William H. Macy Biography
Born: March 13, 1950
Born in Miami, Florida, William H. Macy is the only child of a decorated World War II bomber pilot and a war widow. A popular student in high school, he experienced his first connection with the performing arts playing the role of Mordred in a school production of Camelot. Following his graduation in 1968, he pursued a degree in veterinary science at West Virginia's Bethany College, until he was prompted to transfer after participating in student productions to Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt., in 1970 to study acting. There, Macy's acting aspirations fully flowered under the tutelage of Goddard alum and rising playwright David Mamet.
After completing his degree, Macy drifted out to California, where he worked as a set designer while attempting to assemble an acting troupe to perform on cruise ships. He settled in Chicago for a while, where he appeared in (and contributed voiceovers to) numerous commercials, and earned his SAG membership as "W.H. Macy," a designation he was forced to accept in deference to comedian Bill Macy. He left Chicago in 1978, and relocated to New York in search of expanded acting opportunities.
Though he made his feature-film debut in the 1980 feature Somewhere in Time shortly after his arrival in the Big Apple, Macy spent most of the next decade doing off-Broadway roles and making an endless stream of commercials. He ended up losing his W.H. moniker, but commercial success eluded him enough to force him to relocate to Los Angeles in 1990.
A string of memorable supporting performances in films like Searching for Bobby Fischer, The Client, Mr. Holland's Opus, and Murder in the First followed, as well as a recurring role on the hit series ER from 1994 to 1998 as Dr. David Morgenstern. But it was the Coen brothers' Fargo (1996) that was his breakthrough: his performance was rewarded with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination and after years of toiling in obscurity, Macy was suddenly a hot commodity. He went on to enjoy major supporting roles in Air Force One, Boogie Nights and Wag the Dog (all 1997) and gave more support in 1998 with Psycho and A Civil Action.
He's frequently seen on the big screen, in a wide range of movies such as Wild Hogs (2007), Marmaduke (2010) and the thriller, A Single Shot (2013). He also starred in the acclaimed drama film Room (2015) and the action thriller Blood Father (2016).
William has also made his mark on the small screen thanks to the Showtimes comedy-drama series Shameless (2011-2021). His quality performance as the alcoholic father of six children has earned him two Golden Globe nominations and six Emmy nominations (from 2014 to 2021).
Most recently, he played Summerhayes in the comedy Ricky Stanicky (2024) and Trevathan in the box office hit Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024).
Wed since 1997 to actress and longtime love Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), Macy resides in Los Angeles. They have two daughters, Sofia Grace, born in 2000, and Georgia Grace, born in 2002.
Filmography
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
Ricky Stanicky (2024)
Maybe I Do (2023)
Krystal (2017)
Blood Father (2016)
Room (2015)
Cake (2015)
A Single Shot (2013)
Marmaduke (2010)
Shorts (2009)
The Maiden Heist (2009)
The Tale of Despereaux (2008) (voice)
Bart Got a Room (2008)
The Deal (2008)
He Was a Quiet Man (2007)
Wild Hogs (2007)
Bobby (2006)
Everyone's Hero (2006) (voice)
Doogal (2006) (voice)
Thank You For Smoking (2006)
Edmond (2005)
Sahara (2005)
Cellular (2004)
Spartan (2004)
In Enemy Hands (2004)
The Last Shot (2004)
Seabiscuit (2003)
Stealing Sinatra (2003)
The Cooler (2003)
Welcome to Collinwood (2002)
Focus (2001)
Jurassic Park III (2001)
State and Main (2000)
Panic (2000)
Happy, Texas (1999)
Magnolia (1999)
Mystery Men (1999)
The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue (1998) (voice)
Psycho (1998)
A Civil Action (1998)
Jerry & Tom (1998)
Pleasantville (1998)
Wag the Dog (1997)
Air Force One (1997)
Boogie Nights (1997)
Fargo (1996)
Down Periscope (1996)
Colin Fitz (1996)
Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)
Hit Me (1996)
Above Suspicion (1995)
Murder in the First (1995)
Evolver (1995)
Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)
The Client (1994)
Dead on Sight (1994)
Oleanna (1994)
Texan (1994)
Benny & Joon (1993)
Being Human (1993)
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
Twenty Bucks (1993)
Shadows and Fog (1992)
Homicide (1991)
Lip Service (1988)
Things Change (1988)
House of Games (1987)
Radio Days (1987)
Last Dragon, (1985)
The Boy Who Loved Trolls (1984)
Without a Trace (1983)
Foolin' Around (1980)
Somewhere in Time (1980)