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William Fichtner

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9.5 Superb
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Biography

Recent Role:
Phil Yagoda on Entourage
Gender:
Male
Born:
11-26-1957
Birthplace:
Mitchell Field Air Force Base, East Meadow, Long Island, New York, USA
Birth Name:
William Edward Fichtner
AKA:
Bill Fichtner
People know William Fichtner. They just don't know they know him. A compelling actor known for his strong supporting performances in film, William Fichtner started out as a soap heartthrob on CBS' "As the World Turns"; his unconventional looks (a strong boned face dominated by sad haunted eyes) contribute to his attractive intensity.

His early film appearances included a role in the little seen "Ramona" (1990) and a bit part as a police officer in "Malcolm X" (1992). "Quiz Show" (1994) offered more exposure in a minor role as the game show's stage manager. In 1995, he was

… More featured in "Virtuosity", "Strange Days" and as a sleazy banker undone by Robert De Niro in "Heat". He gave a more significant, although less seen, performance in Steven Soderburgh's 1995 feature "The Underneath" as Tommy Dundee, an intimidating and unstable club owner who becomes a rival of Peter Gallagher's Michael Chambers. Fichtner's work as the jealous and powerful Dundee caught the attention of casting director David Rubin who recommended him to Kevin Spacey for "Albino Alligator", the actor's 1997 directorial debut.

While undoubtedly already a familiar presence on screen, due to his prolific and strong performances in small parts, it was "Albino Alligator" that proved to be his breakthrough role. Fichtner, riveting as a slurring sociopath who creates a hostage situation in a bar, played up the character's volatility with an intense performance that masterfully stopped short of overacting. Later that year his well-researched turn as Dr Kent Clark, a blind astronomer in "Contact" was also touted, although a good bit of it ended up on the cutting room floor.

While his work in that year's "SwitchBack" was less memorable, 1998's action blockbuster "Armageddon" saw him return with a strong supporting turn as the hard-nosed and disciplined leader of an asteroid destroying mission. Through his own research, Fichtner added a realistic element to his character, making Sharp less combustible than he was initially written. The result was a portrait of an Air Force colonel complete with the steadiness that would be expected from an actual pilot to reach that level.

In 1999, Fichtner gave an enjoyable and scene stealing comedic performance in Doug Liman's high-energy ensemble film "Go". The elder statesman of the cast, he played an undercover narcotics officer with an apparent personal interest in his cohorts (Jay Mohr and Scott Wolf). The actor reached leading man status with a 1999 performance opposite Demi Moore in "Passion of Mind", playing a New York accountant pursuing a book editor (Moore) in this story of a woman who discovers she has a second life in a parallel universe.

In 2001, in "The Perfect Storm" he plays a defiant macho fisherman turned hero with a heart who answers to George Clooney. As in all of his roles, his appearance changes yet again and his speech is even peppered with a New England accent. Also in 2001, in the otherwise forgettable "What's The Worst That Could Happen", Fichtner gave the best performance of all of the other well known comedians in the film, playing Detective Alex Tardio, the swishy, androgynous cop and the owner of three cheese cutting Bichon Frise canines. Also in 2001, William starred in the film, "Black Hawk Down", where he played Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Sanderson. While it could have been difficult to recognize his character from the rest with all of the war dirt (look for the big white teeth that glow like two headlights), his work in this was outstanding. He trained for weeks in Fort Bragg with other actors in the film to prepare for realistic combat scenes and spent 12 weeks filming in Morocco.

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  •  
    10 Perfect
    Love him and Went, both great combination. hide show

    I am so trill that he never got kill in the show because he is the best...he is the real deal.
    Is been great the turn that his roll took from a bad guy to one of the team including Went and Dominic.
    The producers of this talented show are the real thing.
    I hope we have prison break seasons for long.
    Please keep William til the end, love his job in this show and everything he does. Hope in the new episodes he gets back with his wife. He deserves to be happy after all the bad things with his kid.

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    tatisyamilette Added Jan 9, 2009 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    Awesome actor, especially in "Prison Break" hide show

    Oh my god, what can I say about this man? He is awesome, in everything I watch what he is in. He is an awesome actor, on of the best around. He is extremely talented, and I love him especially in "Prison Break", he plays "Mahone" and he is just mind blowing, I love him he made season two and three amazing. I love the way he is a bad guy but you just got to love him for it. As many would agree with me, in "Prison Break" he is the best. I have also seen him in many films, and one of my favourite is "The Longest Yard" he is awesome in that movie too. But my god he is such and awesome actor, that whys I am giving him 10 out of 100 because I love him so much! Amazing actor, and he should be in more films, I would say tv shows but I want him to stay in Prison Break for ever.

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    Sarah_Is_Lost Added Aug 20, 2008 All my reviews
  •  
    9.9 Superb
    When you look up the word actor in the dictionary, I believe you will find a picture of William Fichtner. His range is unbelievable. Who needs to be a big movie star, when you can really act and be brilliant in your craft. hide show

    William Fichtner is one of those actors that you cannot help noticing in a scene, whether he is speaking a part or just standing around going through whatever emotion the scene requires. PB made an excellent move in banking on William Fichtner to pull off the character of Mahone. As many have said, you want to hate him, but you cannot. Fichtner plays Mahone in a realistic manner. He's was a good person, who got into a bad situation and he's not quite sure how to get out of it. Whenever another actor is in a scene with Fichtner, they have to raise their game another level. The scenes between him and Miller maybe short in sequence but leave you with a lasting impact for the entire episode. I forgot all about the head in the box after Fichtner's and Miller's scene in Good Fences. Even when Fichtner played on ATWT, he showed glimpse of brilliance. How else could fans sympathize with a rapist? I hope to continue to see the character of Mahone in more scenes and maybe one episode see the writers explore in a flashback what really did happen with Oscar Shales.

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    c07111 Added Oct 20, 2007 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    William Fichtner is outstanding in his role as Agent Mahone in Prison Break. hide show

    Since the introduction of William's character on the series Prison Break, we have seen him go from the standard suit and tie FBI agent to a much darker, drug addicted, imprisoned murderer. Quite a transition. William portrays this character in a way that makes you dislike him, but feel somewhat sorry for him at the same time. He starts out as a "catch them any way you can" kind of agent. Intense, clever, determined, and never more than a step behind the escaped prisoners he is assigned to capture. Over time we discover that his character is anything but the standard agent, deeply flawed, he flounders when another character discovers the secret he has buried in his own backyard. He is manipulated into the murder of some of the escapees, all the while trying to protect his family, as he struggles with a drug addiction, and a situation he can no longer control. All of the emotions that go along with his situation play out across his face and in his actions with an intensity and believability that leave me in awe. He has given a life and personality to this character that will stick in the memory of anyone that has the pleasure of seeing him in this role.

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    mscraftee Added Oct 7, 2007 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    One of the best tv actors at the moment. hide show

    While watching Invasion, I realized for first time how good is William Fichtner as actor. Even if a lot of people say he is pretty bad, always acting as a crazy man and when he comes in a tv show it means the show is gonna end, I think his characters are really good. For example, in Prison Break, the most recent char, he is a great schizophrenic policeman, how cold he is and how nervous he suddenly becomes when he needs his medication. I have watched some movies only because he was in the cast, like Crash (here he appears only a couple of minutes), Black Hawk Down, and also I became really surprised when I saw him at Equilibrium. Maybe he was not acting as good as in Prison Break, but I prefer him instead of a huge list of actors.

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    rickauei Added Sep 24, 2007 All my reviews
 

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