William Atherton

William Atherton

Known for
Acting
Born
July 30, 1947 (age 79)
Birthplace
Orange, Connecticut, USA

Biography

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.

Known For

Photos

William Atherton photoWilliam Atherton photoWilliam Atherton photoWilliam Atherton photo

Filmography

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Midnight Men: A John Schlesinger and Michael Childers Story poster

Midnight Men: A John Schlesinger and Michael Childers Story

Movie

2025
Where Did the Adults Go? poster

Where Did the Adults Go?

Movie · as The Father

2024
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire poster

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Movie · as Mayor Walter Peck

2020
Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters poster

Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters

Movie · as Self

2020
Reunited Apart poster

Reunited Apart

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2018
Bad Company poster

Bad Company

Movie

2017
Clinical poster

Clinical

Movie · as Terry Drummond

2016
Ghostheads poster

Ghostheads

Movie · as Self

2014
Jinn poster

Jinn

Movie · as Father Westhoff

2012
Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie poster

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie

Movie · as Earle Swinter

2012
Jersey Shore Shark Attack poster

Jersey Shore Shark Attack

Movie · as Dolan

2012
The Citizen poster

The Citizen

Movie

2011
Workaholics poster

Workaholics

TV · as Thor Holmvik · 1 ep

2010
The Kane Files: Life of Trial poster

The Kane Files: Life of Trial

Movie · as Daniel Morgan

2009
Castle poster

Castle

TV · as Ari Weiss · 1 ep

2008
Aces 'N' Eights poster

Aces 'N' Eights

Movie · as Howard

2008
Ghouls poster

Ghouls

Movie · as Stefan

2008
Black Crescent Moon poster

Black Crescent Moon

Movie · as Jo Dexton

2008
Childrens Hospital poster

Childrens Hospital

TV · as Levon Bainter · 1 ep

2007
Kush poster

Kush

Movie · as King

2007
The Girl Next Door poster

The Girl Next Door

Movie · as Adult David Moran

2007
Towards Darkness poster

Towards Darkness

Movie · as John

2007
Life poster

Life

TV · as Mickey Rayborn · 8 eps

2005
Into the Sun poster

Into the Sun

Movie · as Agent Block

2005
Headspace poster

Headspace

Movie · as Dr. Ira Gold

2005
Gone but Not Forgotten poster

Gone but Not Forgotten

Movie · as Sen. Ray Colby

2005
Numb3rs poster

Numb3rs

TV · as Warren Pierce · 1 ep

2004
Who's Your Daddy? poster

Who's Your Daddy?

Movie · as Duncan Mack

2004
Desperate Housewives poster

Desperate Housewives

TV · as Dr. Barr · 1 ep

2004
Lost poster

Lost

TV · as Donald Reynolds · 1 ep

2004
Boston Legal poster

Boston Legal

TV · as A.D.A. Howard Zale · 1 ep

2003
The Last Samurai poster

The Last Samurai

Movie · as Winchester Rep

2002
Monk poster

Monk

TV · as Commander Nathan Whitaker · 1 ep

2001
Race to Space poster

Race to Space

Movie · as Ralph Stanton

2001
Burning Down the House poster

Burning Down the House

Movie · as Arthur Kranston

2001
Night Visions poster

Night Visions

TV · as William Price (segment "Hate Puppet") · 1 ep

2001
Justice League poster

Justice League

TV · as Dr. Destiny / John Dee (voice) · 2 eps

2000
The Crow: Salvation poster

The Crow: Salvation

Movie · as Nathan Randall

2000
Bread and Roses poster

Bread and Roses

Movie · as Party Guest (uncredited)

