William H. Macy Profile

William H. Macy Profile Photo

William H. Macy

Famous As
Actor
Birth Name
William Hall Macy Jr.
Birth Date
Mar 13, 1950
Birth Place
Miami, Florida, USA
Famous As
Actor
Popular for
As Jerry Lundegaard in "Fargo" (1996)
Birth Name
William Hall Macy Jr.
Birth Date
Mar 13, 1950
Birth Place
Miami, Florida, USA
Height
5' 9"
Nationality
American
Hair Color
Light Brown
Eye Color
Green
Education
  • Graduated from Allegany High School in Cumberland, Maryland in 1968
  • Attended Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia, majored in veterinary medicine
  • Graduated from Goddard College in 1971
Father
William Hall Macy Sr. (1922-2007)
Mother
Lois Macy (nee Overstreet) (1920-2001)
Brother
Fred Merrill (half)
Spouse
Felicity Huffman (actress, since 6-Sep-97)
Daughter
Sofia Grace (b. 1-Aug-00), Georgia Grace (b. 14-Mar-02)

Persistently built up his resume with numerous fabulous performances both onscreen and onstage, William Hall Macy Jr. certainly has been more than just a fine thespian; he is probably one of the most outstanding actors Hollywood ever has. Although originally born in Miami, Florida by March 13, 1950, he instead spent most of his childhood in Georgia before followed his parents, Lois and William Hall Macy Sr., to settle in Cumberland, Maryland at the age of ten. Afterwards continued his study at the city's Allegany High School, the teen began growing a fondness for acting when he landed his first experience of performing in its stage production of �Camelot� yet he chose to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine at West Virginia's Bethany College after his graduation in 1968. However, the desire to act was really hard to resist so that he eventually transferred his study to Goddard College in Vermont two years later.

Fully flourished his acting aspirations there under the tutelage of playwright David Mamet, William then came up to a decision of becoming an actor and thus moved to Chicago with Mamet also writer Steven Schachter not long after he obtained his BA degree in 1971. Forming St. Nicholas Theater together a year later, the threesome worked hand in hand to make several theatrical features which were mostly written by Mamet and performed by William for the company, such as that of �American Buffalo� or �The Water Engine.� For the rest of 1970s, the actor tirelessly kept performing onstage until he made his way to land his screen debut in the 1978 NBC miniseries "The Awakening Land" and another of film production in "Somewhere in Time" (1980). Other roles soon followed, like in �Without a Trace� (1983), �The Last Dragon� (1985), �House of Games� (1987), and �Things Change� (1988).

Again collaborated with Mamet, this time came under his direction in movies entitled �Homicide� (1991) and �Oleanna� (1992), William's star began to shine when he wonderfully scored a nomination at Emmy Awards in 1997 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series category through his enactment in the pilot episode of �ER� (1994). However, it was his next portrayal opposite Frances McDormand in �Fargo� (1996) that truly catapulted him to widespread recognition as AMPAS gloriously granted him the Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination at Academy Awards held by the same year. Also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role at Screen Actor Guild Awards, the superb attainment he had scored unquestionably elevated his status in Hollywood, enabling him to take part in a handful of well-known pictures, such as �Air Force One� (1997), �Pleasantville� (1998), and �Magnolia� (1999).

Going unstoppable ever since, William kept scoring big achievement with his remarkable acting skills, brilliantly collecting 2 more Emmys nominations in 2000 for his role in �Sports Night� (1998-2000) and �A Slight Case of Murder� (1999). He ultimately won the award through �Door to Door� (2002) for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie category besides a Golden Globes nomination of Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television in 2003. Much to his delight, other subsequent performances in �Seabiscuit� (2003) and �The Wool Cap� (2004) also directed him to again obtain Golden Globes nominations for 2 consecutive years of 2004 and 2005, therefore really solidified his reputation as an accomplished actor.

Encountered commercial success through his next flick, �Sahara� (2005), in which he starred alongside Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz, William proceeded to run his career smoothly, even rather busy as he had at least 10 various projects to appear by the years ahead. Several of them were film features of �Thank You for Smoking�, �Conquistadora�, �Bobby�, plus �A Hole in the Earth� which all slated to be released in 2006 while the rest had been TV features also voice contribution works, like in �Doogal� (2006) and �Bee Movie� (2007). Apart from his profession as an actor, this fair-haired guy has also worked as a producer, director, and writer, even had won an Emmy Award in 2003 for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Dramatic Special category through �Door to Door.�

Concerning his love life, William has happily been married since September 6, 1997 to actress Felicity Huffman who has given him two lovely daughters, Sofia Grace on August 1, 2000 and Georgia Grace by March 14, 2002. The couple first met at New York City's Atlantic Theatre Company, which he co-founded in 1983 with Mamet, when Huffman enrolled in one of his classes there. Later starred together in HBO's TV movie of �Lip Service� (1988) that also happened to be his directorial TV debut, their collaboration afterwards extended to a series of film productions, including those of �Things Change�, and �Magnolia�, before William concluded to stay behind the screen to produce Huffman's 2005 picture of �Transamerica.