William Joseph Devane (born September 5, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Greg Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing (1983–1993) and as James Heller on the Fox serial dramas 24 (2001–2010) and 24: Live Another Day (2014). He is also known for his work in films such as Family Plot (1976), Marathon Man (1976), Rolling Thunder (1977), Payback (1999), and Space Cowboys (2000).
Early life
Devane was born on September 5, 1939, in Albany, New York, the son of Joseph Devane, who had been Franklin D. Roosevelt's chauffeur when he was governor of New York. His father was of Irish descent and his mother Kate had Dutch and German ancestry. Devane graduated from Philip Schuyler High School in Albany, and then the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in 1962.
In 1971, he starred off-Broadway as Randle McMurphy in the first stage revival of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest alongside Danny DeVito as Martini, who would go on to reprise the role in the acclaimed film of the same name alongside Jack Nicholson.
In 1994, Devane appeared as Al Capone in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in an episode entitled "That Old Gang of Mine". 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 (1974). Devane also played the President of the United States in the Christopher Nolan film The Dark Knight Rises. Devane reprised his role as James Heller, now President, in the limited-run series 24: Live Another Day (2014).
Devane's 12 year old horse died of negligence in 1984. He filed a lawsuit for $2 million against Wayne Newton's Aramus Arabians Ranch.
Filmography
- Insight (1 episode, 1982)
- Jane Doe (TV Movie, 1983)
- With Intent to Kill (aka Urge To Kill) (TV Movie, 1984)
- Timestalkers (TV Movie, 1987)
- Murder C.O.D. (TV Movie, 1990)
- A Woman Named Jackie (TV miniseries) (1991)
- Nightmare in Columbia County (aka Victim of Beauty) (TV Movie, 1991)
- Obsessed (TV Movie, 1992)
- Knots Landing (269 episodes, 1983–1993)
- Phenom (21 episodes, 1993–1994)
- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1 episode, 1994)
- For the Love of Nancy (TV Movie, 1994)
- Falling from the Sky: Flight 174 (TV Movie, 1995)
- Virus (TV Movie, 1995)
- Night Watch (TV Movie, 1995)
- The Monroes (8 episodes, 1995)
- The Absolute Truth (TV Movie, 1997)
- Doomsday Rock (TV Movie, 1997)
- Timecop (1 episode, 1997)
- Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac (1997)
- Touched by an Angel (1 episode, 1997)
- Turks (13 episodes, 1999)
- Early Edition (5 episodes, 1997–1999)
- The Man Who Used To Be Me (TV Movie, 2000)
- The Michael Richards Show (7 episodes, 2000)
- Judging Amy (1 episode, 2002)
- The X-Files (1 episode, "The Truth" 2002)
- A Christmas Visitor (TV Movie, 2002)
- Monte Walsh (TV Movie, 2003)
- The West Wing (2 episodes, 2003)
- Stargate SG-1 (3 episodes, 2004)
- Crumbs (13 episodes, 2006)
- Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (TV Movie, 2006)
- What About Brian (6 episodes, 2006–2007)
- 24 (20 episodes, 2005–2007)
- Jesse Stone: Sea Change (TV Movie, 2007)
- Stargate Continuum (TV Movie, 2008)
- Jesse Stone: Thin Ice (TV Movie, 2009)
- Jesse Stone: No Remorse (TV Movie, 2010)
- King of the Hill (1 episode, 2010)
- Psych (1 episode, 2010)
- NCIS (1 episode, 2010)
- Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost (TV Movie, 2011)
- Good Morning, Killer (TV Movie, 2011)
- Red Clover (TV Movie, 2012)
- Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt (TV Movie, 2012)
- Revenge (2 episodes, 2012)
- 24: Live Another Day (12 episodes, 2014)
- The Grinder (22 episodes, 2015)
- Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise (TV Movie, 2015)
- Bosch: Legacy (4 episodes to date as of May 11, 2022)