William Sadler
Acting • Born 1950-04-13
Biography
William Thomas Sadler (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor who works in film and television. His television and motion picture roles have included Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller in The Pacific, Luther Sloan in Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Sheriff Jim Valenti in Roswell, and—perhaps most notably—the Grim Reaper in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, a role for which he was nominated for, and won, the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, and his role as Colonel Stuart alongside Bruce Willis in Die Hard 2.
Filmography
167 credits
The Shawshank Redemption
Movie • 1994
Heywood
Die Hard 2
Movie • 1990
Stuart
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Movie • 1991
Grim Reaper
Rush
Movie • 1991
Monroe
Shadowheart
Movie • 2009
Thomas Conners
Kinsey
Movie • 2004
Kenneth Braun
The Mist
Movie • 2007
Jim
August Rush
Movie • 2007
Thomas Novacek
Trespass
Movie • 1992
Don
The Hills Run Red
Movie • 2009
Wilson Wyler Concannon
Stealth Fighter
Movie • 1999
Adm. Frank Petersen
Jesse Stone: Thin Ice
Movie • 2009
Gino Fish
Disturbing Behavior
Movie • 1998
Newberry
Bordello of Blood
Movie • 1996
Mummy
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight
Movie • 1995
Frank Brayker
Hard to Kill
Movie • 1990
Senator Vernon Trent
Eagle Eye
Movie • 2008
Jerry's Dad
Roadracers
Movie • 1994
Sarge
Silent But Deadly
Movie • 2011
John Capper
Solo
Movie • 1996
Colonel Frank Madden / Improved Solo
Salem's Lot
Movie • 2024
Parkins Gillespie
RocketMan
Movie • 1997
Wild Bill Overbeck
The Hot Spot
Movie • 1990
Frank Sutton
Jesse Stone: No Remorse
Movie • 2010
Gino Fish
The Good Student
Movie • 2006
Phil Palmer
Last Day of Summer
Movie • 2009
Mr. Crolick
Reach the Rock
Movie • 1998
Quinn
Premium
Movie • 2006
Cole Carter
Hanky Panky
Movie • 1982
Hotel Clerk
Project X
Movie • 1987
Dr. Carroll (as Bill Sadler)
Confess
Movie • 2005
Senator Lampert
Freaked
Movie • 1993
Dick Brian
Man on a Ledge
Movie • 2012
Valet
Iron Man 3
Movie • 2013
President Ellis
Jimmy and Judy
Movie • 2006
Uncle Rodney
Off Beat
Movie • 1986
Dickson
Purple Heart
Movie • 2005
Colonel Allen
Restitution
Movie • 2011
George Youngstown
Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost
Movie • 2011
Gino Fish
See Girl Run
Movie • 2012
Marty
Witness Protection
Movie • 1999
Sharp
Machete Kills
Movie • 2013
Sheriff Doakes
Another Life
Movie • 2002
Man
Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt
Movie • 2012
Gino Fish
Ambushed
Movie • 1998
Jim Natter
Greetings from Tim Buckley
Movie • 2013
Lee Underwood
The Great Wallendas
Movie • 1978
Dieter Schmidt
Bermuda Grace
Movie • 1994
The Other Side of Victory
Movie • 1979
Captain Rogers
The Face of Fear
Movie • 1990
Anthony Prine
Riddle
Movie • 2013
Western Man / Jack Abel
That Guy Dick Miller
Movie • 2014
Self
The Suspect
Movie • 2013
Sheriff Dixon
Jack Reed: Badge of Honor
Movie • 1993
Anatole
She Came from the Woods
Movie • 2023
Gilbert McCalister
A Stage of Twilight
Movie • 2024
Barry
Freedom
Movie • 2014
Plimpton
The Evolution of Horror Cinema Worldwide
Movie • 2025
Horror Film Expert
A Night to Die For
Movie • 1995
Self
The Last to Go
Movie • 1991
Treat
Tagget
Movie • 1991
Yuri Chelenkoff
The Historian
Movie • 2014
Valerian Hadley
DeVour
Movie • 2005
Ivan Reisz
Ava's Possessions
Movie • 2015
Bernard
Stream
Movie • 2009
Dr. Shelby
The Duel
Movie • 2016
Governor Ross
Walking the Mile
Movie • 2014
Self
Frank the Bastard
Movie • 2015
Cyrus Gast
The Green Mile
Movie • 1999
Klaus Detterick
Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise
Movie • 2015
Gino Fish
Two-Fisted Tales
Movie • 1992
Mr. Rush (Presenter)
Jesse Stone: Sea Change
Movie • 2007
Gino Fish
Freeheld
Movie • 2015
Peter Santucci
Gilded Lilys
Movie • 2013
