William Reibert Mapother Jr. (; born April 17, 1965) is an American actor, known for his role as

Ethan Rom Dr. Ethan Goodspeed, also known as Ethan Rom, is a fictional character portrayed by William Mapother on the ABC television show ''Lost''. Introduced in the first season as the main antagonist, Ethan is the surgeon for the antagonistic and mysteri ...

on the television series ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'' and starring in the film ''

In the Bedroom ''In the Bedroom'' is a 2001 American independent drama film directed by Todd Field from a screenplay written by Field and Robert Festinger, based on the 1979 short story " Killings" by Andre Dubus. It stars Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Nick Stah ...

''. He is also known for the film ''

Another Earth Another or variant may refer to: * anOther or Another Magazine, culture and fashion magazine * ''Another'' (novel), a Japanese horror novel ** ''Another'' (film), a Japanese 2012 live-action film based on the novel * Another River, a river in th ...

''.

Personal life

Mapother was born in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, the son of Louisa (née Riehm) and William Reibert Mapother Sr (c.1938–2006). His father was an attorney, bankruptcy consultant, and judge in Louisville between 1967 and 1970. William Sr. died on June 22, 2006 as a result of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

and

pulmonary fibrosis Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory failu ...

.William Mapothe
Tribute to William Sr.
/ref> Mapother Jr. is a first cousin of actor

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...

, whose birth name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV.

Career

Mapother has become widely known as a

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

, and sometimes plays scary or otherwise dark characters. He played a pivotal role in

Todd Field William Todd Field (born February 24, 1964) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for directing three feature films: ''In the Bedroom'' (2001), '' Little Children'' (2006), and ''Tár'' (2022). He has received three Academy Award nomi ...

's ''

'', and is perhaps best known as

in the TV show ''

'', which he played for 11 episodes during the life of the series. Mapother has also had considerable roles in a series of independent films, such as ''The Lather Effect'', ''Moola'', ''Hurt'', and ''

''. Mapother starred in ''

The Burrowers ''The Burrowers'' is a 2008 Western horror film written and directed by J. T. Petty. The film is based on an original short film, ''Blood Red Earth'' directed by Petty. Plot The year is 1879, and beyond the fringes of civilization a handful ...

'' as a Native American fighter who joins a posse to help find missing white settlers. In September 2007, he was elected to a three-year term on the National Board of Directors for the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

. He has provided the motion capture work for

Agent 47 Agent 47 is a fictional character, the protagonist and the player character of the Hitman (franchise), ''Hitman'' video game franchise, developed by IO Interactive. He has been featured in all games of the series, as well as various spin-off medi ...

, the main character in the 2012 video game '' Hitman: Absolution'' and also provided the voice before series veteran

David Bateson David Bateson (born 9 February 1960) is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for providing the voice of Agent 47, the protagonist of IO Interactive's stealth video game series ''Hitman'', having played the role since the year 2000 in ...

was recast. In 2014, he played the lead in the paranormal horror film ''

The Atticus Institute ''The Atticus Institute'' is a 2015 American independent pseudo-documentary horror film written and directed by Chris Sparling about a paranormal research institute, which becomes home to the only U.S. government confirmed case of possession. P ...

''. Imagery From Inside 'The Atticus Institute'
/ref>

Filmography

Television

Video games

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mapother, William 1965 births Living people American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Louisville, Kentucky University of Notre Dame alumni 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors