William Sadler

Biography

William Thomas Sadler (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor who works in film and television. His television and motion picture roles have included Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller in The Pacific, Luther Sloan in Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Sheriff Jim Valenti in Roswell, and—perhaps most notably—the Grim Reaper in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, a role for which he was nominated for, and won, the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, and his role as Colonel Stuart alongside Bruce Willis in Die Hard 2.

Known For

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The Rookie

The Blacklist

Law & Order

Criminal Minds

Criminal Minds

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

The Flash

All Movies (109)

• The Last Day of Byron Bray2026 · as Byron Bray
• The Yeti2026 · as Hollis Bannister
• The Evolution of Horror Cinema Worldwide2025 · as Horror Film Expert
• Salem's Lot2024 · as Parkins Gillespie
• A Stage of Twilight2024 · as Barry
• She Came from the Woods2023 · as Gilbert McCalister
• The Unholy2021 · as Father Hagan
• Alice Fades Away2021 · as James
• Bill & Ted Face the Music2020 · as Death
• The Grudge2019 · as Detective Wilson
• VFW2019 · as Walter Reed
• The Highwaymen2019 · as Henry Barrow
• Deadly Crush2018 · as Sheriff Dusty Hawkins
• Melvin Smarty2018 · as Bob
• Living Among Us2018 · as Samuel
• Shoot Me Nicely2017 · as Roy Barnes
• The Hollow2016 · as Sheriff Beau McKinney
• The Duel2016 · as Governor Ross
• Edge2015 · as Big Bill
• Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise2015 · as Gino Fish
• Freeheld2015 · as Peter Santucci
• Frank the Bastard2015 · as Cyrus Gast
• Ava's Possessions2015 · as Bernard
• Walking the Mile2014 · as Self
• The Historian2014 · as Valerian Hadley
• Freedom2014 · as Plimpton
• That Guy Dick Miller2014 · as Self
• Machete Kills2013 · as Sheriff Doakes
• Greetings from Tim Buckley2013 · as Lee Underwood
• Gilded Lilys2013
• Onion News Empire2013 · as Ed Musgrove
• Iron Man 32013 · as President Ellis
• The Suspect2013 · as Sheriff Dixon
• Riddle2013 · as Western Man / Jack Abel
• Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt2012 · as Gino Fish
• Future Weather2012 · as Ed
• See Girl Run2012 · as Marty
• Being Flynn2012 · as Ray
• Man on a Ledge2012 · as Valet
• Nothing Sacred2012 · as Chambers
• Silent But Deadly2011 · as John Capper
• Restitution2011 · as George Youngstown
• Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost2011 · as Gino Fish
• The Making of Fallout: New Vegas2010 · as Self
• Jesse Stone: No Remorse2010 · as Gino Fish
• Beyond All Boundaries2009 · as Lt. Colonel Lewis B. 'Chesty' Puller
• Last Day of Summer2009 · as Mr. Crolick
• The Hills Run Red2009 · as Wilson Wyler Concannon
• It's Not Real Until You Shoot It: Making THE HILLS RUN RED2009 · as Self
• Shadowheart2009 · as Thomas Conners
• Jesse Stone: Thin Ice2009 · as Gino Fish
• Stream2009 · as Dr. Shelby
• Eagle Eye2008 · as Jerry's Dad
• When Darkness Came: The Making of 'The Mist'2008 · as Self
• The Mist2007 · as Jim
• August Rush2007 · as Thomas Novacek
• Abandoned in the Arctic2007 · as Adolphus Greely (voice)
• A New Wave2007 · as Roger Dewitt
• Jesse Stone: Sea Change2007 · as Gino Fish
• Unspoken2006 · as Dad
• Jimmy and Judy2006 · as Uncle Rodney
• Premium2006 · as Cole Carter
• The Good Student2006 · as Phil Palmer
• Confess2005 · as Senator Lampert
• DeVour2005 · as Ivan Reisz
• Purple Heart2005 · as Colonel Allen
• Kinsey2004 · as Kenneth Braun
• The Battle of Shaker Heights2003 · as Abe
• Another Life2002 · as Man
• Skippy2001 · as Ringo
• Walking the Mile: The Making of The Green Mile2000 · as Self - 'Klaus Detterick'
• Witness Protection1999 · as Sharp
• The Green Mile1999 · as Klaus Detterick
• Stealth Fighter1999 · as Adm. Frank Petersen
• Reach the Rock1998 · as Quinn
• Disturbing Behavior1998 · as Newberry
• Ambushed1998 · as Jim Natter
• RocketMan1997 · as Wild Bill Overbeck
• Solo1996 · as Colonel Frank Madden / Improved Solo
• Bordello of Blood1996 · as Mummy
• The Omen1995 · as Dr. Linus
• A Night to Die For1995 · as Self
• Valerie 231995 · as Frank Hellner
• Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight1995 · as Frank Brayker
• The Shawshank Redemption1994 · as Heywood
• Roadracers1994 · as Sarge
• Bermuda Grace1994
• Jack Reed: Badge of Honor1993 · as Anatole
• Freaked1993 · as Dick Brian
• Trespass1992 · as Don
• Two-Fisted Tales1992 · as Mr. Rush (Presenter)
• Rush1991 · as Monroe
• Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey1991 · as Grim Reaper
• Tagget1991 · as Yuri Chelenkoff
• The Last to Go1991 · as Treat
• The Hot Spot1990 · as Frank Sutton
• The Face of Fear1990 · as Anthony Prine
• Die Hard 21990 · as Stuart
• Hard to Kill1990 · as Senator Vernon Trent
• K-91989 · as Salesman Don
• Unconquered1989 · as Coach Dickey
• Project X1987 · as Dr. Carroll
• Off Beat1986 · as Dickson
• Hanky Panky1982 · as Hotel Clerk
• Charlie and the Great Balloon Chase1981 · as Joey
• The Other Side of Victory1979 · as Captain Rogers
• The Great Wallendas1978 · as Dieter Schmidt
• New England Toys—
• solo— · as estrella