Nothing Sacred
Movie • 2012
Chambers
The Hollow
Movie • 2016
Sheriff Beau McKinney
The Omen
Movie • 1995
Dr. Linus
A New Wave
Movie • 2007
Roger Dewitt
Shoot Me Nicely
Movie • 2017
Roy Barnes
The Battle of Shaker Heights
Movie • 2003
Abe
Unconquered
Movie • 1989
Coach Dickey
Onion News Empire
Movie • 2013
Ed Musgrove
K-9
Movie • 1989
Salesman Don
Living Among Us
Movie • 2018
Samuel
Edge
Movie • 2015
Big Bill
The Grudge
Movie • 2019
Detective Wilson
Bill & Ted Face the Music
Movie • 2020
Death
Deadly Crush
Movie • 2018
Sheriff Dusty Hawkins
Alice Fades Away
Movie • 2021
James
Beyond All Boundaries
Movie • 2009
Lt. Colonel Lewis B. 'Chesty' Puller
The Highwaymen
Movie • 2019
Henry Barrow
Charlie and the Great Balloon Chase
Movie • 1981
Joey
VFW
Movie • 2019
Walter Reed
The Unholy
Movie • 2021
Father Hagan
Melvin Smarty
Movie • 2018
Bob
Walking the Mile: The Making of The Green Mile
Movie • 2000
Self - 'Klaus Detterick'
When Darkness Came: The Making of 'The Mist'
Movie • 2008
Self
Being Flynn
Movie • 2012
Ray
It's Not Real Until You Shoot It: Making HILLS RUN RED
Movie
Self
Future Weather
Movie • 2012
Ed
Skippy
Movie • 2001
Ringo
Unspoken
Movie • 2006
Dad
The Yeti
Movie • 2026
Hollis Bannister
Abandoned in the Arctic
Movie • 2007
Adolphus Greely (voice)
The Making of Fallout: New Vegas
Movie • 2010
Self
Valerie 23
Movie • 1995
Frank Hellner
New England Toys
Movie
Medium
TV • 2005
John Edgemont
Third Watch
TV • 1999
Scotty Murray
Numb3rs
TV • 2005
J. Everett Tuttle
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
TV • 2000
Red Cooper
Ed
TV • 2000
Lee Leetch
Tales from the Crypt
TV • 1989
Niles Talbot (segment "The Man Who Was Death")
Tru Calling
TV • 2003
Travis
Wonderfalls
TV • 2004
Darrin Tyler
Roseanne
TV • 1988
Murphy Brown
TV • 1988
Colonel Fitzpatrick
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
TV • 2005
Paul Rice
Criminal Minds
TV • 2005
The Equalizer
TV • 1985
Rick Dillon / Kevin Moore
Roswell
TV • 1999
Jim Valenti
JAG
TV • 1995
Saul Wainright
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
TV • 2001
Kyle Devlin
The Path to 9/11
TV • 2006
Neil Herman
Tour of Duty
TV • 1987
Major Rigby
Poltergeist: The Legacy
TV • 1996
Shamus Bloom
Dear John
TV • 1988
Ken
Three Rivers
TV • 2009
The Pacific
TV • 2010
Lt Col. Lewis 'Chesty' Puller
Private Eye
TV • 1987
Elementary
TV • 2012
Ian Gale
The Outer Limits
TV • 1995
Frank Hellner
Golden Boy
TV • 2013
Police Commissioner Jack Dowdell
Hawaii Five-0
TV • 2010
John McGarrett
The Flash
TV • 2014
Simon Stagg
White Collar
TV • 2009
Brett Gelles
Tales from the Crypt
TV • 1989
The Grim Reaper
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
TV • 2013
President Ellis
Full Circle
TV • 2023
Gene McCusker
Fringe
TV • 2008
Dr. Sumner
Criminal Minds
TV • 2005
Ray Finnegan
The Blacklist
TV • 2013
Sam Milhoan
Power
TV • 2014
Tony Teresi
Our Cartoon President
TV • 2018
General Kelly / Mitch McConnell / Jeff Sessions (voice)
Delirium
TV • 2014
John (archive footage)
Traveler
TV • 2007
Carlton Fog
The Good Fight
TV • 2017
Judge Nilsson
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
TV • 1993
Sloan
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
TV • 1999
Gary Dolan
Bull
TV • 2016
Father Andy
Law & Order
TV • 1990
Kevin Drucker
God Friended Me
TV • 2018
Rev. Elias
Hunters
TV • 2020
Dr. Friedrich Mann
WHIH Newsfront
TV • 2015
President Ellis
When They See Us
TV • 2019
Detective Michael Sheehan
Z Nation
TV • 2014
Sam Custer
The Comey Rule
TV • 2020
Michael Flynn
HBO First Look
TV • 1992
Person of Interest
TV • 2011
Anton's Father
The Rookie
TV • 2018
Walter Fields
Madam Secretary
TV • 2014
George Peters
Newhart
TV • 1982
Clumsy Guest
St. Elsewhere
TV • 1982
J.J. Oppenheimer
Damages
TV • 2007
McClarenTruth.org's Financier
Damages
TV • 2007
Helmut Torben
Rebel Highway
TV • 1994
Sarge
Homeland
TV • 2011
Michael Higgins