William Atherton

Known for: Acting

Born: 1947-07-30 (age 78)

From: Orange, Connecticut, USA

William Atherton Knight Jr. (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.

Filmography (89)

MOVIE
Where Did the Adults Go?
2025
as The Father
MOVIE★ 6.5
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
2024
as Mayor Walter Peck
TV★ 5.5
Reunited Apart
2020
as Self
MOVIE★ 6.9
Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters
2020
as Self
MOVIE★ 5.9
Bad Company
2018
MOVIE★ 5.3
Clinical
2017
as Terry Drummond
MOVIE★ 6.0
Ghostheads
2016
as Self
MOVIE★ 4.1
Jinn
2014
as Father Westhoff
MOVIE★ 6.4
The Citizen
2012
MOVIE★ 4.6
Jersey Shore Shark Attack
2012
as Dolan
MOVIE★ 5.5
Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie
2012
as Earle Swinter
TV★ 7.4
Workaholics
2011
as Thor Holmvik
MOVIE★ 4.8
The Kane Files: Life of Trial
2010
as Daniel Morgan
TV★ 8.0
Castle
2009
as Ari Weiss
TV★ 6.9
Childrens Hospital
2008
as Levon Bainter
MOVIE★ 3.3
Ghouls
2008
as Stefan
MOVIE★ 3.5
Black Crescent Moon
2008
as Jo Dexton
MOVIE★ 6.5
Aces 'N' Eights
2008
as Howard
TV★ 7.7
Life
2007
as Mickey Rayborn
MOVIE★ 6.6
The Girl Next Door
2007
as Adult David Moran
MOVIE★ 3.4
Kush
2007
as King
MOVIE★ 4.9
Towards Darkness
2007
as John
MOVIE★ 4.6
Into the Sun
2005
as Agent Block
MOVIE★ 5.1
Headspace
2005
as Dr. Ira Gold
TV★ 7.0
Numb3rs
2005
as Warren Pierce
MOVIE★ 4.9
Gone But Not Forgotten
2005
as Sen. Ray Colby
TV★ 7.9
Desperate Housewives
2004
as Dr. Barr
TV★ 7.9
Boston Legal
2004
as A.D.A. Howard Zale
TV★ 8.0
Lost
2004
as Donald Reynolds
MOVIE★ 4.9
Who's Your Daddy?
2004
as Duncan Mack
MOVIE★ 7.6
The Last Samurai
2003
as Winchester Rep
TV★ 8.0
Monk
2002
as Commander Nathan Whitaker
TV★ 8.2
Justice League
2001
as Dr. Destiny / John Dee (voice)
MOVIE★ 6.0
Race to Space
2001
as Ralph Stanton
TV★ 7.1
Night Visions
2001
as William Price (segment "Hate Puppet")
MOVIE★ 8.5
Burning Down the House
2001
as Arthur Kranston
MOVIE★ 6.3
Bread and Roses
2000
as Party Guest (uncredited)
MOVIE★ 5.5
The Crow: Salvation
2000
as Nathan Randall
MOVIE★ 4.3
The Stranger
1999
TV★ 8.0
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Ned Bogden
MOVIE★ 6.4
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
1999
as Darryl Zanuck
MOVIE★ 4.0
Michael Kael vs. the World News Company
1998
as James Denit
MOVIE★ 6.2
Mad City
1997
as Dohlen
MOVIE★ 5.9
Executive Power
1997
as President Fields
MOVIE★ 6.5
Hoodlum
1997
as Thomas E. Dewey
TV★ 8.3
Stargate SG-1
1997
as Emissary Varta
TV★ 7.7
The Practice
1997
as D.A. Keith Pratt
MOVIE★ 4.0
Raven Hawk
1996
as Philip Thorne
TV★ 6.6
Nash Bridges
1996
as Dr. Linus Mills
MOVIE★ 4.6
Bio-Dome
1996
as Dr. Noah Faulkner
MOVIE★ 6.3
Broken Trust
1995
as Neil Roemer
MOVIE★ 7.0
A Night to Die For
1995
as Self
MOVIE★ 4.8
Virus
1995
as Dr. Reginald Holloway
TV★ 7.7
The Outer Limits
1995
as Franklin Murdoch
MOVIE★ 5.2
Frank & Jesse
1994
as Allan Pinkerton
MOVIE★ 5.0
Saints and Sinners
1994
as Terence
MOVIE★ 6.6
The Pelican Brief
1993
as Bob Gminski
TV★ 5.6
HBO First Look
1992
MOVIE★ 4.4
Chrome Soldiers
1992
as Sheriff Blackwell
MOVIE★ 8.2
Diagnosis Murder: Diagnosis of Murder
1992
as Eric Walker
MOVIE★ 6.4
Oscar
1991
as Overton
MOVIE★ 5.8
Grim Prairie Tales
1990
as Arthur
TV★ 7.3
Law & Order
1990
as Don Snyder
MOVIE★ 7.0
Die Hard 2
1990
as Richard Thornberg
MOVIE★ 6.7
Buried Alive
1990
as Cort van Owen
TV★ 5.0
Max Monroe: Loose Cannon
1990
as Sloane
TV★ 8.0
Tales from the Crypt
1989
as Malcolm Mayflower
MOVIE★ 6.4
Intrigue
1988
as Doggett
MOVIE★ 7.8
Die Hard
1988
as Richard Thornburg
MOVIE★ 8.7
The Equalizer - The Movie: Blood & Wine
1987
as Martin 'Alpha' Loeber
MOVIE★ 5.8
No Mercy
1986
as Allan Deveneux
MOVIE★ 6.3
A Fight for Jenny
1986
as Michael Rosen
TV★ 7.7
The Twilight Zone
1985
as Brian Wolfe (segment "Night of the Meek")
TV★ 7.1
The Equalizer
1985
as Martin 'Alpha' Loeber
MOVIE★ 6.7
Real Genius
1985
as Professor Hathaway
TV★ 7.5
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Larry Holleran
MOVIE★ 7.5
Ghostbusters
1984
as Walter Peck
MOVIE★ 3.8
Malibu
1983
as Stan Harvey
MOVIE★ 4.3
Tomorrow's Child
1982
as Jim Spence
MOVIE★ 8.0
The House of Mirth
1981
as Lawrence Selden
TV★ 7.7
Centennial
1978
as Jim Lloyd
MOVIE★ 6.4
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
1977
as James
MOVIE★ 9.0
Independence
1976
as Benjamin Rush
MOVIE★ 6.3
The Hindenburg
1975
as Boerth
MOVIE★ 6.4
The Day of the Locust
1975
as Tod Hackett
MOVIE★ 6.6
The Sugarland Express
1974
as Clovis Poplin
MOVIE★ 6.6
Class of '44
1973
as Fraternity President
MOVIE★ 6.6
The New Centurions
1972
as Johnson
MOVIE
Midnight Men: A John Schlesinger and Michael Childers Story
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