1999
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge poster

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge

Movie · as Darryl Zanuck

1999
The Stranger poster

The Stranger

Movie

1999
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit poster

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

TV · as Ned Bogden · 1 ep

1998
Michael Kael vs. the World News Company poster

Michael Kael vs. the World News Company

Movie · as James Denit

1997
Mad City poster

Mad City

Movie · as Dohlen

1997
Executive Power poster

Executive Power

Movie · as President Fields

1997
Hoodlum poster

Hoodlum

Movie · as Thomas E. Dewey

1997
The Practice poster

The Practice

TV · as Keith Pratt · 3 eps

1997
Stargate SG-1 poster

Stargate SG-1

TV · as Emissary Varta · 1 ep

1996
Bio-Dome poster

Bio-Dome

Movie · as Dr. Noah Faulkner

1996
Raven Hawk poster

Raven Hawk

Movie · as Philip Thorne

1996
Nash Bridges poster

Nash Bridges

TV · as Dr. Linus Mills · 1 ep

1995
Broken Trust poster

Broken Trust

Movie · as Neil Roemer

1995
A Night to Die For poster

A Night to Die For

Movie · as Self

1995
Virus poster

Virus

Movie · as Dr. Reginald Holloway

1995
The Outer Limits poster

The Outer Limits

TV · as Franklin Murdoch · 1 ep

1994
Frank & Jesse poster

Frank & Jesse

Movie · as Allan Pinkerton

1994
Saints and Sinners poster

Saints and Sinners

Movie · as Terence

1993
The Pelican Brief poster

The Pelican Brief

Movie · as Bob Gminski

1992
Chrome Soldiers poster

Chrome Soldiers

Movie · as Sheriff Blackwell

1992
Diagnosis Murder: Diagnosis of Murder poster

Diagnosis Murder: Diagnosis of Murder

Movie · as Eric Walker

1992
HBO First Look poster

HBO First Look

TV · 1 ep

1991
Oscar poster

Oscar

Movie · as Overton

1990
Die Hard 2 poster

Die Hard 2

Movie · as Richard Thornberg

1990
Buried Alive poster

Buried Alive

Movie · as Cort van Owen

1990
Grim Prairie Tales poster

Grim Prairie Tales

Movie · as Arthur

1990
Max Monroe: Loose Cannon

Max Monroe: Loose Cannon

TV · as Sloane · 1 ep

1990
Law & Order poster

Law & Order

TV · as Don Snyder, Dan Jensen · 1 ep

1989
Tales from the Crypt poster

Tales from the Crypt

TV · as Malcolm Mayflower · 1 ep

1988
Die Hard poster

Die Hard

Movie · as Richard Thornburg

1988
Intrigue poster

Intrigue

Movie · as Doggett

1987
The Equalizer - The Movie: Blood & Wine poster

The Equalizer - The Movie: Blood & Wine

Movie · as Martin 'Alpha' Loeber

1986
No Mercy poster

No Mercy

Movie · as Allan Deveneux

1986
A Fight for Jenny poster

A Fight for Jenny

Movie · as Michael Rosen

1985
Real Genius poster

Real Genius

Movie · as Professor Hathaway

1985
The Twilight Zone poster

The Twilight Zone

TV · as Brian Wolfe (segment "Night of the Meek"), (segment "The Card") · 1 ep

1985
The Equalizer poster

The Equalizer

TV · as Martin 'Alpha' Loeber, Gideon · 2 eps

1984
Ghostbusters poster

Ghostbusters

Movie · as Walter Peck

1984
Murder, She Wrote poster

Murder, She Wrote

TV · as Larry Holleran, Greg Dalton, Andy Henley · 1 ep

1983
Malibu poster

Malibu

Movie · as Stan Harvey

1982
Tomorrow's Child poster

Tomorrow's Child

Movie · as Jim Spence

1981
The House of Mirth

The House of Mirth

Movie · as Lawrence Selden

1978
Centennial poster

Centennial

TV · as Jim Lloyd · 12 eps

1977
Looking for Mr. Goodbar poster

Looking for Mr. Goodbar

Movie · as James

1976
Independence poster

Independence

Movie · as Benjamin Rush

1975
The Day of the Locust poster

The Day of the Locust

Movie · as Tod Hackett

1975
The Hindenburg poster

The Hindenburg

Movie · as Boerth

1974
The Sugarland Express poster

The Sugarland Express

Movie · as Clovis Poplin

1973
Class of '44 poster

Class of '44

Movie · as Fraternity President

1972
The New Centurions poster

The New Centurions

Movie · as Johnson