William H. Macy

William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is a two-time Emmy Award and four-time Screen Actors Guild Award winner, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, a Drama Critics' Circle Award, and five Golden Globe Awards.

Macy rose to prominence for his collaborations with playwright David Mamet, before building a film career on appearances in small, independent films,<ref name="Maxim">Template:Cite journal</ref> earning two Independent Spirit Award nominations. His first major role in a mainstream film was Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo (1996). For his performance in Fargo, Macy received critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Macy's subsequent mainstream film roles include Boogie Nights (1997), Air Force One (1997), Magnolia (1999), Mystery Men (1999), Jurassic Park III (2001), Bobby (2006), Thank You For Smoking (2005), Room (2015), and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024). From 2011 to 2021, he starred as Frank Gallagher on the television series Shameless. He played Dr. David Morgenstern on ER (1994–2009).

Early life

Macy was born on March 13, 1950 in Miami, Florida, and grew up in Georgia and Maryland.<ref name=tca>Stated on Inside the Actors Studio, 2004</ref> His father, William Hall Macy Sr. (1922–2007), was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air Medal for flying a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber in World War II; he later ran a construction company in Atlanta, Georgia, and worked for Dun & Bradstreet before taking over a Cumberland, Maryland–based insurance agency when Macy was nine years old. Macy's mother, Lois (née Overstreet; 1920–2001), was a war widow who met Macy's father after her first husband died in 1943. Macy has described her as a "Southern belle".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=stm>Template:Cite news</ref>

Macy graduated from Allegany High School in Cumberland, Maryland, in 1968. He attended Bethany College in West Virginia, where he studied veterinary medicine.<ref name="Maxim"/> A "wretched student" by his own admission, he transferred to Goddard College in rural Vermont, where he studied under playwright David Mamet, and graduated in 1972. He studied theater at HB Studio<ref>HB Studio Alumni</ref> in New York City.

Career

After graduating from Goddard, Macy originated roles in a number of plays by collaborator David Mamet, such as American Buffalo<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> and The Water Engine.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> While in Chicago in his twenties, he did a TV commercial. He was required to join AFTRA in order to do the commercial, and received his SAG card within a year, which for an elated Macy represented an important moment in his career.<ref>Moynihan, Rob (January 19, 2015). "How I Got My SAG-AFTRA Card", TV Guide. p. 8</ref>

Macy spent time in Los Angeles before moving to New York City in 1980, where he had roles in over fifty Off Broadway and Broadway plays. One of his earliest on-screen roles was as a theater critic congratulating Christopher Reeve in 1980's Somewhere In Time, under the name W.H. Macy, so as not to be confused with the actor Bill Macy. Another memorable early performance was as a turtle named Socrates in the direct-to-video film The Boy Who Loved Trolls (1984).

Macy at the 62nd Annual Peabody Awards, May 2003

He had a minor role as a hospital orderly on the sitcom Kate & Allie in the fourth-season episode "General Hospital", and played an assistant district attorney in "Everybody's Favorite Bagman", the first produced episode of Law & Order. In both appearances, he was billed as W. H. Macy. He has appeared in numerous films that Mamet wrote or directed, such as House of Games (1987), Things Change (1988), Homicide (1991), Oleanna (1994) (reprising the role he originated in the play of the same name), Wag the Dog (1997), State and Main (2000) and Spartan (2004).

Macy's leading role in Fargo (1996) helped boost his career and recognizability, though at the expense of nearly confining him to a narrow typecast of a worried man down on his luck.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other Macy roles of the 1990s and 2000s included Benny & Joon (1993), The Client (1994), Above Suspicion (1995), Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), Air Force One (1997), Boogie Nights (1997), A Civil Action (1998), Pleasantville (1998), Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho (1998), Happy, Texas (1999), Mystery Men (1999), Magnolia (1999), Panic (2000), Jurassic Park III (2001), Focus (2001), Welcome to Collinwood (2002), Seabiscuit (2003), The Cooler (2003), Cellular (2004), Sahara (2005), Everyone's Hero (2006) and Bobby (2006).

