William Joseph Devane (born September 5, 1937) is an American film, television and theater actor, known for his role as Greg Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing and as James Heller on the Fox serial drama 24, the role he reprised in Live Another Day. He is also known for his supporting roles in films such as McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Family Plot), Marathon Man, Rolling Thunder and Space Cowboys. Devane began his acting career with the New York Shakespeare Festival where he performed in 15 plays. In 1966, Devane portrayed Robert F. Kennedy in the Off-Broadway spoof MacBird. He gained acclaim for his role as President John F. Kennedy in a television docudrama about the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Missiles of October, and again when he played blacklisted radio personality John Henry Faulk in the Emmy Award-winning TV movie Fear on Trial. He is widely known for his ten years as the ambitious and hardnosed politician-turned-corporate titan Greg Sumner on Knots Landing. In 1994, Devane appeared as Al Capone in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in an episode entitled "That Old Gang of Mine". He also had a recurring role on the CBS show Early Edition as the lead character's father. Devane appeared in the films McCabe & Mrs. Miller; Lady Liberty; Family Plot; Marathon Man; Rolling Thunder; Yanks; Testament; Timestalkers; Forgotten Sins; Exception to the Rule; Payback; Hollow Man and Space Cowboys. Devane has played members of the Presidential Cabinet on two evening dramas. In 2004, on The West Wing, he guest-starred as the Secretary of State and potential Vice-Presidential nominee. Devane appeared in several scenes with Martin Sheen; they also appeared together as President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, respectively, 30 years earlier in The Missiles of October. In 2005, he joined the cast of 24 as Secretary of Defense James Heller for seasons 4, 5 and 6.

Filmography

• Bosch: Legacy — Whitney Vance
• 2015Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise — Dr. Dix
• The Grinder — Dean Sanderson Sr.
• 2015Truth — Gen. Hodges (voice) (uncredited)
• 201450 to 1 — Leonard Doc Blach
• 2014Bad Turn Worse — Big Red
• 2014Interstellar — Williams
• 2012Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt — Dr. Dix
• 2012Leprechaun's Revenge — Pop O'Hara
• 2012The Dark Knight Rises — President
• 2011Flag of My Father — Jake
• 2011Good Morning, Killer — Everett Morgan Gray
• 2011Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost — Dr. Dix
• Revenge — Edward Grayson
• 2010Jesse Stone: No Remorse — Dr. Dix
• 2010The Kane Files: Life of Trial — Thompson
• 2010The River Why — Dutch Hines
• 2009Chasing the Green
• 2009Jesse Stone: Thin Ice — Dr. Dix
• 2009The Dealership — Frank Carson
• 2009The Fall — judge Stanley Seeban
• 2009The Least Among You — Alan Beckett
• 2008Stargate: Continuum — President Henry Hayes
• 2007Jesse Stone: Sea Change — Dr. Dix
• Notes from the Underbelly — Walter
• Crumbs — Billy Crumb
• 2006Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise — Dr. Dix
• Psych — Peters
• What About Brian — Michael Davis
• 2004Deceit — Grove McCarthy
• 2003Monte Walsh — Cal Brennan
• NCIS — Nicolas Mason
• 2002A Christmas Visitor — George Boyajian
• 2002The Badge — The Judge
• 2002Threat of Exposure — Col. Weldon
• 24 — James Heller
• 2001Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story — Tom Kincaid
• 2001Race to Space — Roger Thornhill
• 2000Hollow Man — Dr. Kramer
• 2000Poor White Trash — Ron Lake
• 2000Space Cowboys — Eugene Davis
• 2000The Man Who Used to Be Me — Older Sam Ryan
• The Michael Richards Show — Brady McKay
• 1999Payback — Carter
• The West Wing — Lewis Berryhill
• Turks — Sergeant Joseph Turk
• 1997Doomsday Rock — Dr. Karl Sorenson
• 1997Exception to the Rule — Lawrence Kellerman
• Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac — Greg Sumner
• Stargate SG-1 — President Hayes
• 1997The Absolute Truth — Emmett Hunter
• Early Edition — Bernie Hobson
• 1996Forgotten Sins — Dr. Richard Ofshe
• 1995Freefall: Flight 174 — Capt. Bob Pearson
• Hope and Gloria — William Devane
• 1995Night Watch — Nick Caldwell
• The Monroes
• 1995Virus — Dr. Harbuck
• 1994For the Love of Nancy — Tom
• 1994Lady in Waiting — Lt. Barrett
• Touched by an Angel — Benjamin Parker
• Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman — Al Capone
• Phenom — Lou Della Rosa
• 1993Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story — Daniel 'Dan' Fields
• 1993Rubdown — Harry Orwitz
• The X-Files — General Mark Suveg
• 1992Ancient Secrets of the Bible — Host & Narrator
• 1992Obsessed — Ed Bledsoe
• 1992The President's Child — Elliot McSwain
• A Woman Named Jackie — Black Jack Bouvier
• 1991Victim of Beauty — Sheriff Jim Metts
• 1990Chips, the War Dog — Col. Charnley
• 1990Murder C.O.D. — Alex Brandt
• 1990Vital Signs — Dr. Chatham
• 1989The Preppie Murder — Jack Litman
• 1987Timestalkers — Scott McKenzie
• 1984With Intent to Kill — Aaron Charney
• 1983Hadley's Rebellion — Coach Ball
• 1983Jane Doe — William Quinn
• 1983Testament — Tom Wetherly
• American Playhouse — Tom Wetherly
• 1981Honky Tonk Freeway — Mayor Kirby T. Calo
• 1981Red Flag: The Ultimate Game — Maj. Phil Clark
• 1981The Other Victim — Harry Langford
• From Here to Eternity — Sgt. Milt Warden
• Knots Landing — Greg Sumner
• 1979The Dark — Roy Warner, aka Steve Dupree
• 1979Yanks — John
• Black Beauty — John Manly
• 1977Red Alert — Frank Brolen
• 1977Rolling Thunder — Major Charles Rane
• 1977The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training — Mike Leak
• 1976Family Plot — Arthur Adamson
• 1976Marathon Man — Janeway
• 1976The Million Dollar Rip-Off — Writer
• 1975Fear on Trial — John Henry Faulk
• 1975Report to the Commissioner — Asst. D.A. Jackson
• 1974Judgment: The Court Martial of the Tiger of Malaya — General Yamashita
• 1974The Missiles of October — President John F. Kennedy
• The Missiles of October — John F. Kennedy - US President
• 1973Crime Club — Kilburn
• 1973The Bait — Earl Stokey
• The Snoop Sisters — David Prine
• 1972The Irish Whiskey Rebellion — LT. Ashley
• 1971Lady Liberty — Jock Fenner
• 1971McCabe & Mrs. Miller — Lawyer
• 1971My Old Man's Place — Jimmy Pilgrim
• 1971The 300-Year Weekend — Tom, Additional Dialogue
• 1971The Pursuit of Happiness — Pilot
• Hawaii Five-O — Fallon
• Medical Center — Dr. Ray Waltham
• 1967In the Country
• Ironside — Smiley
• Mannix — Al Kordic
• Gunsmoke — Moss Stratton

Appearances as themselves (5)

• 2001Plotting 'Family Plot' — Self
• Rogues Gallery — Self – Narrator
• 1982Natalie - A Tribute to a Very Special Lady — Self
• Film '72 — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self