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Acting

William Atherton

Career: Active from 1973 to 2025, busiest in 1990 and 2008 with 3 main titles each.

Leading roles: 17
top three billing

Average score: 49/100

Highest rated: Real Genius
72/100

What stands out

Compared with the average well-known movie, over 68 of their titles. Select a trait to filter titles.

William Atherton Catalog average

Rarely in their work

Wholesome
2.4, average 3.4
Pathos
4.5, average 5.3
Melancholy
3.9, average 4.7
Coming of Age
2.4, average 3.0

Main genres

Select a genre to see those titles.

Recurring tags

Social Commentary 4
Crime Thriller 3
Psychological Thriller 3
Complex Characters 3
Psychological Tension 3
Revenge 2
Oregon Setting 2
Moral Decay 2
Dark and Disturbing 2
Moral Ambiguity 2
Character-Driven 2
Conspiracy Theory 2

Works often with

People in at least two of their main titles.

Movies and TV shows

81

Type

Role

Score

Decade

Genre

Group by

2020s

2 titles · average score 52

Where Did the Adults Go?

as The Father

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

52

as Mayor Walter Peck

2010s

6 titles · average score 47

Clinical

44

as Terry Drummond

Jinn

30

as Father Westhoff

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie

47

as Earle Swinter

Jersey Shore Shark Attack

33

as Dolan

Workaholics

75

TV show · as Thor Holmvik

The Kane Files: Life of Trial

52

as Daniel Morgan

2000s

25 titles · average score 59

Castle

75

TV show · as Ari Weiss

Ghouls

21

as Stefan

The Girl Next Door

54

as Adult David Moran

Headspace

46

as Dr. Ira Gold

Numb3rs

62

TV show · as Warren Pierce

Who's Your Daddy?

45

as Duncan Mack

Lost

84

TV show · as Donald Reynolds

Desperate Housewives

76

TV show · as Dr. Barr

Boston Legal

80

TV show · as A.D.A. Howard Zale

Monk

82

TV show · as Commander Nathan Whitaker

Race to Space

61

as Ralph Stanton

The Crow: Salvation

33

as Nathan Randall

1990s

26 titles · average score 57

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

73

TV show · as Ned Bogden

Mad City

49

as Dohlen

Stargate SG-1

66

TV show · as Emissary Varta

Bio-Dome

23

as Dr. Noah Faulkner

Broken Trust

60

as Neil Roemer

Frank & Jesse

38

as Allan Pinkerton

The Pelican Brief

59

as Bob Gminski

Chrome Soldiers

43

as Sheriff Blackwell

Die Hard 2

68

as Richard Thornberg

Buried Alive

62

as Cort van Owen

Grim Prairie Tales

52

as Arthur

Law & Order

74

TV show · as Dan Jensen / Don Snyder

1980s

14 titles · average score 71

Tales from the Crypt

75

TV show · as Malcolm Mayflower

Intrigue

as Doggett

Die Hard

83

as Richard Thornburg

No Mercy

42

as Allan Deveneux

Real Genius

72

as Professor Hathaway

The Twilight Zone

79

TV show · as Brian Wolfe (segment "Night of the Meek") / (segment "The Card")

The Equalizer

62

TV show · as Gideon / Martin 'Alpha' Loeber

Ghostbusters

81

as Walter Peck

Murder, She Wrote

76

TV show · as Andy Henley / Greg Dalton

Malibu

as Stan Harvey

Tomorrow's Child

as Jim Spence

The House of Mirth

as Lawrence Selden

1970s

8 titles · average score 60

Centennial

80

TV show · as Jim Lloyd

Looking for Mr. Goodbar

66

as James

Independence

as Benjamin Rush

The Hindenburg

43

as Boerth

The Day of the Locust

57

as Tod Hackett

The Sugarland Express

72

as Clovis Poplin

Class of '44

43

as Fraternity President

The New Centurions

63

as Johnson