Biography
An intense, versatile performer, William Fichtner emerged as a memorable character actor through his work with some of the most notable filmmakers of the 1990s and beyond. After his military brat childhood, Fichtner studied criminal justice in college before moving to New York City to shift his focus to acting. Fichtner got his first major acting job on the serial
As the World Turns in 1988 and played bit parts in
Spike Lee's
Malcolm X (1992) and
Robert Redford's
Quiz Show (1994).
Steven Soderbergh gave Fichtner his first substantial film role as a small town hood in the neo-noir
The Underneath (1994). After supporting turns in
Kathryn Bigelow's Y2K fantasy
Strange Days (1995) and
Michael Mann's stylish police saga
Heat (1995), Fichtner earned kudos for his psychotic hit man in actor
Kevin Spacey's directorial debut Albino Alligator (1997). As a gentle blind scientist in
Robert Zemeckis' empyreal sci-fi adventure
Contact (1997), Fichtner further revealed his considerable range; among the hip ensemble cast in
Doug Liman's time-bending rave comedy
Go (1999), Fichtner managed to stand out with his humorously unsettling performance as a narcotics cop with an agenda. Fichtner finally achieved leading man status as one of
Demi Moore's amours in
Passion of Mind (2000), but
Alain Berliner's first American effort failed at the box office. Moving easily between independent films and big-budget Hollywood, Fichtner next co-starred as one of the ill-fated swordfishermen in
Wolfgang Petersen's adaptation of
The Perfect Storm (2000). Maintaining his prolific ways after
The Perfect Storm's success, and earning a place in {´´Vanity Fair's 2001 photo spread of premier supporting actors, Fichtner took on a varied trio of roles in three major 2001 releases. After playing a small part as
Josh Hartnett's dad in
Michael Bay's overwrought $198 million disappointment
Pearl Harbor (2001), Fichtner's turn as a gay detective in the lumbering comedy What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001) was one of the bright spots in an otherwise disposable movie. Back in his no-nonsense manhood style, Fichtner then appeared as a master sergeant involved in the troubled 1993 mission in Somalia in
Ridley Scott's Oscar bait military drama
Black Hawk Down (2001).
After the ensemble carnage of
Black Hawk Down, Fichtner moved to the small screen for a starring role as one of two maverick ER doctors in the ABC medical drama
MDs (2002). A competitive time slot and poor reviews, however, hampered
MDs' ratings. Though his foray into series television stumbled, Fichtner continued to rack up movie credits, appearing alongside
Christian Bale and
Emily Watson in the dystopian science fiction thriller
Equilibrium (2002). ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide