Who is William Devane?
William is an American Primetime Emmy Award-nominated actor, perhaps still best known to the world as Gregory Sumner in the TV series “Knots Landing” (1983-1993), and as Eugene Davis in the film “Space Cowboys” (2000), among other roles that he has secured in his career.
William Devane Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education
William Joseph Devane was born on 5 September 1939 under the Virgo zodiac sign, in Albany, New York State USA. He’s the son of Joseph Devane, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s chauffeur, and his wife Kate, of Irish, Dutch, and German ancestry. He obtained his degree from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in 1962.
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Career Beginnings
William started his career on stage, joining the New York Shakespeare Festival in which he featured in 15 plays. Mixing between on and off-Broadway, William was slowly building a name for himself, and started appearing on-screen in roles such as Tom in the film “The 300 Year Weekend” (1971), then as Jimmy Pilgrim in the film “My Old Man’s Place”, also in 1971, while in 1974 he was John F. Kennedy in the television documentary drama movie “The Missiles of October”, about the 1960s Cuban missile crisis. He continued rather successfully into the second half of the ‘70s, first as John Henry Faulk in the television movie “Fear on Trial” (1975), then as Janeway in the film “Marathon Man” (1976), while in 1977 he was Frank Brolen in the television movie “Red Alert”, and portrayed Major Charles Rane in the film “Rolling Thunder”.
In the TV mini-series “From Here to Eternity” (1979) he was Sgt. Milt Warden, while in the film “The Dark”, William had the double role of Roy Warner / Steve Dupree.
Rise to Prominence
The TV mini-series “From Here to Eternity” was turned into a full TV series in 1980, William appearing in the first season, and then in 1983 securing one of his most popular roles to date, as Gregory Sumner in the soap opera “Knots Landing”, in 269 episodes through 1993, which celebrated him as an actor and won him several awards. Concurrently, William also appeared in several other prominent roles, first as Lieutenant William Quinn in the television movie “Jane Doe” (1983), then later that year as Tom Wetherly in the Academy Award-nominated sci-fi drama film “Testament”, co-starring Jane Alexander and Rossie Harris.
In 1987 he starred in the television sci-fi adventure drama movie “Timestalkers”. He started the next decade with the part of Dr. Chatham in the film “Vital Signs”, while in 1991 he appeared in the Primetime Emmy Award-winning biopic about Jackie Kennedy, entitled “A Woman Named Jackie”, with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Bob Gunton and Jessica Tuck. In 1993, he was Daniel ‘Dan’ Fields in the television movie “Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story”, a biopic about Ervil LeBaron, the infamous leader of a small polygamous Mormon fundamentalist group. From 1993 to 1994 he portrayed Lou Del la Rosa in the TV series “Phenom”, and in 1995 he portrayed John Monroe in the short-lived TV drama series “The Monroes”.
Two years later, William co-starred in the award-winning crime-drama film “Exception to the Rule”, with Sean Young, Kim Cattrall and Eric McCormack in the lead roles, while in 1999 he was Carter in the film “Payback”, and Sergeant Joseph Turk in the TV series “Turks”. He started the new millennium quite successfully, first as Tom Kincaid in the television drama movie “Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story”, then as Ron Lake in the comedy crime film “Poor White Trash”. Moreover, he co-starred in the Oscar Award-nominated adventure action thriller “Space Cowboys”, starring Clint Eastwood who also directed the film, Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland. He was Dr. Kramer in the Academy Award-nominated horror sci-fi action film “Hollow Man”, with Kevin Bacon, Elisabeth Shue and Josh Brolin as the main stars of the film.
Next, William starred in the crime mystery-drama film “The Badge” (2002), alongside Patricia Arquette and Billy Bob Thornton. From 2005 to 2007, William portrayed Secretary of Defence James Heller in the TV series “24”, meantime in 2006 he was Billy Crumb in the TV series “Crumbs”. Nothing changed for William in the second half of the decade, as he continued to appear in successful projects, such as the biopic film “The Least Among You” (2009), and a co-starring role in the romantic sports-drama film “Chasing the Green”, with Jeremy London, Ryan Hurst and Heather McComb.
Later Career and Retirement
In 2010, William portrayed Dutch Hines in the romantic drama film “The River Why”, with Zach Gilford, Amber Heard, and William Hurt in the lead roles, while he also co-starred in the action film “The Kane Files: Life of Trial”, written and directed by Benjamin Gourley, and starring Drew Fuller and Ethan Embry. The following year, William starred in the war drama film “Flag of My Father”, and in 2012 appeared in the BAFTA-nominated action crime-drama film “The Dark Knight Rises”, with Christian Bale, Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway as the main stars, while in 2014 he returned as James Heller in the TV mini-series “24: Live Another Day”.
The same year he had a guest role in the Oscar Award-winning sci-fi adventure drama film “Interstellar”, which starred Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain, while his last appearance was in the award-winning TV comedy series “The Grinder” (2015-2016), starring Rob Lowe, Fred Savage and Mary Elizabeth Ellis. William has been retired from acting since 2016, and is living in Thermal, Palm Springs, where he enjoys horse riding, polo and other activities. He owns a 140-acre ranch – about 60 hectares – with his wife, which is also a home to 300 horses.
Net Worth
As of early 2022, William Devane’s net worth has been estimated to be around $5 million, earned through his successful career as an actor, during which he appeared in more than 120 film and TV titles over five decades.
Personal Life, Dating, Wife, Children
When it comes to his personal life, William has been married to Eugenie McCabe since 1962. The couple welcomed two children, Josh and Bill Devane, but Bill died in an accident.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
The prominent actor now has grey hair, and his eyes are blue. He stands at a height of 5ft 10ins (1.78m), while he weighs approximately 152lbs (69kgs). His vital statistics are unknown, while he has an average figure.
