William Edward Fichtner is an American actor who was born on November 27, 1956 in Mitchell Air Force Base, New York, USA. He grew up in Cheektowaga, New York and attended Maryvale High School in 1974. He graduated in 1976 from Farmingdale State College with an associate degree in criminal justice. He later attended SUNY Brockport where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice in 1978.

Fichtner then went to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York with the advice of his Farmingdale admission counsellor Don Harvey. They became lifelong friends and Harvey took him to his first Broadway show. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Farmingdale State College on May 18, 2008.

William began his acting career as Josh Snyder in the soap opeara As the World Turns as well as with the sitcom Grace Under Fire. He appeared in numerous films including Armageddon, Empire Falls, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and The Dark Knight. Other film credits include Contact, Heat, Go, Equilibrium, Black Hawk Down, The Longest Yard, Crash, and Ultraviolet.

Fichtner’s most notable roles included Butch Cavendish in The Lone Ranger, the Accountant in Drive Angry, David “Sully” Sullivan in The Perfect Storm, Alexander Mahone in Prison Break, William Sharp in Armageddon, and Ken Rosenberg in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.