He had a recurring role on ER (1994–2009) and Sports Night (1999–2000). Both roles earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Macy wrote and starred in Door to Door in 2002, winning an Emmy for writing and acting.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In a November 2003 interview with USA Today, Macy stated that he wanted to star in a big-budget action film "for the money, for the security of a franchise like that. And I love big action-adventure movies. They're way cool."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He serves as director-in-residence at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York, where he teaches a technique called Practical Aesthetics. A book describing the technique, A Practical Handbook for the Actor (Template:ISBN), is dedicated to Macy and Mamet.

In 2007, Macy starred in Wild Hogs, a film about middle-aged men reliving their youthful days by taking to the open road on their Harley-Davidson motorcycles from Cincinnati to the Pacific Coast. Despite being critically panned, with a 14% "rotten" rating from Rotten Tomatoes, it was a financial success, grossing over $168 million.<ref>Wild Hogs, Rotten Tomatoes, Retrieved 07/28/10</ref> The film also reunited him with his A Civil Action costar, John Travolta. In 2009, Macy completed filming on The Maiden Heist, a comedy that co-starred Morgan Freeman and Christopher Walken.

Macy in 2010

In June 2008, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced Macy and his wife, Felicity Huffman, would each receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the upcoming year. On January 13, 2009, Macy replaced Jeremy Piven in David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow on Broadway. Piven suddenly and unexpectedly dropped out of the play in December 2008 after he experienced health problems. Norbert Leo Butz covered the role from December 23, 2008, until Macy took over the part.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Dirty Girl, which starred Macy along with Juno Temple, Milla Jovovich, Mary Steenburgen and Tim McGraw, premiered September 12, 2010, at the Toronto International Film Festival.

In summer 2010, Macy joined the Showtime pilot Shameless as the protagonist, Frank Gallagher. The project ultimately went to series, and its first season premiered on January 9, 2011. Macy has received high critical acclaim for his performance,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> eventually getting an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2014.

In the 2012 film The Sessions, Macy played a priest who helps a man with a severe disability find personal fulfillment through a sex surrogate.<ref name="ABILITY">Template:Cite news</ref> He made his directorial debut with the independent drama Rudderless, which stars Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, Felicity Huffman, Selena Gomez and Laurence Fishburne. In 2017, he directed The Layover, a road trip comedy starring Alexandra Daddario and Kate Upton.

In 2015, he had a small role as Grandpa in the drama film Room, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film reunited him with his Pleasantville costar, Joan Allen. In 2024, he played Trevathan in the film Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Personal life

Huffman and Macy at a ceremony where each received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 7, 2012

Macy and actress Felicity Huffman dated on-and-off for 15 years<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and married on September 6, 1997. They have two daughters.

Macy and Huffman appeared at a rally for John Kerry in 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref> Template:Cite web</ref>

Macy plays the ukulele and is an avid woodturner. He has appeared on the cover of Fine WoodworkingTemplate:'s special edition, Wood Turning Basics<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and was featured in an article in the April 2015 issue of American Woodturner (American Association of Woodturners). He is a national ambassador for the United Cerebral Palsy Association.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Since shooting the film Wild Hogs, Macy has had a strong interest in riding motorcycles.<ref name="ABILITY"/> Macy lives near and is the spokesperson for Woody Creek Distillers in Basalt, Colorado, which sells a signature whiskey bearing Macy's name.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Varsity Blues scandal

Template:Main In March 2019, it was reported that Macy and Huffman had agreed to pay someone $15,000 to take a college entrance exam for their daughter Sophia. Huffman was indicted on fraud and conspiracy charges as part of a wider federal investigation of college admissions bribery. For undisclosed reasons,<ref name="Winton">Template:Cite news</ref> no charges were filed against Macy.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Attorneys uninvolved in the case speculated that Macy may not have been charged because he cooperated with agents or because the government lacked sufficient evidence of his involvement.<ref name="VFScandal">Template:Cite news</ref>

On September 13, 2019, a federal judge in Boston sentenced Huffman to 14 days in federal prison (of which she served 10 days), 250 hours of community service, and a year of supervised release.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=NBC>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Stage appearances

