William Atherton

Known for: Acting
Born: July 30, 1947, Orange, Connecticut, USA
Movies: 63

William Atherton Knight Jr. (born July 30, 1947) is an American actor, best known for portraying Richard Thornburg in Die Hard and its sequel and Walter Peck in Ghostbusters.

Upcoming William Atherton Movies

Midnight Men: A John Schlesinger and Michael Childers Story

Release date TBA

Best-Known Movies

7.8

Die Hard

1988

7.5

Ghostbusters

1984

7.6

The Last Samurai

2003

7.0

Die Hard 2

1990

6.4

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

2024

6.6

The Pelican Brief

1993

6.7

The Girl Next Door

2007

6.4

Oscar

1991

6.7

Real Genius

1985

6.6

The Sugarland Express

1974

Filmography

2025	Where Did the Adults Go?	The Father
2024	Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire	Mayor Walter Peck
2020	Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters	Self
2018	Bad Company
2017	Clinical	Terry Drummond
2016	Ghostheads	Self
2014	Jinn	Father Westhoff
2012	The Citizen
2012	Jersey Shore Shark Attack	Dolan
2012	Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie	Earle Swinter
2010	The Kane Files: Life of Trial	Daniel Morgan
2008	Ghouls	Stefan
2008	Black Crescent Moon	Jo Dexton
2008	Aces 'N' Eights	Howard
2007	The Girl Next Door	Adult David Moran
2007	Kush	King
2007	Towards Darkness	John
2005	Into the Sun	Agent Block
2005	Headspace	Dr. Ira Gold
2005	Gone But Not Forgotten	Sen. Ray Colby
2004	Who's Your Daddy?	Duncan Mack
2003	The Last Samurai	Winchester Rep
2001	Race to Space	Ralph Stanton
2001	Burning Down the House	Arthur Kranston
2000	Bread and Roses	Party Guest (uncredited)
2000	The Crow: Salvation	Nathan Randall
1999	The Stranger
1999	Introducing Dorothy Dandridge	Darryl Zanuck
1998	Michael Kael vs. the World News Company	James Denit
1997	Mad City	Dohlen
1997	Executive Power	President Fields
1997	Hoodlum	Thomas E. Dewey
1996	Raven Hawk	Philip Thorne
1996	Bio-Dome	Dr. Noah Faulkner
1995	Broken Trust	Neil Roemer
1995	A Night to Die For	Self
1995	Virus	Dr. Reginald Holloway
1994	Frank & Jesse	Allan Pinkerton
1994	Saints and Sinners	Terence
1993	The Pelican Brief	Bob Gminski
1992	Chrome Soldiers	Sheriff Blackwell
1992	Diagnosis Murder: Diagnosis of Murder	Eric Walker
1991	Oscar	Overton
1990	Grim Prairie Tales	Arthur
1990	Die Hard 2	Richard Thornberg
1990	Buried Alive	Cort van Owen
1988	Intrigue	Doggett
1988	Die Hard	Richard Thornburg
1987	The Equalizer - The Movie: Blood & Wine	Martin 'Alpha' Loeber
1986	No Mercy	Allan Deveneux
1986	A Fight for Jenny	Michael Rosen
1985	Real Genius	Professor Hathaway
1984	Ghostbusters	Walter Peck
1983	Malibu	Stan Harvey
1982	Tomorrow's Child	Jim Spence
1981	The House of Mirth	Lawrence Selden
1977	Looking for Mr. Goodbar	James
1976	Independence	Benjamin Rush
1975	The Hindenburg	Boerth
1975	The Day of the Locust	Tod Hackett
1974	The Sugarland Express	Clovis Poplin
1973	Class of '44	Fraternity President
1972	The New Centurions	Johnson

Data from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.