William Sadler

William Thomas Sadler, born April 13, 1950, in Buffalo, New York, is an American actor whose career has spanned Broadway, film, and television. The son of Jane and William Sadler, he attended Orchard Park High School, where he performed under the name Banjo Bill Sadler, playing stringed instruments and combining music with comedy. He went on to study at SUNY Geneseo before transferring to Cornell University, where he earned a master's degree in acting with a minor in speech communications.

Sadler's path to the stage began when a chance encounter with a former schoolmate led to his casting in an off-off-Broadway production of Chekhov's Ivanov. Following a period at the Trinity Square Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island, he relocated to New York City's East Village and spent twelve years performing in more than 75 productions. His Broadway debut came in 1985 with Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues, in which he originated the role of Sgt. Toomey opposite Matthew Broderick. That performance earned him a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play. He returned to Broadway in subsequent years, appearing in The 24 Hour Plays in 2004, a contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar alongside Denzel Washington at the Belasco Theatre, and Exit the King, with his Broadway career spanning from 1985 to 2009.

In film, Sadler built a substantial body of work as a character actor. He played Colonel Stuart in Die Hard 2 (1990), a role he initially lost before returning in disguise with the help of a makeup artist friend, re-auditioning as a 70-year-old and winning the part. He portrayed Death in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), also appearing as himself alongside his wife and daughter in scenes depicting families reacting to the film's events, and reprised the Death role in Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020). Among his most recognized film credits are Heywood in The Shawshank Redemption (1994), a role in The Green Mile (1999), The Mist (2007), and Brayker in Demon Knight. He portrayed President Matthew Ellis in Iron Man 3 (2013) and reprised the role in the Marvel television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from 2015 to 2016. Additional film credits include Trespass, K-9, Project X, Disturbing Behavior, Kinsey, August Rush, and Greetings from Tim Buckley, which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.

On television, Sadler held a recurring role as Luther Sloan in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine during its final two seasons from 1998 to 1999, and starred as Sheriff Jim Valenti in Roswell from 1999 to 2002. He appeared in the miniseries The Pacific in 2010 and held a recurring role in Hawaii Five-0 from 2010 to 2020. He portrayed Gino Fish in the Jesse Stone television films and played Carlton Fog in ABC's Traveler in 2007. The 1989 pilot episode of HBO's Tales from the Crypt featured Sadler in its lead role. Guest appearances across his television career include In the Heat of the Night, Roseanne, CSI, Numb3rs, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Fringe, and NBC's Medium. He also provided the voice of the robot Victor in the 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas.

Sadler married Marni Joan Bakst on May 6, 1978. The couple had a daughter, Sadler Colley Bakst. On December 19, 2024, Sadler confirmed that his wife had died following a two-year battle with cancer.