William Atherton Knight Jr. (born July 30, 1947) is an American actor, best known for portraying Richard Thornburg in Die Hard and its sequel and Walter Peck in Ghostbusters.

Filmography

• 2025Where Did the Adults Go? — The Father
• 2024Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire — Mayor Walter Peck
• 2018Bad Company
• 2017Clinical — Terry Drummond
• 2014Jinn — Father Westhoff
• 2012Jersey Shore Shark Attack — Dolan
• 2012The Citizen
• 2012Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie — Earle Swinter
• Workaholics — Thor Holmvik
• 2010The Kane Files: Life of Trial — Daniel Morgan
• Castle — Ari Weiss
• 2008Aces 'N' Eights — Howard
• 2008Black Crescent Moon — Jo Dexton
• Childrens Hospital — Levon Bainter
• 2008Ghouls — Stefan
• 2007Kush — King
• Life — Mickey Rayborn
• 2007The Girl Next Door — Adult David Moran
• 2007Towards Darkness — John
• 2005Gone But Not Forgotten — Sen. Ray Colby
• 2005Headspace — Dr. Ira Gold, Co-Producer
• 2005Into the Sun — Agent Block
• Numb3rs — Warren Pierce
• Boston Legal — A.D.A. Howard Zale
• Desperate Housewives — Dr. Barr
• Lost — Donald Reynolds
• 2004Who's Your Daddy? — Duncan Mack
• 2003The Last Samurai — Winchester Rep
• Monk — Commander Nathan Whitaker
• 2001Burning Down the House — Arthur Kranston
• Justice League — Dr. Destiny / John Dee (voice)
• Night Visions — William Price (segment "Hate Puppet")
• 2001Race to Space — Ralph Stanton
• 2000Bread and Roses — Party Guest (uncredited)
• 2000The Crow: Salvation — Nathan Randall
• 1999Introducing Dorothy Dandridge — Darryl Zanuck
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Ned Bogden
• 1999The Stranger
• 1998Michael Kael vs. the World News Company — James Denit
• 1997Executive Power — President Fields
• 1997Hoodlum — Thomas E. Dewey
• 1997Mad City — Dohlen
• Stargate SG-1 — Emissary Varta
• The Practice — Keith Pratt
• 1996Bio-Dome — Dr. Noah Faulkner
• Nash Bridges — Dr. Linus Mills
• 1996Raven Hawk — Philip Thorne
• 1995Broken Trust — Neil Roemer
• The Outer Limits — Franklin Murdoch
• 1995Virus — Dr. Reginald Holloway
• 1994Frank & Jesse — Allan Pinkerton
• 1994Saints and Sinners — Terence
• 1993The Pelican Brief — Bob Gminski
• 1992Chrome Soldiers — Sheriff Blackwell
• 1992Diagnosis Murder: Diagnosis of Murder — Eric Walker
• HBO First Look
• 1991Oscar — Overton
• 1990Buried Alive — Cort van Owen
• 1990Die Hard 2 — Richard Thornberg
• 1990Grim Prairie Tales — Arthur
• Law & Order — Don Snyder, Dan Jensen
• Max Monroe: Loose Cannon — Sloane
• Tales from the Crypt — Malcolm Mayflower
• 1988Die Hard — Richard Thornburg
• 1988Intrigue — Doggett
• 1987The Equalizer - The Movie: Blood & Wine — Martin 'Alpha' Loeber
• 1986A Fight for Jenny — Michael Rosen
• 1986No Mercy — Allan Deveneux
• 1985Real Genius — Professor Hathaway
• The Equalizer — Martin 'Alpha' Loeber, Gideon
• The Twilight Zone — Brian Wolfe (segment "Night of the Meek"), (segment "The Card")
• 1984Ghostbusters — Walter Peck
• Murder, She Wrote — Larry Holleran, Greg Dalton, Andy Henley
• 1983Malibu — Stan Harvey
• 1982Tomorrow's Child — Jim Spence
• 1981The House of Mirth — Lawrence Selden
• Centennial — Jim Lloyd
• 1977Looking for Mr. Goodbar — James
• 1976Independence — Benjamin Rush
• 1975The Day of the Locust — Tod Hackett
• 1975The Hindenburg — Boerth
• 1974The Sugarland Express — Clovis Poplin
• 1973Class of '44 — Fraternity President
• 1972The New Centurions — Johnson
• Midnight Men: A John Schlesinger and Michael Childers Story

Appearances as themselves (4)

• 2020Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters — Self
• Reunited Apart — Self
• 2016Ghostheads — Self
• 1995A Night to Die For — Self