Will Patton

Will Patton Headshot

Actor

Birth Name: William Rankin Patton

Birth Date: June 14, 1954

Age: 70 years old

Birth Place: Charleston, South Carolina

William Rankin Patton was born June 14, 1954 in Charleston, SC, the eldest of four children to a Lutheran Minister father. Patton - whose parents divorced when he was a teen - was painfully shy in adolescence, and turned to performance as a way to interact and relate to others.

After graduation from high school, Patton attended the North Carolina School for the Arts for just under one year until he was expelled for behavioral issues, and then traveled for a time before training with Lee Strasberg at the esteemed Actors Studio. Like any struggling actor, Patton held many jobs while he honed his craft, such as a construction worker, salesman, security guard and elevator attendant.

He began also to study under Joseph Chaikin at Open Theater in New York City; it was a joint work with Chaikin's experimental group, The Winter Project, called "Tourists and Refugees No. 2" that would see Patton win his first Obie for Best Ensemble. This era also marked his introduction to television in the telefilm chronicling the historic campus demonstration shootings in "Kent State" (NBC 1981), as well as a bit on film in Mike Nichols' epic "Silkwood" (1983).

In 1984 Patton repeated his Obie victory, this time as Best Actor for his work in playwright Sam Shepard's "Fool for Love." Patton's first film lead came in the crime thriller "Chinese Boxes" (1984), followed by a villainous turn in Susan Seidelman's "Desperately Seeking Susan" (1985), and in Martin Scorsese's "After Hours" (1985), as the leather clad gent, Horst.

Patton's breakout role was his supporting lead in the taut government thriller "No Way Out" (1987), as the shady, obsessive aide to the Secretary of Defense (Gene Hackman) who stops at nothing to protect his boss. He picked up his third Obie, this for Best Actor, for the 1988-89 production of "What Did He See?"

Patton also appeared in the apocalyptic drama "The Rapture" (1991), the quirky and clever Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner "In the Soup" (1992) as Seymour Cassel's hemophiliac brother, and then the much talked about crime thriller "Romeo is Bleeding" (1993).

After a sinister turn in "The Client" (1994) opposite Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones, Patton did more fine work as Ellen Burstyn's nephew in the 1996 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner "The Spitfire Grill" (1996), a dramatic tale of a troubled young girl's attempt to start her life over in a new small town.

Patton was the protective patriarch of three beautiful daughters in "Inventing the Abbotts" (1997), and had his biggest box office adventure with the disaster film "Armageddon" (1998) as Bruce Willis' best buddy who, along with a brave crew, are set on saving Earth at all costs.

In 1999, Patton published a short book called Lassitudes of Fire, an abstract homage to the actor's pain filled journey through life. On screen, Patton appeared in the crime thriller "Entrapment" (1999), indie favorite "Jesus' Son" (2000) and box office draw "Gone in Sixty Seconds" (2000) as Atlee Jackson, who recruits Nicholas Cage back into the game.

Some of Patton's largest praise came from his portrayal of demoted-but-unified Coach Bill Yoast in the hugely successful sports drama "Remember the Titans" (2000), starring opposite Denzel Washington. After a high strung appearance in "The Mothman Prophecies" (2002), Patton checked into "The Agency" (CBS 2001-03) as an intelligence gatherer within the walls of the CIA, and was also noted as an American Special Agent in the real-life drama "A Mighty Heart" (2007), opposite Angelina Jolie.

As a model-maker who drifts into a small town with an agenda in mind, Patton starred in the little seen independent gem "Dog Days of Summer" (2007), as well as another remote town story in the film festival favorite "Wendy and Lucy" (2008). Patton was also part of a well reviewed ensemble with Alfre Woodard in "American Violet" (2008), the story of a wrongly accused woman, which featured the actor as a lawyer with a conscience.

In the police crime-action drama "Brooklyn's Finest" (2009), Patton dons his familiar Fed-in-a-suit role, with a powerful cast including Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke and Don Cheadle. Patton moved back to television in 2009 when he joined the cast of "24" (Fox 2001-2010) as the villainous Alan Wilson, chief backer of Starkwood, who is responsible for many deaths.

Patton was an aggressive non-believer in the paranormal thriller "The Fourth Kind" (2009) opposite Milla Jovovich, and also joined the Disassociate Identity disorder drama "Waking Madison" (2010). Patton also rejoined director Reichardt for her exploration of America's Western landscapes in "Meek's Cutoff" (2010). The film, set in 1845, followed a wagon team's effort to survive the harsh elements.

