William Bassett

Biography

William Bassett was an American actor who worked in film, television and voice roles from the 1960s onward. Born in Evanston, he was known for his Whataburger commercials and appeared in more than 100 film and television productions. He appeared in Return from Witch Mountain (1978) and Old Boyfriends (1979), then took roles in The Karate Kid (1984), Black Eagle (1988), House of 1000 Corpses (2003), Demon Hunter (2005) and Black Dynamite (2009). On television he was seen in series ranging from Bewitched and Bonanza to Dallas, General Hospital and Arrested Development. Bassett also voiced characters in video games such as Metal Gear Solid, Fallout 3 and World of Final Fantasy, narrated a documentary called Inside: Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and hosted the Game Show Network trivia show Inquizition from 1998 to 2001. He died in 2025.

89years old at death

Born December 28, 1935Evanston
Died February 9, 2025Los Angeles
Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19

Movie Career

Films: 11
Career span: 40 years1969 to 2009

Genres

Drama55%, 6 films
Family36%, 4 films
Action27%, 3 films
Adventure18%, 2 films
Comedy18%, 2 films

First and latest

William Bassett movies on Netflix

Black Dynamite2009IMDb rating 7.4as Captain Yancy
Fast Girl2008IMDb rating 4.6as Willy
Demon Hunter2005IMDb rating 4.3as Cardinal White
House of 1000 Corpses2003IMDb rating 6.0as Sheriff Frank Huston
Ah! My Goddess: The Movie2000IMDb rating 7.0as Additional Voices
Black Eagle1988IMDb rating 3.9as Dean Rickert
The Karate Kid1984IMDb rating 7.4as Mr. Mills
Beyond Witch Mountain1982IMDb rating 5.5as Lowell Roberts
Old Boyfriends1979IMDb rating 5.8as David Brinks
Return from Witch Mountain1978IMDb rating 5.7as Operations Officer
A Time for Dying1969IMDb rating 5.7as The Southerner

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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The Karate Kid1984 Action, Drama, Familyas Mr. Mills
IMDb rating 7.4275K votes
Black Dynamite2009 Action, Comedyas Captain Yancy
IMDb rating 7.455K votes
Black Eagle1988as Dean Rickert
IMDb rating 3.99.2K votes
House of 1000 Corpses2003as Sheriff Frank Huston
IMDb rating 6.0101K votes
Demon Hunter2005as Cardinal White
IMDb rating 4.31.3K votes
Return from Witch Mountain1978as Operations Officer
IMDb rating 5.76.2K votes
Old Boyfriends1979as David Brinks
IMDb rating 5.8741 votes
Fast Girl2008as Willy
IMDb rating 4.6436 votes

Worked with

William Bassett shares two films with Irwin Keyes, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Irwin Keyes

Christopher Lee

Bette Davis

Michael Jai White

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Karen Black

John G. AvildsenDirector, 1 film

Rob ZombieDirector, 1 film Scott SandersDirector, 1 film

Films together

Irwin Keyes2 films together, 2003 to 2009
Irwin Keyes's page
- Black Dynamite2009IMDb rating 7.4Bassett as Captain YancyKeyes as Henchman
- House of 1000 Corpses2003IMDb rating 6.0Bassett as Sheriff Frank HustonKeyes as Ravelli
Christopher Lee1 film together, 1978
Christopher Lee's page
- Return from Witch Mountain1978IMDb rating 5.7Bassett as Operations OfficerLee as Victor
Bette Davis1 film together, 1978
Bette Davis's page
- Return from Witch Mountain1978IMDb rating 5.7Bassett as Operations OfficerDavis as Letha
Michael Jai White1 film together, 2009
Michael Jai White's page
- Black Dynamite2009IMDb rating 7.4Bassett as Captain YancyWhite as Black Dynamite
Jean-Claude Van Damme1 film together, 1988
Jean-Claude Van Damme's page
- Black Eagle1988IMDb rating 3.9Bassett as Dean RickertDamme as Andrei
Karen Black1 film together, 2003
Karen Black's page
- House of 1000 Corpses2003IMDb rating 6.0Bassett as Sheriff Frank HustonBlack as Mother Firefly
John G. AvildsenDirector, 1 film, 1984
All films by John G. Avildsen
- The Karate Kid1984IMDb rating 7.4Bassett as Mr. Mills
Rob ZombieDirector, 1 film, 2003
All films by Rob Zombie
- House of 1000 Corpses2003IMDb rating 6.0Bassett as Sheriff Frank Huston
Scott SandersDirector, 1 film, 2009
All films by Scott Sanders
- Black Dynamite2009IMDb rating 7.4Bassett as Captain Yancy

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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