When it comes to playing the tough guy, William Fichtner does it with so much charisma it has almost become a trademark for most of his roles. A true New Yorker at heart, Fichtner was born in Long Island, New York, on November 27, 1956. Since he began his acting career in 1987, Fichtner has starred in several commercial hit movies, as well as working with several top actors.
Fichtner has worked extensively in film and television in a lead role and as a supporting cast. As a voice actor, Fichtner has also voiced several characters in popular video games. For his work in film and television, here are the 10 best Willam Fichtner roles in movies and TV Shows.
10. Colonel Willie Sharp in Armageddon (1998)
Michael Bay’s Armageddon (1998), produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, is one of the greatest science fiction disaster films of the 90s. Although receiving mostly negative reviews from critics, it became the highest-grossing movie of 1998, grossing $553.7 million on a $140 million budget. A notable character in the movie was Colonel Willie Sharp, played by William Fichtner.
Colonel Sharp is brought on the mission to teach Harry Stamper and his team of drillers how to become astronauts in 12 days. Colonel Sharp also pilots one of the space shuttles, Freedom, to space. Although Sharp and Harry disagree several times, Harry’s determination and sacrifice will eventually earn Sharp’s respect.
9. Burke Halverson in Go (1999)
Go (1999) was critically acclaimed but underperformed at the box office, only earning $28.5 million on a $20 million budget. William Fichtner plays a police detective, Burke Halverson, who’s looking to find and entrap an ecstasy dealer. The crime comedy tells its story from different character perspectives.
8. Captain Brian Knauer, QB in The Longest Yard (2005)
Although critically panned by critics, The Longest Yard (2005) grossed $191.5 million on a $90 million budget. It went on to make history for MTV Films, as well as Adam Sandler. William Fichtner plays a supporting role as Captain Brian Knauer, the head guard of Allenville Penitentiary. Captain Brian Knauer, QB, heads the prison guards’ football team, which played against the inmate’s team. Although initially working with the prison’s warden, Rudolph Hazen, Paul Crewe’s (Adam Sandler) actions caused Knauer to respect Crewe.
7. Sheriff Tom Underlay in Invasion (2005–2006)
William Fichtner plays Sheriff Tom Underlay in Shaun Cassidy’s science fiction TV series, Invasion for ABC. The show revolves around the aftermath of a hurricane. Aliens living in the water begin to infiltrate a Floridan town replacing the town’s inhabitants after successfully cloning them. Fitchtner’s character is the town’s sheriff, who’s trying to protect his town from the invasion. Although Invasion was greenlit for 5 seasons, it was canceled after its first season. Invasion has often been listed as one of the shows that were canceled too soon.
6. Alexander Mahone in Prison Break (2006–2009)
Prison Break (2006–2009) was one of the most successful TV series of the late 2000s. With 5 seasons and 90 episodes, Prison Break became one of Fox’s most-watched series. Paul Scheuring’s serial drama cast William Fichtner as Alexander Mahone. The character appeared in the premiere of season 2 as an FBI special agent trained to hunt down escaped prisoners. Fitchtner’s Mahone was ruthless, matching Michael Scofield’s intelligence until circumstances forced him to work with the brothers. Fichtner appeared in 59 episodes of the show.
5. Butch Cavendish in The Lone Ranger (2013)
Willam Fitchtner plays the movie’s main antagonist, Butch Cavendish. Cavendish is an outlaw who escapes hanging after his men ambush the train transporting him to his execution. Cavendish and his gang wreak havoc on a village of Comanches. Tonto (Johnny Depp) and The Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer) team up to stop his excesses. The Lone Ranger (2013) was a critical and commercial flop. The movie became one of the biggest all-time box office flops. With a budget of $225–250 million and an additional marketing budget of $150 million, the movie grossed $260.5 million. However, Fitchtner’s performance as an outlaw in the Western action movie stands out any day.
4. John Carlyle in Elysium (2013)
In Elysium (2013), William Fichtner starred alongside Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, playing the role of John Carlyle. The film tells the story of humans’ success at creating a settlement in space called Elysium. Earth’s wealthiest live in Elysium, leaving the poorest and diseased to live on Earth. Fitchtner’s character Carlyle is the CEO of Armadyne Corp, the company that designed and built Elysium. Carlyle is offered lifetime defense contracts to work with Elysium Defense Secretary Jessica Delacourt to stage a coup on Elysium. However, things do not entirely go according to plan.
3. Carl Hickman in Crossing Lines (2013–2014)
Crossing Lines was an American action crime thriller aired from June 23, 2013, to December 4, 2015. The TV series had 3 seasons with 34 episodes and had William Fichtner cast as its lead cast. Fichtner plays Carl Hickman, a police officer who loses his job after being injured. Working as a garbage collector, Hickman gets recruited to the International Criminal Court special crime unit. They work together as part of a team to investigate several international crimes.
2. Eric Sacks in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
William Fichtner plays Eric Sacks in the TMNT reboot film series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014). In the movie, Fitchtner’s character Sacks is the CEO of Sacks Industries and the movie’s secondary villain. Sacks is the adopted child of The Shredder, who he joins forces with to release a poisonous gas over New York. Sacks aims to make himself richer by selling the Mutagen antidote.
1. Adam Janikowski in Mom (2016–2021)
William Fichtner joined the cast of CBS’s sitcom Mom in its season 3 as a recurring cast. Fichtner played Adam Janikowski, who was a love interest of Bonnie Plunkett. Janikowski, who uses a wheelchair, was upgraded to a main cast from seasons 4 to 8. The character later became Bonnie’s husband. William Fichtner stayed on the show until its last season in 2021.
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