Year	Title	Role	Venue	Notes	Ref.
1963	Room Service		Master Theatre, Off-Broadway		<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
1968	The Cannibals	Uncle / Mad Mr. Reich	The American Place Theatre, Off-Broadway		<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0" />
1974	Squirrels	Edmond	St. Nicholas Theater, Chicago		<ref name=":1" />
1975	American Buffalo	Bobby	Goodman Theatre, Chicago		<ref name=":1" />
1975–76			St. Nicholas Theater, Chicago		<ref name=":1" />
1977	The Water Engine	Charles Lang	St. Nicholas Theater, Chicago		<ref name=":1" />
1980	The Man in 605	Jerry Green	Lucille Lortel Theatre, Off-Broadway		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Twelfth Night	Sebastian	Circle Theatre, Broadway		<ref name=":0" />
1981	The Beaver Coat	Dr. Fleischer			<ref name=":0" />
	The Front Page	Hildy Johnson	Goodman Theatre, Chicago		<ref name=":1" />
1981–82	The Dining Room	3rd Actor	Studio Theatre of Playwrights Horizon, Off-Broadway		<ref name=":1" />
			Astor Place Theatre, Off-Broadway		<ref name=":1" />
1983	Baby with the Bathwater	John	Studio Theatre of Playwrights Horizon, Off-Broadway		<ref name=":0" />
1985–86	Prairie du Chien	Gin Player	Lincoln Center Theater, Broadway		<ref name=":1" />
1986	The Nice and the Nasty	Junius Upsey	Studio Theatre of Playwrights Horizon, Off-Broadway		<ref name=":0" />
1986–87	Bodies, Rest and Motion	Nick	Lincoln Center Theater, Broadway		<ref name=":1" />
1988	Boys' Life	Template:N/A	Lincoln Center Theater, Broadway	Director	<ref name=":1" />
1988–89	Our Town	Howie Newsome	Lyceum Theatre, Broadway		<ref name=":1" />
1989	Bobby Gould in Hell	The Interrogator	Lincoln Center Theater, Broadway		<ref name=":1" />
1990	Squirrels	Template:N/A	Annenberg Center for Performing Arts, Philadelphia	Director
	Three Sisters	Template:N/A	Atlantic Theater, Off-Broadway	Director	<ref name=":1" />
1991		Template:N/A	Annenberg Center for Performing Arts, Philadelphia	Director	<ref name=":1" />
		Template:N/A	Linda Gross Theater, Off-Broadway	Director	<ref name=":1" />
	Life During Wartime	Heinrich	New York City Center, Off-Broadway		<ref name=":1" />
	Mr. Gogol and Mr. Preen	Mr. Preen	Lincoln Center Theater, Broadway		<ref name=":1" />
1992–94	Oleanna	John	Orpheum Theatre, Off-Broadway		<ref name=":1" />
1997	The Joy of Going Somewhere Definite	Template:N/A	Atlantic Theater, Off-Broadway		<ref name=":0" />
2000	American Buffalo	Teach			<ref name=":1" />
2008–09	Speed-the-Plow	Bobby Gould	Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway		<ref name=":1" />
2020	The Christopher Boy's Communion	Hollis	Odyssey Theatre, Los Angeles		<ref name=":1" />

