William Forsythe (born June 7, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of tough-guy, criminal characters, and has starred in films such as '' American Me'' (1992), '' Raising Arizona'' (1987), '' Dick Tracy'' (1990), ''

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'' (1996), '' The Rock'' (1996), and '' The Devil's Rejects'' (2005). He has also played recurring characters in television series such as '' Boardwalk Empire'' (2010) and '' Justified'' (2010). Forsythe was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in the indie film '' The Waterdance''.

Early life

William Forsythe was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

, the son of Billy Gene Forsythe (1932–2010) and Anita Elena Castellano (1938–) and grew up in the borough's Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood. He is of partial Italian descent.

Career

Forsythe started out in minor film roles and guest appearances in high-rated TV shows including '' CHiPs'' (1977), '' Hill Street Blues'' (1981) and '' T. J. Hooker'' (1982). He appeared in ''

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'' (1984), co-starred with John Goodman in '' Raising Arizona'' (1987) and as a renegade soldier in ''

Extreme Prejudice Extreme Prejudice may refer to: * ''Extreme Prejudice'' (film), a 1987 American action film * "Extreme Prejudice" (''NCIS''), a 2012 episode of ''NCIS'' See also

*, for the phrase 'terminate with extreme prejudice'. {{disambiguation ...

''. Forsythe also portrayed comic book villain " Flattop" in '' Dick Tracy'' (1990), co-starred with Steven Seagal in '' Out for Justice'' (1991) and appeared with former

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

player Brian Bosworth in the biker action film '' Stone Cold'' (1991). He portrayed Al Capone in the short-lived '90s revival of the classic '60s TV crime show '' The Untouchables'' (1993), and also starred in '' The Waterdance'' (1992) and the

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

'' Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead'' (1995). Forsythe portrayed real-life mobster "Sammy The Bull" Gravano in ''

'' (1996) and supported another ex-NFL player's foray into film acting when L.A. Raider Howie Long debuted in ''

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been us ...

'' (1998). Forsythe portrayed serial killer John Wayne Gacy in '' Dear Mr. Gacy'', a film adaptation of '' The Last Victim'', the memoirs of Jason Moss, a college student who corresponded with Gacy his last year on death row. The film was released in 2010.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Forsythe, William 1955 births American male film actors American male television actors Living people Male actors from New York City People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn American people of Italian descent