Biography
Devane's versatility allowed him to play presidents and politicians, including several Kennedys, with the same degree of believability as his evil but lovable Greg Sumner on "Knots." Along the way, he netted Emmy nods, a fistful of Soap Opera Digest Awards, and a favored player status among television audiences that was reserved for very few performers over the course of a four-decade career. As much in demand in his seventh decade as he was …
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William Devane SlideShow
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Career Milestones
| Began acting in neighborhood theater while attending high school in Albany, New York | ||
| Professional stage debut as spear carrier in New York Shakespeare production of "The Merchant of Venice"; also worked behind the scenes at NYSF as a member of the construction crew and truck-driving staff | ||
| Was a regular on the CBS daytime drama "Where the Heart Is" | ||
| Worked in construction and as apprentice electrician before moving to NYC | ||
1967 | Played character inspired by Robert F Kennedy in Off-Broadway production "MacBird!", a satire of politics based on Shakespeare's "Macbeth" | |
1967 | Starred as a political activist who, with his wife, leaves the city to begin anew "In the Country" (65-minute black-and-white film) | |
1970 | Credited for "additional dialogue", as well as acting in "The 300 Year Weekend" | |
1971 | Acted in Robert Mulligan's "The Pursuit of Happiness" and Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" | |
1971 | Starred in the short-lived Broadway production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" | |
1973 | Credited as Bill Devane in ABC movie "The Bait" | |
1974 | Breakthrough TV role as President John F Kennedy in "The Missiles of October" (ABC); won first Emmy nomination | |
1975 | Portrayed blacklisted radio commentator John Henry Faulk in "Fear on Trial" (CBS); garnered second Emmy nomination | |
1976 | Acted in "Family Plot", the last film from legendary director Alfred Hitchcock; also portrayed double-dealing intelligence chief Janeway in John Schlesinger's "Marathon Man" | |
1976 | Received "from screenplay" credit for "The Million Dollar Rip-off", an NBC movie starring Freddie Prinze | |
1978 | Acted in lavish NBC miniseries version of "Black Beauty" | |
1979 | Reteamed with Schlesinger for "Yanks" | |
1979 | Starred as Sgt. Milt Warden in NBC miniseries version of "From Here to Eternity" | |
1980 | TV series debut as regular, reprising his role as Sgt. Milt Warden in "From Here to Eternity" (NBC) | |
1981 | Reteamed with Schlesinger for "Honky Tonk Freeway" | |
1982 | Portrayed tough private detective Jake Rubidoux in ABC movie "The Big Easy" | |
1983 | Joined the cast of the CBS primetime soap "Knots Landing"; played Greg Sumner, a corporate cad; also directed episodes of the series; remained with series until its 1993 demise | |
1987 | Appeared in first-rate TV time travel flick, "Timestalkers" (CBS) | |
1991 | Played John Vernou Bouvier III in NBC miniseries, "A Woman Named Jackie" | |
1993 | Portrayed the title character's tennis coach on the short-lived ABC sitcom "Phenom" | |
1995 | Starred as a Kennedyesque patriarch in short-lived drama "The Monroes" (ABC) | |
1997 | Reprised his role of Greg Sumner in "Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-De-Sac" | |
1999 | Played a gangster in "Payback" | |
1999 | Returned to series TV as star of the CBS drama "Turks" | |
2000 | Joined actor-director Clint Eastwood for his "Space Cowboys" | |
2000 | Returned to series TV as co-star of the NBC fall sitcom "The Michael Richards Show" | |
2000 | Starred as Tom Kincaid in CBS movie "Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story" | |
2003 | Played Secretary of State Lewis Berryhill, on the NBC political drama "The West Wing" | |
2004 | Appeared in three episodes of "Stargate SG-1," (Sci-fi) as President Hayes | |
2005 | Joined the FOX drama "24," in it's fourth season as Secretary of Defense James Heller | |
2006 | Co-starred as the philandering father in the dysfunctional Crumb family, opposite Jane Curtin and Fred Savage, on ABC's "Crumbs" | |
Awards
1975 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In a Special Program - in The Missiles of October |
1976 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In a Drama or Comedy Special in Fear on Trial |
1986 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama in Knots Landing |