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Somewhere in Time	Critic	Credited as W.H. Macy
	Foolin' Around	Bronski
1983	Without a Trace	Reporter
	WarGames	NORAD Officer	Uncredited
1985	The Last Dragon	J. J.	Credited as W.H. Macy
1987	Radio Days	Radio Actor
	House of Games	Sgt. Moran
1988	Things Change	Billy Drake
1991	Homicide	Tim Sullivan
	Shadows and Fog	Cop with Spiro	Credited as W.H. Macy
1993	Twenty Bucks	Property Clerk
	Benny & Joon	Randy Burch
	Searching for Bobby Fischer	Petey's Father
1994	Being Human	Boris
	The Client	Dr. Greenway
	Dead on Sight	Steven Meeker
	Oleanna	John
1995	Murder in the First	D.A. William McNeil
	Evolver	Evolver (voice)	Uncredited
	Roommates	Doctor	Uncredited cameo
	Tall Tale	Railroad Magnate<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Above Suspicion	Pros. Atty. Schultz	Also writer
	Mr. Holland's Opus	Vice-Principal Gene Wolters
1996	Down Periscope	Commander Carl Knox
	Fargo	Jerry Lundegaard	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Hit Me	Policeman
	Ghosts of Mississippi	Charlie Crisco
1997	Colin Fitz Lives!	Mr. O'Day, Colin Fitz
	Air Force One	Major Caldwell
	Boogie Nights	Little Bill Thompson
	Wag the Dog	CIA Agent Charles Young
1998	Jerry and Tom	Karl
	Pleasantville	George Parker
	Psycho	Detective Milton Arbogast
	The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue	Justin (voice)	<ref name="btva">Template:Cite web A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
	A Civil Action	James Gordon
1999	Happy, Texas	Sheriff Chappy Dent
	Mystery Men	The Shoveler
	Magnolia	Quiz Kid Donnie Smith
2000	Panic	Alex
	State and Main	Walt Price
2001	Jurassic Park III	Paul Kirby
	Focus	Lawrence "Larry" Newman
2002	Welcome to Collinwood	Riley
2003	The Cooler	Bernie Lootz
	Stealing Sinatra	John Irwin
	Easy Riders, Raging Bulls	Narrator (voice)	Documentary
	Seabiscuit	Tick Tock McGlaughlin
2004	Spartan	Stoddard
	In Enemy Hands	Chief of Boat Nathan Travers
	Cellular	Sgt. Bob Mooney
2005	Sahara	Admiral James Sandecker
	Edmond	Edmond Burke
	Thank You for Smoking	Senator Ortolan K. Finistirre
2006	Doogal	Brian the Snail (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
	Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman	Rudyard North (voice)	Also executive producer
	Bobby	Paul
	Inland Empire	Announcer
	Everyone's Hero	Lefty Maginnis (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
2007	Wild Hogs	Dudley Frank
	He Was a Quiet Man	Gene Shelby
2008	The Deal	Charlie Berns	Also writer
	Bart Got a Room	Ernie Stein
	The Tale of Despereaux	Lester (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
2009	The Maiden Heist	George McLendon
	Shorts	Dr. Noseworthy
2010	Marmaduke	Don Twombly
	Dirty Girl	Ray
2011	The Lincoln Lawyer	Frank Levin
	Portraits in Dramatic Time	Himself
2012	The Sessions	Father Brendan
2013	A Single Shot	Pitt
	Trust Me	Gary
2014	The Wind Rises	Satomi (voice)
	Ernest & Celestine	Head Dentist (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
	Rudderless	Trill	Also writer, director, and executive producer
	Two-Bit Waltz	Carl
	Cake	Leonard
2015	Walter	Dr. Corman
	Dial a Prayer	Bill
	Stealing Cars	Philip Wyatt
	Room	Robert "Grandpa" Newsome
2016	Blood Father	Kirby
2017	The Layover	Template:N/A	Director
	Krystal	Wyatt	Also director
2023	Maybe I Do	Sam
2024	Ricky Stanicky<ref>‘Ricky Stanicky’ Rounds Out Cast With William H. Macy, Anja Savcic, Andrew Santino & Lex Scott Davis</ref>	Ted Summerhayes
	Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes	Trevathan
2025	Train Dreams	Arn Peeples
	Soul on Fire	Jack Buck	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	The Running Man	Molie Jernigan
	Frontier Crucible	Template:TableTBA	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	The Awakening Land	Will Beagle	Miniseries; credited as W.H. Macy
1982	Another World	Frank Fisk	Credited as W.H. Macy
1983	The Cradle Will Fall	Ben Duffy	Television film, credited as W.H. Macy
	Sitcom	Chip Gooseberry	Television film, credited as W.H. Macy