All TV Shows (60)

• Full Circle2023 · as Gene McCusker
• The Comey Rule2020 · as Michael Flynn
• Hunters2020 · as Dr. Friedrich Mann
• When They See Us2019 · as Detective Michael Sheehan
• The Rookie2018 · as Walter Fields
• God Friended Me2018 · as Rev. Elias
• Our Cartoon President2018 · as General Kelly / Mitch McConnell / Jeff Sessions (voice)
• The Good Fight2017 · as Judge Nilsson
• Bull2016 · as Father Andy
• WHIH Newsfront2015 · as President Ellis
• The Flash2014 · as Simon Stagg
• Madam Secretary2014 · as George Peters
• Z Nation2014 · as Sam Custer
• Delirium2014 · as John (archive footage)
• Power2014 · as Tony Teresi
• Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.2013 · as President Ellis
• The Blacklist2013 · as Sam Milhoan
• Golden Boy2013 · as Police Commissioner Jack Dowdell
• Elementary2012 · as Ian Gale
• Homeland2011 · as Michael Higgins
• Person of Interest2011 · as Anton's Father
• Hawaii Five-02010 · as John McGarrett
• The Pacific2010 · as Lt Col. Lewis 'Chesty' Puller
• White Collar2009 · as Brett Gelles
• Three Rivers2009
• Fringe2008 · as Dr. Sumner
• Damages2007 · as McClarenTruth.org's Financier
• Damages2007 · as Helmut Torben
• Traveler2007 · as Carlton Fog
• The Path to 9/112006 · as Neil Herman
• Criminal Minds2005
• Criminal Minds2005 · as Ray Finnegan
• Law & Order: Trial by Jury2005 · as Paul Rice
• Numb3rs2005 · as J. Everett Tuttle
• Medium2005 · as John Edgemont
• Wonderfalls2004 · as Darrin Tyler
• Tru Calling2003 · as Travis
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent2001 · as Kyle Devlin
• Ed2000 · as Lee Leetch
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation2000 · as Red Cooper
• Roswell1999 · as Jim Valenti
• Third Watch1999 · as Scotty Murray
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit1999 · as Gary Dolan
• Poltergeist: The Legacy1996 · as Shamus Bloom
• JAG1995 · as Saul Wainright
• The Outer Limits1995 · as Frank Hellner
• Rebel Highway1994 · as Sarge
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine1993 · as Sloan
• HBO First Look1992
• Law & Order1990 · as Kevin Drucker
• Tales from the Crypt1989 · as Niles Talbot (segment "The Man Who Was Death")
• Tales from the Crypt1989 · as The Grim Reaper
• Murphy Brown1988 · as Colonel Fitzpatrick
• Roseanne1988
• Dear John1988 · as Ken
• Tour of Duty1987 · as Major Rigby
• Private Eye1987
• The Equalizer1985 · as Rick Dillon / Kevin Moore
• St. Elsewhere1982 · as J.J. Oppenheimer
• Newhart1982 · as Clumsy Guest