Emmy-nominated American actor William Devane was born on September 5, 1937 in Albany, New York. A graduate of New York’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he got his feet wet in acting early, appearing first as Robert Kennedy in the off-Broadway spoof MacBird, which was staged in 1966. He made his screen debut in 1967, when he played a lead role in the Vietnam-era film In the Country. Devane then quickly established himself as a television actor, making guest appearances on established shows while topbilling made-for-television movie. His performances in the television movies The Missiles of October, in 1974, and Fear on Trial, in 1975, were both nominated for Emmys in their respective years.
Devane became known to audiences, however, when he took on a role in the daytime soap Knots Landing. He joined the cast in 1983 as Greg Sumner, a villainous character who frequently schemed with his wife Abby (Donna Mills). He was nominated for a Golden Globe award in 1987 for the role, and was nominated a further six times by the Soap Opera Digest Awards; he won three of them, from 1989 to 1991. He also played regular roles in shows such as Phenom and Turks, and took on recurring roles in Early Edition, The Michael Richard Show, The West Wing and Stargate SG-1. He starred in the action series 24 as Defense Secretary James Heller, the father of Audrey Raines (Kim Raver). He also had a starring role in the short-lived sitcom Crumbs, and a recurring role as Michael Davis, the father of the title character, in the drama What About Brian?
Despite his popularity on television, Devane also had a healthy film career. His most notable films include McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Marathon Man, The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training, Testament, Payback, Hollow Man, Space Cowboys and Race to Space.