1984	The Boy Who Loved Trolls	Socrates the Turtle	Voice, television film; credited as W.H. Macy
	The Dining Room	Arthur, Charlie, Architect, Billy, Nick, Fred, Tony, Standish	Television film, credited as W.H. Macy
1985	Joanna	Napoleon Flipper	Short film; credited as W.H. Macy
	Hometown	Loring Dixwell	Episode: "Mary's Yen"; credited as W.H. Macy
1985–88	Spenser: For Hire	Efrem Connors	3 episodes; credited as W.H. Macy
1986	Kate & Allie	Carl	Episode: "General Hospital"; credited as W.H. Macy
1987	The Equalizer	Dr. Spaulding	Episode: "Hand and Glove"; credited as W.H. Macy
	Alive from Off Center	Uncredited	Episode: "As Seen on TV"
1988	The Murder of Mary Phagan	Randy	Miniseries; credited as W.H. Macy
	Lip Service	Farmer	Television film; also director; credited as W.H. Macy
1989	Tattingers	Myron	Episode: "Tour of Doody"; credited as W.H. Macy
1990	ABC Afterschool Specials	Store Clerk	Episode: "All That Glitters"
1990–92	Law & Order	John McCormack, Powell	2 episodes
1992	In the Line of Duty: Siege at Marion	Ray Daniels	Television film
	Civil Wars	Donald Patchen	Episode: "Denise and De Nuptials"
	A Private Matter	Psychiatrist	Television film
	The Water Engine	Charles Lang	Television film
	A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story	Sean Hammel	Television film
	The Heart of Justice	Booth	Television film
1993	Bakersfield P.D.	Russell Karp	Episode: "Cable Does Not Pay"
	L.A. Law	Bernard Ruskin	Episode: "Rhyme and Punishment"
1994–2009	ER	Dr. David Morgenstern	31 episodes
1994	Texan	Doctor	TV short
1995	In the Shadow of Evil	Dr. Frank Teague	Television film
	Mystery Dance	Bob Wilson	Episode: "Episode #1.1"
1996	Andersonville	Col. Chandler	Miniseries
	The Writing on the Wall	Petrocelli	Television film
1998	Superman: The Animated Series	The Director (voice)	Episode: "Where There's Smoke"<ref name="btva" />
	The Con	Bobby Sommerdinger	Television film; also writer
	The Lionhearts	Leo Lionheart (voice)	13 episodes
	King of the Hill	Dr. Rubin (voice)	Episode: "Pregnant Paws"
	Hercules	Jorgen Svenson, Sven Jorgenson (voices)	Episode: "Hercules and the Twilight of the Gods"
1999	Frasier	Ralph	Episode: "Good Samaritan"<ref name="btva" />
	A Slight Case of Murder	Terry Thorpe	Television film; also writer
	The Wild Thornberrys	Skoot (voice)	Episode: "On the Right Track"<ref name="btva" />
1999–2000	Batman Beyond	Aaron Herbst, Karros (voices)	2 episodes<ref name="btva" />
1999–2000	Sports Night	Sam Donovan	6 episodes
1999	The Night of the Headless Horseman	Ichabod Crane	Television film<ref name="btva" />
2001	Nature	Narrator	Episode: "Polar Bear Invasion"
2002	Door to Door	Bill Porter	Television film; also writer
	It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie	Glenn	Television film
2003	Out of Order	Steven	Miniseries
2004	Reversible Errors	Arthur Raven	Television film
	The Wool Cap	Charlie Gigot	Television film; also writer and producer
2006	The Simpsons	Himself (voice)	Episode: "Homer's Paternity Coot"
	Nightmares and Dreamscapes	Clyde Umney, Sam Landry, George Demmick	Miniseries
2006–07	Curious George	Narrator (voice)	30 episodes (season 1)
2007	The Unit	President of the United States	Episode: "The Broom Cupboard"
2008	Family Man	Todd Becker	Television film; also writer and executive producer
2011–21	Shameless	Frank Gallagher	Main role, 11 seasons; directed 3 episodes, wrote 1 episode, showrunner from seasons 5–8, 11
2011	Versailles	Bill	3 episodes
2022	The Dropout	Richard Fuisz	5 episodes
2023	The Conners	Smitty Cusamano	Episode: "Two More Years and a Stolen Rose"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2024	The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills	Himself	Episode: "Bitter Pill to Swallow"
	Accused	Raymond	Episode: "Lorraine's Story"

External links

• Template:IMDb name
• William H. Macy at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• William H. Macy at AboutTheArtists
• Template:Emmytvlegends name
• Template:Twitter