William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor and
director. His film career has been built on appearances in small,
independent films, though he has also appeared in action films. Macy
has described himself as "sort of a Middle American, WASPy, Lutheran
kind of guy... Everyman". Macy has won two Emmy Awards and four Screen
Actors Guild Awards, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for
Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Fargo. Since 2011, he has
played Frank Gallagher, a main character in the Showtime adaptation of
the British television series Shameless. Macy has been married to
Felicity Huffman since 1997.Macy was born in Miami, Florida, and grew
up in Georgia and Maryland. His father, William Hall Macy, Sr.
(1922â€"2007), was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air
Medal for flying a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber in World War II; he
later ran a construction company in Atlanta, Georgia, and worked for
Dun & Bradstreet before taking over a Cumberland, Maryland-based
insurance agency when Macy was nine years old. His mother, Lois (née
Overstreet; 1920â€"2001), was a war widow who met Macy's father after
her first husband died in 1943; Macy has described her as a "Southern
belle".Macy graduated from Allegany High School in Cumberland,
Maryland in 1968, and went on to Bethany College in West Virginia
where he studied veterinary medicine. A 'wretched student' by his own
admission, he transferred to Goddard College in rural Vermont, where
he studied under playwright David Mamet. He studied theatre at HB
Studio in New York City.After graduating from Goddard in 1972, Macy
originated roles in a number of plays by collaborator David Mamet,
such as American Buffalo and The Water Engine. While in Chicago in his
twenties, he did a TV commercial. He was required to join AFTRA in
order to do the commercial, and received his SAG card within a year,
which for an elated Macy represented an important moment in his
career.
director. His film career has been built on appearances in small,
independent films, though he has also appeared in action films. Macy
has described himself as "sort of a Middle American, WASPy, Lutheran
kind of guy... Everyman". Macy has won two Emmy Awards and four Screen
Actors Guild Awards, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for
Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Fargo. Since 2011, he has
played Frank Gallagher, a main character in the Showtime adaptation of
the British television series Shameless. Macy has been married to
Felicity Huffman since 1997.Macy was born in Miami, Florida, and grew
up in Georgia and Maryland. His father, William Hall Macy, Sr.
(1922â€"2007), was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air
Medal for flying a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber in World War II; he
later ran a construction company in Atlanta, Georgia, and worked for
Dun & Bradstreet before taking over a Cumberland, Maryland-based
insurance agency when Macy was nine years old. His mother, Lois (née
Overstreet; 1920â€"2001), was a war widow who met Macy's father after
her first husband died in 1943; Macy has described her as a "Southern
belle".Macy graduated from Allegany High School in Cumberland,
Maryland in 1968, and went on to Bethany College in West Virginia
where he studied veterinary medicine. A 'wretched student' by his own
admission, he transferred to Goddard College in rural Vermont, where
he studied under playwright David Mamet. He studied theatre at HB
Studio in New York City.After graduating from Goddard in 1972, Macy
originated roles in a number of plays by collaborator David Mamet,
such as American Buffalo and The Water Engine. While in Chicago in his
twenties, he did a TV commercial. He was required to join AFTRA in
order to do the commercial, and received his SAG card within a year,
which for an elated Macy represented an important moment in his
career.
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