Will Patton
Biography
Will Patton, born William Rankin Patton on June 14, 1954 in Charleston, South Carolina, is an American actor and audiobook narrator. He trained at the North Carolina School of the Arts before beginning a career that includes more than one hundred screen credits. Patton is known for his television role as Colonel Dan Weaver in the TNT science‑fiction series Falling Skies. His film work includes appearances in Remember the Titans, Armageddon, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Punisher, and the Kevin Costner collaborations No Way Out (1987) and The Postman (1997). On stage he earned two Obie Awards for best actor for Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love and the Public Theater production of What Did He See?.
Career overview
William Rankin Patton was born on June 14, 1954 in Charleston, South Carolina. He pursued his education at the North Carolina School of the Arts before beginning a career that would span film, television and stage. Patton is recognized for his work as an actor and as an audiobook narrator, accumulating more than one hundred credited performances across media.
On television, Patton is best known for his portrayal of Colonel Dan Weaver in the TNT science‑fiction series Falling Skies, a role that placed him at the center of the show’s post‑invasion storyline. His film work includes appearances in a range of high‑profile movies such as Remember the Titans, Armageddon, Gone in 60 Seconds, and The Punisher. He also shared the screen with Kevin Costner in two separate projects, first in the 1987 political thriller No Way Out and later in the 1997 post‑apocalyptic drama The Postman.
Patton’s stage achievements have been acknowledged with two Obie Awards for best actor, one for his performance in Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love and another for his work in the Public Theater production of What Did He See?. These honors reflect his versatility and sustained contribution to both screen and theatrical arts.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- You Can't Win (2026) as Foot and a Half George
- Train Dreams (2025) as Narrator (voice)
- Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (2024) as Owen Kittredge
- Janet Planet (2024) as Wayne
- Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 (2024) as Owen Kittredge
- Silo (2023) as Deputy Sam Marnes
- Outer Range (2022) as Wayne Tillerson
- Halloween Ends (2022) as Frank
- The Forever Purge (2021) as Caleb Tucker
- Halloween Kills (2021) as Officer Hawkins
- Minari (2021) as Paul
- The Devil Below (2021) as Schuttmann
- Safe (2021) as Francis
- Sweet Thing (2020) as Adam
- Blood on Her Name (2020) as Richard
- Swamp Thing (2019) as Avery Sunderland
- Radioflash (2019) as Frank
- Hammer (2019) as Stephen Davis
- Yellowstone (2018) as Garrett Randle
- Halloween (2018) as Officer Hawkins
- Boarding School (2018) as Dr. Sherman
- An Actor Prepares (2018) as Wisdom
- The Scent of Rain & Lightning (2018) as Senior
- Salvage (2018)
- Megan Leavey (2017) as Jim
- Shots Fired (2017) as Sheriff Daniel Platt
- American Honey (2016) as Back Seat Cowboy
- The November Man (2014) as Perry Weinstein
- Abigail Harm (2013) as The Visitor/Narrator
- The Girl (2012) as Tommy
- Falling Skies (2011) as Captain Daniel 'Dan' Weaver
- Meek's Cutoff (2011) as Soloman Tetherow
- Waking Madison (2011) as Steven Walker
- Brooklyn's Finest (2010) as Lt. Bill Hobarts
- Knucklehead (2010) as Vic Sullivan
- Princess Kaiulani (2010) as Sanford B. Dole
- The Good Wife (2009) as Mike Tascioni
- The Fourth Kind (2009) as Sheriff August
- The Canyon (2009) as Henry
- The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (2009) as John Wilkes Booth (Voice)
- Wendy and Lucy (2008) as Mechanic
- The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (2008) as Old Man Dobyne
- American Violet (2008) as Sam Conroy
- Lucky Days (2008) as J.C.
- Code Name: The Cleaner (2007) as Riley
- A Mighty Heart (2007) as Randall Bennett
- Dog Days of Summer (2007) as Eli Cottonmouth
- The List (2007) as Harriston
- Road House 2: Last Call (2006) as Nate Tanner
- Numb3rs (2005) as Det. Gary Walker
- Into the West (2005) as James Fletcher
- Family Sins (2005) as Philip Rothman
- The Punisher (2004) as Quentin Glass
- The Last Ride (2004) as Aaron Purnell
- The Mothman Prophecies (2002) as Gordon Smallwood
- The Rough South of Larry Brown (2002)
- 24 (2001) as Alan Wilson
- The Agency (2001) as Jackson Haisley
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) as Craig Halliday
- Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) as Atley Jackson
- Remember the Titans (2000) as Coach Bill Yoast
- Jesus' Son (2000) as John Smith
- Trixie (2000) as W. 'Red' Rafferty
- Entrapment (1999) as Hector Cruz
- Breakfast of Champions (1999) as Moe The Truck Driver
- Armageddon (1998) as Chick
- All Revved Up (1998) as Sean
- I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1998) as Preacher
- The Postman (1997) as Bethlehem
- Inventing the Abbotts (1997) as Lloyd Abbott
- This World, Then the Fireworks (1997) as Lt. Morgan
- Fled (1996) as Gibson
- The Spitfire Grill (1996) as Nahum Goddard
- Copycat (1995) as Nicoletti
- VR.5 (1995) as Dr. Frank Morgan
- The Client (1994) as Sergeant Hardy
- Natural Causes (1994) as Michael Murphy
- The Puppet Masters (1994) as Dr. Lawrence Graves
- Judicial Consent (1994) as Alan Warwick
- Tollbooth (1994) as Dash
- Romeo Is Bleeding (1993) as Martie
- Midnight Edition (1993) as Jack Travers
- Taking the Heat (1993) as Hadley
- The Paint Job (1993) as Wesley
- Cold Heaven (1992) as Father Niles
- In the Deep Woods (1992) as Eric Gaines
- A Child Lost Forever: The Jerry Sherwood Story (1992) as Frank Maxwell
- In the Soup (1992) as Skippy
- Lincoln and the War Within (1992)
- The Rapture (1991) as Deputy Foster
- Dillinger (1991) as Melvin Purvis
- Deadly Desire (1991) as Giles Menteer
- Nasty Boys (1990) as Batiste
- A Shock to the System (1990) as Lt. Laker
- Bright Angel (1990) as Woody (uncredited)
- Everybody Wins (1990) as Jerry
- Nasty Boys, Part 2: Lone Justice (1990)
- Signs of Life (1989) as Owen's Father
- Stars & Bars (1988) as Duane Gage
- Wildfire (1988) as Mike
- No Way Out (1987) as Scott Pritchard
- A Gathering of Old Men (1987) as Lou Dimes
- Belizaire the Cajun (1986) as Matthew Perry
- The Equalizer (1985) as Officer Nick Braxton
- After Hours (1985) as Horst
- Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) as Wayne Nolan
- Variety (1985) as Mark
- The Beniker Gang (1984) as Forest Ranger
- Chinese Boxes (1984) as Marsh
- Silkwood (1983) as Joe
- King Blank (1983) as Bar Customer
- Nature (1982) as Narrator (voice)
- American Playhouse (1982) as Matthew Perry
- American Playhouse (1982) as Owen's Father
- Kent State (1981) as Peter
- Minus Zero (1979) as Schreiber
- Search for Tomorrow (1951)
- Ruby Road
- Ruby Road Executive Producer
- The Magnificent Seven as Cyrus T. Clemons
- The Ice at the Bottom of the World