William Joseph Devane (born September 5, 1939) is a retired American
film, television and theatre actor, known for his role as Greg Sumner
on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing (1983â€"1993) and as James
Heller on the Fox serial dramas 24 (2005â€"2007) and Live Another Day
(2014). He is also known for his work in films such as Family Plot
(1976), Marathon Man (1976), Rolling Thunder (1977), Payback (1999),
and Space Cowboys (2000).Devane was born in 1939 in Albany, New York,
the son of Joseph Devane, who had been Franklin D. Roosevelt's
chauffeur when he was Governor of New York. His father was of Irish
descent and his mother had Dutch and German ancestry. Devane graduated
from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in
1962.Devane began his acting career with the New York Shakespeare
Festival where he performed in 15 plays. In 1966, Devane portrayed
Robert F. Kennedy in the Off-Broadway spoof MacBird. He gained acclaim
for his role as President John F. Kennedy in a television docudrama
about the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Missiles of October (1974), and
again when he played blacklisted radio personality John Henry Faulk in
the Emmy Award-winning TV movie Fear on Trial (1975). He is widely
known for his ten years as the ambitious and hardnosed
politician-turned-corporate titan Greg Sumner on Knots Landing.
film, television and theatre actor, known for his role as Greg Sumner
on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing (1983â€"1993) and as James
Heller on the Fox serial dramas 24 (2005â€"2007) and Live Another Day
(2014). He is also known for his work in films such as Family Plot
(1976), Marathon Man (1976), Rolling Thunder (1977), Payback (1999),
and Space Cowboys (2000).Devane was born in 1939 in Albany, New York,
the son of Joseph Devane, who had been Franklin D. Roosevelt's
chauffeur when he was Governor of New York. His father was of Irish
descent and his mother had Dutch and German ancestry. Devane graduated
from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in
1962.Devane began his acting career with the New York Shakespeare
Festival where he performed in 15 plays. In 1966, Devane portrayed
Robert F. Kennedy in the Off-Broadway spoof MacBird. He gained acclaim
for his role as President John F. Kennedy in a television docudrama
about the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Missiles of October (1974), and
again when he played blacklisted radio personality John Henry Faulk in
the Emmy Award-winning TV movie Fear on Trial (1975). He is widely
known for his ten years as the ambitious and hardnosed
politician-turned-corporate titan Greg Sumner on Knots Landing.
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