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William H. Macy

William H. Macy

80 movies on Netflix

Biography

William H. Macy is an American actor and filmmaker born in Miami and raised in Georgia and Maryland. He studied with playwright David Mamet at Goddard College and began his career in Off-Broadway and Chicago theater, originating roles in Mamet plays and co-founding the St. Nicholas Theater Company. Macy appeared in numerous Mamet films, among them House of Games (1987), Homicide (1991), Wag the Dog (1997), State and Main (2000) and Spartan (2004). His breakthrough came as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo (1996), earning critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. A winner of two Emmy Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards, he also starred as Dr. David Morgenstern on ER and from 2011 to 2021 starred as Frank Gallagher on Shameless. His mainstream films include Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), Jurassic Park III (2001), Room (2015) and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024).

76years old

Turns 77 on March 13in 123 days

  • Born Miami
  • Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
  • Also credited as William Hall Macy Jr. and William Macy

Movie Career

Films
80
Career span
46 years1980 to 2026

Genres

First and latest

Photos

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  1. First role

    Macy originated roles in several David Mamet plays, including American Buffalo and The Water Engine, and in 1972 he co-founded the St. Nicholas Theater Company in Chicago with Mamet, Patricia Cox and Steven Schachter.

  2. First role

    Macy's first screen credit came in 1980's Somewhere In Time, where he played a theater critic congratulating Christopher Reeve and was billed as W.H. Macy to avoid confusion with actor Bill Macy.

  3. Big break

    Macy's leading role in Fargo boosted his career and recognition, but it also nearly typecast him as a worried man down on his luck.

  4. Behind the award

    In 2002, Macy starred in and wrote Door to Door, and he took home an Emmy for both his acting and his writing on it.

  5. Early training

    Macy studied theater at HB Studio in New York City and studied under playwright David Mamet at Goddard College in Vermont, graduating in 1972.

  6. Behind the camera

    Macy's first directing job was the independent drama Rudderless. He also directed The Layover, a road trip comedy, in 2017.

William H. Macy movies on Netflix

Best known for

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

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  1. Fargo1996 Crime, Drama, Thrilleras Jerry Lundegaard

    IMDb rating 8.1797K votes

  2. Jurassic Park III2001 Action, Adventure, Sci-Fias Paul Kirby

    IMDb rating 6.0376K votes

  3. The Lincoln Lawyer2011as Frank Levin

    IMDb rating 7.3273K votes

  4. Room2015as Robert

    IMDb rating 8.1485K votes

  5. Magnolia1999as Quiz Kid Donnie Smith

    IMDb rating 8.0353K votes

  6. Pleasantville1998as George Parker

    IMDb rating 7.5146K votes

  7. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes2024as Trevathan

    IMDb rating 6.8172K votes

  8. Wild Hogs2007as Dudley Frank

    IMDb rating 5.9129K votes

Most often with

David Mamet directed six of these films, Steven Schachter four and Paul Thomas Anderson two. Felicity Huffman appears in eight of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Felicity Huffman, 8 films togetherSee the 8 films with Felicity HuffmanJoe Mantegna, 7 films togetherSee the 7 films with Joe MantegnaClark Gregg, 5 films togetherSee the 5 films with Clark GreggRicky Jay, 5 films togetherSee the 5 films with Ricky JayWhoopi Goldberg, 4 films togetherSee the 4 films with Whoopi GoldbergJulianne Moore, 4 films togetherSee the 4 films with Julianne MooreDavid MametDirector, 6 filmsSee the 6 films by David MametSteven SchachterDirector, 4 filmsSee the 4 films by Steven SchachterPaul Thomas AndersonDirector, 2 filmsSee the 2 films by Paul Thomas Anderson

Films together

Box office

What William H. Macy's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$2.9 billion

52 of the 80 films have a worldwide figure.

Of the 80 films: 52 worldwide figure; 8 us gross only; 9 never in cinemas; 1 streaming, short cinema run; 9 figure not found; 1 too new to count.

  • 52Worldwide figure
  • 8US gross only
  • 9Never in cinemas
  • 1Streaming, short cinema run
  • 9Figure not found
  • 1Too new to count

Top grosser

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes2024as Trevathan$397 million

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 63% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

  1. 1
    Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes2024as Trevathan
    $397M13.6% of the total
  2. 2
    Jurassic Park III2001as Paul Kirby
    $369M12.6% of the total
  3. 3
    Air Force One1997as Major Caldwell
    $315M10.8% of the total
  4. 4
    Wild Hogs2007as Dudley Frank
    $254M8.7% of the total
  5. 5
    Seabiscuit2003as Tick Tock McGlaughlin
    $148M5.1% of the total
  6. 6
    Sahara2005as Admiral Jim Sandecker
    $119M4.1% of the total
  7. 7
    The Client1994as Dr. Greenway
    $118M4.0% of the total
  8. 8
    Mr. Holland's Opus1995as Vice Principal Gene Wolters
    $106M3.6% of the total
The Tale of Despereaux (2008), $87.0 millionThe Lincoln Lawyer (2011), $85.4 millionMarmaduke (2010), $83.8 millionThe Running Man (2025), $69.0 millionWag the Dog (1997), $64.3 millionFargo (1996), $60.6 millionCellular (2004), $57.7 millionA Civil Action (1998), $56.7 millionPleasantville (1998), $49.8 millionMagnolia (1999), $48.5 millionBoogie Nights (1997), $43.1 millionDown Periscope (1996), $37.6 millionPsycho (1998), $37.1 millionRoom (2015), $35.4 millionMystery Men (1999), $29.8 millionMurder in the First (1995), $29.5 million

$1.1 billionfrom the other 44 films with a worldwide figure, 37% of the total

Awards

Two awards and honors, one of them major.

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William H. Macy's awards and nominations, grouped by award
YearAwardFilmResult
Emmy Awards
2003Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a MovieDoor to DoorWon
Other honors
Star on Hollywood Walk of FameHonored

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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