William H. Macy Biography

William H. Macy

Macy's acting career began somewhat inauspiciously doing voice-overs for commercials. He had trained under David Mamet at Goddard College in Vermont and worked in the theater, but was having difficulty landing television roles. He moved to Chicago in 1974 where he and Mamet were founding members of the St. Nicholas Theater. He eventually returned to California and started his film career in supporting roles in films such as Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), Benny & Joon (1993), and The Client (1994). He began appearing regularly on television's ER (1994–98), which brought him to the attention of casting directors. It was his role in the Coen brothers' Fargo (1997), however, that really opened doors for Macy. Still opting for interesting supporting roles over more standard leading parts, Macy has appeared in Boogie Nights (1997), Air Force One (1997), Wag the Dog (1997), Pleasantville (1998), A Civil Action (1998), Psycho (1998), Magnolia (1999), State and Main (2000) and Jurassic Park III (2001). He's married to Sports Night's Felicity Huffman.