Credits

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1Stream

Actor
Owen Kittredge
Movie
2024
50%

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2

Actor
Owen Kittredge
Movie
2024

Janet PlanetStream

Actor
Wayne
Movie
2023
85%

Halloween EndsStream

Actor
Frank
Movie
2022
40%

The Forever PurgeStream

Actor
Caleb Tucker
Movie
2021
49%

Halloween KillsStream

Actor
Deputy Frank Hawkins
Movie
2021
39%

The Devil Below

Actor
Schuttmann
Movie
2021

Safe

Actor
Francis
Movie
2021

MinariStream

Actor
Paul
Movie
2020
98%

Sweet Thing

Actor
Adam
Movie
2020

Swamp ThingStream

Actor
Avery Sunderland
Series
2019
92%

Radioflash

Actor
Frank
Movie
2019

Blood on Her Name

Actor
Richard Tiller
Movie
2019

Hammer

Actor
Stephen Davis
Movie
2019

YellowstoneStream

Actor
Garrett Randle
Series
2018
84%

HalloweenStream

Actor
Officer Hawkins
Movie
2018
79%

An Actor Prepares

Actor
Wisdom
Movie
2018

Boarding School

Actor
Dr. Sherman
Movie
2018

Shots FiredStream

Actor
Sheriff Platt
Series
2017
84%

Megan Leavey

Actor
Jim
Movie
2017

The Scent of Rain & Lightning

Actor
Senior
Movie
2017

The November ManStream

Actor
Perry Weinstein
Movie
2014
35%

Abigail Harm

Actor
The Visitor
Movie
2012

The Girl

Actor
Tommy
Movie
2012

Falling SkiesStream

Actor
Weaver
Series
2011
79%

Knucklehead

Actor
Vic Sullivan
Movie
2010

mindFLUX

Actor
Movie
2010

Meek's Cutoff

Actor
Solomon Tetherow
Movie
2010

Waking Madison

Actor
Mr. Walker
Movie
2010

The Good WifeStream

Guest Star
Mike Tascioni
Series
2009
93%

Brooklyn's FinestStream

Actor
Bill
Movie
2009
44%

The Fourth Kind

Actor
Sheriff August
Movie
2009

The Canyon

Actor
Henry
Movie
2009

Princess Kaiulani

Actor
Sanford B. Dole
Movie
2009

Looking at Animals

Actor
Raymond
Movie
2009

Dog Days of Summer

Actor
Eli Cottonmouth
Movie
2008

Wendy and Lucy

Actor
Mechanic
Movie
2008

American Violet

Actor
Sam Conroy
Movie
2008

Lucky Days

Actor
J.C.
Movie
2008

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond

Actor
Old Man Dobyne
Movie
2008

Code Name: The CleanerStream

Actor
Riley
Movie
2007
4%

A Mighty HeartStream

Actor
Randall Bennett
Movie
2007
79%

The List

Actor
Michael Harriston
Movie
2007

Road House 2

Actor
Nate Tanner
Movie
2006

NUMB3RSStream

Guest Star
Det. Gary Walker
Series
2005

Family Sins

Actor
Philip Rothman
Movie
2004

The PunisherStream

Actor
Quentin Glass
Movie
2004
29%

The Last Ride

Actor
Aaron Purnell
Movie
2004

The Mothman PropheciesStream

Actor
Gordon Smallwood
Movie
2002
52%

The Mothman Prophezeiungen

Actor
Movie
2002

24Stream

Guest Star
Alan Wilson
Series
2001
87%

The Agency

Actor
Jackson Haisley
Show
2001

CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationStream

Guest Star
Series
2000

Trixie

Actor
Red Rafferty
Movie
2000

Gone in 60 SecondsStream

Actor
Atley Jackson
Movie
2000
25%

Remember the TitansStream

Actor
Coach Yoast
Movie
2000
72%

Breakfast of Champions

Actor
Moe the Truck Driver
Movie
1999

EntrapmentStream

Actor
Hector Cruz
Movie
1999
40%

Jesus' Son

Actor
John Smith
Movie
1999

O.K. Garage

Actor
Sean
Movie
1998

ArmageddonStream

Actor
Charles "Chick" Chapple
Movie
1998
43%

I Woke Up Early the Day I Died

Actor
Preacher
Movie
1998

Inventing the Abbotts

Actor
Lloyd Abbott
Movie
1997

The PostmanStream

Actor
Gen. Bethlehem
Movie
1997
10%

FledStream

Actor
Gibson
Movie
1996
18%

The Spitfire GrillStream

Actor
Nahum Goddard
Movie
1996
38%

CopycatStream

Actor
Nicoletti
Movie
1995
76%

Invasión de Extraterrestres

Actor
Movie
1994

My Love, Your Honor

Actor
Alan Warwick
Movie
1994

Natural Causes

Actor
Michael Murphy
Movie
1994

Tollbooth

Actor
Dash Pepper
Movie
1994

The ClientStream

Actor
Sergeant Hardy
Movie
1994
80%

The Puppet Masters

Actor
Dr. Graves
Movie
1994

Judicial Consent

Actor
Alan Warwick
Movie
1994

Taking the Heat

Actor
Hadley
Movie
1993

Romeo Is Bleeding

Actor
Martie
Movie
1993

Midnight Edition

Actor
Jack Travers
Movie
1993

La Historia de Sherry Sherwood

Actor
Movie
1992

Cold Heaven

Actor
Father Niles
Movie
1992

In the Soup

Actor
Skippy
Movie
1992

The Paint Job

Actor
Wesley
Movie
1992

In the Deep Woods

Actor
Eric Gaines
Movie
1992

Deadly Desire

Actor
Giles Menteer
Movie
1991

Dillinger

Actor
Melvin Purvis
Movie
1991

The Rapture

Actor
Deputy Foster
Movie
1991

Everybody Wins

Actor
Jerry
Movie
1990

A Shock to the System

Actor
Lt. Laker
Movie
1990

Stars and Bars

Actor
Duane Gage
Movie
1988

Wildfire

Actor
Mike
Movie
1988

No Way OutStream

Actor
Scott Pritchard
Movie
1987
91%

A Gathering of Old MenStream

Actor
Lou Dimes
Movie
1987

Belizaire the Cajun

Actor
Matthew Perry
Movie
1986

The Equalizer

Guest Star
Officer Nick Braxton
Series
1985

Desperately Seeking SusanStream

Actor
Wayne Nolan
Movie
1985
84%

The Beniker Gang

Actor
Forest Ranger
Movie
1985

Chinese Boxes

Actor
Lang Marsh
Movie
1984

King Blank

Actor
Bar Customer
Movie
1983

Variety

Actor
Mark
Movie
1983

Minus Zero

Actor
Schreiber
Movie
1979

News aboutWill Patton