''The Phil Donahue Show''. The television program, later known simply as ''Donahue'', was the first talk show forma ...

show in 1981, William Atherton claimed that he was once homosexual but changed due to the

Aesthetic Realism Aesthetic Realism is a philosophy founded in 1941 by the American poet and critic Eli Siegel (1902–1978). He defined it as a three-part study: " ese three divisions can be described as: One, Liking the world; Two, The opposites; Three, The me ...

of Eli Siegel. Atherton has sung in various productions in later years. In 2011, he performed "I Remember It Well," a popular song from ''Gigi'' with his former Reprise Theater co-star,

Millicent Martin Millicent Mary Lillian Martin (born 8 June 1934) is an English actress, singer, and comedian. She was the lone female singer of topical songs on the weekly BBC Television satire show ''That Was the Week That Was'' known as TW3 (1962–1963), a ...

, at a sold-out performance in Palm Springs for Michael Childers' ''One Night Only'', benefiting the Jewish Family Service of the Desert. He returned in 2013 to the same sold-out event to sing the classic, "Isn't It Romantic?" As an avid promoter of education, Atherton has worked with the Library Foundation of Los Angeles in readings benefiting the Los Angeles Public Library. He appeared twice with his former co-star, Stephanie Zimbalist in the Gregory Peck Reading Series and they were directed by the iconic

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...

. One of these evenings was a tribute to actor

Roddy McDowall Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 4 October 1998) was a British actor, photographer and film director. He began his acting career as a child in England, and then in the United States, in ''How Green Was My Valley'' (1 ...

who emceed their evening for the Library's benefactors. In December 2018 Atherton participated in the Library Foundation's reading of excerpts from book editor and critic, David Kipen's best-seller, ''Dear Los Angeles: The City in Diaries and Letters, 1542 to 2018''. Atherton has also coached young adults in school programs, working directly with students in their class productions of Shakespearean plays and other well-known works.

Select filmography

Film

*''

The New Centurions ''The New Centurions'' is a 1972 American Panavision neo-noir action crime film based on the 1971 novel of the same name by policeman turned author Joseph Wambaugh. It stars George C. Scott, Stacy Keach, Scott Wilson, Jane Alexander, Rosalin ...

'' (1972) – Johnson *''

Class of '44 ''Class of '44'' is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film based on the memoirs of screenwriter Herman Raucher. Directed by Paul Bogart, it is structured as a sequel to the 1971 film '' Summer of '42'' which recounted the events in th ...

'' (1973) – Fraternity President *'' The Sugarland Express'' (1974) – Clovis Michael Poplin *''

'' (1975) – Tod Hackett *'' The Hindenburg'' (1975) – Karl Boerth *''

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...

'' (1976) –

Benjamin Rush Benjamin Rush (April 19, 1813) was a Founding Father of the United States who signed the United States Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social reformer, humanitarian, educa ...

*'' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) – James *''

'' (1984) – Walter Peck *''

'' (1985) – Professor Jerry Hathaway *'' No Mercy'' (1986) – Allan Deveneux *'' Die Hard'' (1988) – Richard Thornburg *''

'' (1990) – Richard Thornburg *''

: Hit the Trail... to Terror'' (1990) – Arthur *''

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

'' (1991) – Overton *''

'' (1993) – Bob Gminski *'' Saints and Sinners'' (1994) – Terence McCone *'' Frank & Jesse'' (1994) – Allan Pinkerton *''

'' (1996) – Dr. Noah Faulkner *''

Hoodlum A hoodlum is a thug, usually in a group of misfits who are associated with crime or theft. Early use The earliest reference to the word "hoodlum" was in the December 14, 1866, ''San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin'' after the Hoodlum Band was ...

'' (1997) – Thomas Dewey *'' Mad City'' (1997) – Malt Dohlen *'' Michael Kael vs. the World News Company'' (1998) – James Denit *''The Stranger'' (1999) – Arthur *'' The Crow: Salvation'' (2000) – Nathan Randall *''

Bread and Roses "Bread and Roses" is a political slogan as well as the name of an associated poem and song. It originated from a speech given by American women's suffrage activist Helen Todd; a line in that speech about "bread for all, and roses too" inspired ...

'' (2000) – Himself – Party Guest (uncredited) *'' Burning Down the House'' (2001) – Arthur Kranston *'' Night Visions'' (2001) (TV series) – William Price *'' Race to Space'' (2001) – Ralph Stanton *''

'' (2003) – Winchester Rep *''

Who's Your Daddy? Who's Your Daddy? is an alternate capitalization of "Who's your daddy?", a phrase expressing dominance, especially of a sexual nature. Who's Your Daddy? may also refer to: Music * Who's Your Daddy? (Daddy Yankee song), "Who's Your Daddy?" (Da ...

