Biography

William Fichtner

by Rob Williams,

American aspiring actor, William Fichtner is well recognized for his outstanding acting in several movies and TV series. Some of his popular movies are Heat, ContactArmageddon Crash, Blades of GloryBlack Hawk DownNine LivesThe Perfect Storm, The Longest YardMr. & Mrs. SmithThe Dark KnightDate Night, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles among others. Whereas, some of his popular TV series include Prison Break and Invasion.

Fichtner made his Hollywood debut in 1994 from the movie, Quiz Show. Active in the entertainment industry for the last two decades, he has earned a ma s sive net worth.

He has been married twice and shares two children one from each marriage.

Early Life And Education of William Fichtner

William Fichtner was born William Edward Fichtner Jr. on 27th November 1956 on Mitchel Air Force Base, New York under the birth sign Sagittarius. Fichtner is American as per nationality and belongs to German ancestry.

His parents, Patricia A. and William E. Fichtner raised him with four siblings, all sisters, Patricia, Pamela, Margaret, and Mary Fichtner in Cheektowaga, New York.

In 1974, Fichtner graduated from Maryvale High School and two years later earned an a s sociate degree in criminal justice from Farmingdale State College. In 1978, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from SUNY Brockport.

He also studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. According to Fichtner, his decision to study acting was influenced by Don Harvey, Farmingdale State College admissions counselor. Later his interest in acting grew stronger after watching Broadway shows in New York City. He was even awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Farmingdale State College in May 2008.

William Fichtner's Career

Movies

William Fichtner made his Hollywood debut in 1994 from the historical film, Quiz Show directed by Robert Redford. His performance in the movie earned him high appreciation from critics and fans. The following year, he worked in five movies, Reckless, Heat, Strange Days, Heat, and Underneath.

 

via GIPHY

Fichtner then landed many roles and appeared in movies such as Contact, Go, The Settlement, The Perfect Strom, Drowning, Pa s sion of Mind, Black Hawk Down, Crash, Nine Lives, Blades of Glory, First Snow, The Big Bang, and Krystal among others.

Among all his acting ventures here are the top 5 famous movies of his.

Movies Role IMDB Rating Cast Members
Contact (1997) Kent 7.4 Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Jena Malone, and John Hurt.
Crash (2004) Flanagan 7.8 Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, and Thandie Newton.
The Longest Yard (2005) Captain Knauer 6.4 Adam Sandler, Burt Reynolds, Chris Rock, and Nelly.
Nine Lives (2005) Andrew 6.8 Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner, Christopher Walken, and Robbie Amell.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) Eric Sacks 5.8 Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Noel Fisher, and Alan Ritchson 

As of 2018, he is working on Finding Steve McQueen as Enzo Rotella and Cold Brook as Ted Markham. He is also a director and co-writer of Cold Brook.

TV Series

Fichtner made his TV debut in 1987 from CBS’s soap opera, As the World Turns. In 1989, he appeared in some of the episodes of A Man Called Hawk and Baywatch.

Some of his other TV Series include Grace Under Fire, The West Wing, MDs, American Dad!, Crossing Lines, Empire, and Shooter. Particularly, he is famous for

TV Series Role IMDB Rating

Cast Members

Invasion (2005-2006) Sheriff Tom Underlay 7.6 Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, and Veronica Cartwright.
Prison Break (2006-2009 Alexander Mahone 8.4 Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, Sarah Wayne Callies, and Robert Knepper.

 

via GIPHY

As of 2018, he is working as Adam in Mom and as a host in Top Gear America.

He also voiced different characters in several video games.

William Fichtner's Awards and Nominations

William Fichtner has won a few awards for his performance in various movies. Here is a list of the awards:

  • 2004 = Hollywood Film Festival Ensemble of the Year Awards for Crash.
  • 2004 = Screen Actors Guild Award for Crash.
  • 2011 = Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Drive Angry.

On the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival's Walk of Fame, he became the first person to get a star.

Some of his other nominated awards are Saturn Awards, Gotham Awards, and Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards.

William Fichtner's Net Worth

William Fichtner has an estimated net worth of $8 million. Fichtner earned such an impressive amount from his acting career. He appeared in several movies that made a good collection at the box office.

Here is the list of his hit movies:

Movies  Budget Box Office Collection IMDB Rating Awards and Nominations Cast Members
Armageddon  (1998) $140 million $553.7million 6.6
  • Won ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, and Golden Raspberry Awards.
  • Nominated for Academy Awards, Saturn Awards, and Golden Reel Awards. 
Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, and Steve Buscemi.
The Perfect Storm (2000) $120 million $328.7 million 6.4
  • Nominated for Academy Awards.
George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, and John C. Reilly.
Pearl Harbor (2001) $140 million $449.2 million 6.1
  • Won Academy Awards, and MTV Movie Awards.
  • Nominated for Golden Raspberry Awards, and Golden Globe Awards.
Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett, and Jennifer Garner.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) $110 million $478.2 million 6.5   Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Adam Brody, and Vince Vaughn.
Blades of Glory (2007) $61 million $145.7 million 6.3   Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Jenna Fischer, and Amy Poehler.
The Dark Knight (2008) $185 million $1.005 billion 9.0
  • Won Academy AwardsGolden Globe Awards, and BAFTA Awards.
  • Nominated for Academy Awards, and Critics Choice Awards.
Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Tom Hardy, and Michael Caine
Date Night (2010) $55 million $152.3 million 6.3
  • Won Teen Choice Awards.
Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis.
Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) $165 million $389.7 million 5.2
  • Won Jupiter Awards.
  • Nominated for Visual Effects Society AwardsTeen Choice Awards, and Saturn Awards.
Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman and Maika Monroe.

The main casts of Prison Break like Wentworth Miller, Sarah Wayne Callies, and Dominic Purcell earned a salary of $175k per episode including Fichtner.

He owns a home in Glendale, California. At the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach event in April 2011, he won a 25th annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race for charity.

William Fichtner's Personal Life

William Fichtner, the talented actor has been married twice. Fichtner was married to Besty Aidem, his first wife, in 1987. She is an actress popular for her role in The High Life. The couple together shares a child, Sam Fichtner. The couple divorced in 1996.

Fichtner exchanged vows for the second time with Kymberly Kalil on 25th July 1998. The couple welcomed a child, Vangel Fichtner together. It was once rumored that they started the paperwork to get separated after living together for almost 2 decades. They, however, have not confirmed the news yet.

He is a race-car enthusiast and is a supporter of NFL (National Football League)’s Buffalo Bills. He even worked in the commercials for the team. In 2017, he narrated Four Falls of Buffalo, ESPN 30 for 30 doc u mentaries.

Here is the video, where William Fichtner talks about his career: