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), Gotti (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).

Filmography

• 2026A Crime Story
• 2026Straight Shot — Frank Senior
• 2026The Roaring Game — Coach
• 2025Just Breathe — Tony
• 20249 Windows — Det. Tim Boyle
• 2023Open — Capt. Edgar J. Steadman
• 2021God's Not Dead: We The People — Senator Robert Benson
• 2021Ida Red — Lawrence Twilley
• 2021Roe v. Wade — Justice Potter Stewart
• 2020A Perfect Plan — Grayson
• 2020I Am Fear — Marco
• 2019Awake — Roger Bower
• 2019Betrayal: When the Government Took Over the Teamsters Union — narrator
• 2019Cold Pursuit — Brock 'Wingman' Coxman
• 2019Run with the Hunted — Augustus
• 2019Vault — Buddy Providence
• Magnum P.I. — Harry Brown
• 2018The Little Mermaid
• 2017Check Point — The Sheriff, Producer
• 2017The Networker — Charles Mangano
• 2016The Bronx Bull — Jake LaMotta
• 2016The Hollow — Big John Dawson
• 2016The Midnight Man — Fairbanks
• 2015Echoes of War — Randolph McCluskey
• 2015Laugh Killer Laugh — Frank Stone
• Marvel's Daredevil — Dutton
• 2015Road to Juarez — Doug Hermann
• The Man in the High Castle — J. Edgar Hoover
• 2014Hidden in the Woods — Uncle Costello
• 2014Tom Holland's Twisted Tales — Mr. Smith (segment "To Hell With You")
• 2013Infected — Dr. Edward Dennehey
• 2013The Ghost Club: Spirits Never Die — Stanley
• Tom Holland's Twisted Tales — Mr. Smith
• 2012Loosies — Captain Tom Edwards
• The Mob Doctor — Constantine Alexander
• 2011Born to Ride — Jack Steele
• 2011Inkubus — Ret. Detective Gil Diamante
• 2011Jesse — Vince the Godfather
• 2011L.A., I Hate You — Uncle Rip
• 2011Slip and Fall — Jerry
• 2011Underground Entertainment: The Movie — Bill
• Boardwalk Empire — Manny
• 2010Dear Mr. Gacy — John Wayne Gacy
• Hawaii Five-0 — Harry Brown
• Justified — Michael
• 2010The Rig — Jim Fleming
• 2009Happy in the Valley — Stewart
• 2009The Nail — Massimo
• 2008Final Approach — Silas Jansen
• 2008Stiletto — Alex
• The Mentalist — Steve Rigsby
• 2008iMurders — Professor Uberoth
• 200788 Minutes — FBI Special Agent Frank Parks
• 2007Hack! — Willy
• 2007Halloween — Ronnie White
• 2007Southern Gothic — Pitt
• 2007We All Scream for Ice Cream — Buster
• 2006Freedomland — Boyle
• 2006Jam — Ted
• Shark — Harry Russo
• 2005Hammerhead — Tom Reed
• 2005Larva — Jacob Long
• Masters of Horror
• 2005The Devil's Rejects — Sheriff John Quincy Wydel
• 2005The L.A. Riot Spectacular — George Holliday
• Entourage — Eddie Kapowski
• 2004The Last Letter — Mr. Griffith, Executive Producer
• 2004The Librarians — Simon, Screenplay
• 2003Blue Hill Avenue — Det. Torrance
• Las Vegas — Uncle Luke
• 2003The Technical Writer — Joe
• CSI: Miami — Captain Chris Sutter
• 2002City by the Sea — Spyder
• 2002Coastlines — Fred Vance
• 2002Hard Cash — Bo Young
• John Doe — Digger
• 2001Camouflage — Alton Owens
• 2001Outlaw — Ted Castle
• UC: Undercover
• 2000Civility — Andrew LeBretian
• 2000G-Men from Hell — Dean Crept
• 2000Luck of the Draw — Max Fenton
• 199918 Shades of Dust — Tommy Cucci
• 1999Blue Streak — Detective Hardcastle
• 1999Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo — Det. Chuck Fowler
• 1999Four Days — Milt
• 1999Paradise Lost — Mike Stark
• 1999Row Your Boat — Gil Meadows
• 1999Soundman — Frank Rosenfeld
• 1999The Last Marshal — DeClerc
• 1998Ambushed — Mike Organski
• 1998Dollar for the Dead — Dooley
• 1998Firestorm — Randall Shaye
• 1998Hell's Kitchen — Lou Reilly
• 1998The Pass — Charles Duprey
• 1997Big City Blues — Hudson
• 1997First Time Felon — Sorley
• 1996For Which He Stands — Johnny Rochetti
• 1996Gotti — Sammy Gravano
• 1996Palookaville — Sid Dunleavy
• 1996Peacock Blues
• 1996The Rock — Special Agent Ernest Paxton
• 1996The Substitute — Hollan
• 1995Beyond Desire — Ray Patterson, Executive Producer
• Cybill — Bruce
• 1995The Immortals — Tim
• 1995Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead — Franchise
• 1995Thriller Zone — Marcus Deerfield (segment "The Final Hour")
• 1995Virtuosity — William Cochran
• 1994Direct Hit — John Hatch
• 1993A Kiss to Die For — Detective Mike Stoller
• 1993Relentless 3 — Walter Hilderman
• The Untouchables — Al Capone
• 1992American Me — J.D.
• Cruel Doubt — Police Chief John Crone
• 1992The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag — Beaudeen
• 1992The Waterdance — Bloss
• 1992Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story — Terry Harper
• 1991Career Opportunities — Custodian
• 1991Out for Justice — Richie Madano
• 1991Stone Cold — Ice
• Blind Faith — Ferlin L'Heureux
• 1990Dick Tracy — Flattop
• 1990Sons — Mike
• 1989Dead Bang — Arthur Kressler
• 1989Torrents of Spring — Prince Ippolito Polozov
• 1988Baja Oklahoma — Tommy Earl Browner
• 1988Patty Hearst — Teko
• 1987Extreme Prejudice — Sgt. Buck Atwater
• 1987Raising Arizona — Evelle
• 1987Weeds — Burt the Booster
• 1985Command 5 — Hawk
• 1985Savage Dawn — Pigiron
• 1985The Lightship — Gene
• The Long Hot Summer — Isaac
• 1984Cloak & Dagger — Morris
• 1984Once Upon a Time in America — Cockeye
• 1983The Man Who Wasn't There — Pug Face Crusher
• Fame
• T. J. Hooker — Wounded Assailant
• Tales of the Gold Monkey
• Hill Street Blues
• 1981Smokey Bites the Dust — Kenny
• 1981The Miracle of Kathy Miller — Mark
• 1978Long Shot — Bille
• 1959The Young Land — Assistant Director
• A Christmas Cop — Captain Carol
• Godshot
• Rule of Three — Mitch
• The Witching Hour — Devlin Deeds

Appearances as themselves (4)

• 2012Celluloid Bloodbath — Self
• 2008Michael Lives: The Making of Halloween — Self
• 1994Lives in Hazard — Self
• 1990Dick Tracy: Behind the Badge, Behind the Scenes — Self