'' (2003) – Uncle Duncan 'Duncay' Mack *'' Into the Sun'' (2005) – Agent Block *'' Headspace'' (2005) – Dr. Ira Gold *''

Kush Kush or Cush may refer to: Bible * Cush (Bible), two people and one or more places in the Hebrew Bible Places * Kush (mountain), a mountain near Kalat, Pakistan Balochistan * Kush (satrapy), a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire * Hindu Kush, a ...

'' (2007) – King *''Hacia la oscuridad'' (2007) – John *''Totally Baked'' (2007) – Mr. Lyle Funonion (Segment "FunOnion Boardroom") *'' The Girl Next Door'' (2007) – Adult David Moran *''Black Crescent Moon'' (2008) – Jo Dexton *''The Kane Files: Life of Trial'' (2010) – Daniel Morgan *''

'' (2012) – Earle Swinter *''

Jersey Shore Shark Attack ''Jersey Shore Shark Attack'' is a 2012 television film that aired on Syfy on June 8, 2012 and was written by Michael Ciminera and Richard Gnolfo. It was built around the popularity of the well-known MTV program, ''Jersey Shore''. Plot The film ...

'' (2012) – Dolan *'' The Citizen'' (2012) – Winston *''Getting Back to Zero'' (2013) *''

Jinn Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic ...

'' (2014) – Father Westhoff *'' Clinical'' (2017) – Terry *''Lowlifes'' (2017)

Documentary film

*''Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters'' (2019)

Video games

*'' Ghostbusters: The Video Game'' (2009) (VG) – Walter Peck (Voice) *'' Planet Coaster'' (2019) (VG) – Walter Peck (Voice) *''Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered'' (2019) (VG) – Walter Peck (Voice)

Television

*''

'' (1978–1979) (TV miniseries) – Jim Lloyd *''

The House of Mirth ''The House of Mirth'' is a 1905 novel by American author Edith Wharton. It tells the story of Lily Bart, a well-born but impoverished woman belonging to New York City's high society around the end of the 19th century. Wharton creates a portrait ...

'' (1981) (TV) – Lawrence Selden *'' Malibu'' (1983) (TV) – Stan Harvey *''

'' (1985, 1987) (TV series) – Mr. Dundee/Brian Wolfe *''

'' (1985, 1987, 1991) (TV series) – Larry Holleran/Greg Dalton/Andy Henley *'' The Equalizer'' (1987, 1989) (TV series) – Martin 'Alpha' Loeber/Gideon *''

'' (1990) (TV) – Cortland 'Cort' van Owen *''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'' (1991) (TV series) – Malcolm Mayflower *'' Diagnosis: Murder'' (1992) (TV) – Eric Walker *''

'' (1995) (TV) *''

Nash Bridges ''Nash Bridges'' is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The s ...

'' (1996) (TV series) – Dr. Linus Mills *''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy ...

'' (1997, 1999) (TV series) – D.A. Keith Pratt *'' The Outer Limits'' (1998) (TV series) – Franklin Murdoch *''

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge ''Introducing Dorothy Dandridge'' is a 1999 American biographical drama television film directed by Martha Coolidge from a screenplay by Shonda Rhimes and Scott Abbott, based on the biography ''Dorothy Dandridge'' by Earl Mills. Filmed over a spa ...

'' (1999) (TV) –

Darryl Zanuck Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902December 22, 1979) was an American film producer and studio executive; he earlier contributed stories for films starting in the silent era. He played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of ...

*'' Night Visions'' (2001) (TV series) – William Price *''

'' (2002, 2004) (TV series) – Don Snyder/Dan Jensen *''

'' (2003) (TV series) – Dr. Destiny (voice only) *''

'' (2005) (TV series) – A.D.A. Howard Zale *''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, ...

'' (2006) (TV series) – Varta *''

'' (2006) (TV series) – Dr. Barr *''

Numb3rs ''Numbers'' (stylized as ''NUMB3RS'') is an American crime drama television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, for six seasons and 118 episodes. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heu ...

'' (2007) (TV series) – Warren Pierce *''

'' (2008) (TV series) – Commander Nathan Whitaker *''

'' (2008–2009) (TV series) – Mickey Rayborn *''

'' (Episode 607: " Dr. Linus") (2010) (TV series) – Principal Donald Reynolds *'' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2010) (TV series) – Ned Bogden *''

'' (Episode 61: "Head Case") (2011) (TV series) – Dr. Ari Weiss *''

Workaholics ''Workaholics'' is an American sitcom created and predominantly written by Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine, Anders Holm, and Kyle Newacheck, all of whom star in the series. ''Workaholics'' originally ran on Comedy Central from April 6, 2011, to Ma ...

'' (Episode 306: "The Meat Jerking Beef Boys") (2012) – Thor Holmvik *''

'' (2013) – Viceroy Mercado

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Atherton, William 1947 births Living people American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Male actors from Connecticut People from Orange, Connecticut 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors People self-identified as ex-gay Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni