Acting
Josef Sommer
Born 1934-06-26
Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Department: Acting
Biography
Maximilian Josef Sommer (born June 26, 1934) is a German-American retired stage, television, and film actor. His best known roles are as The President in X-Men: The Last Stand, Senator Jessup in The Sum of All Fears, Peter Lassiter in The Family Man, Curtis Flemming in Shaft, Dr. Eaton in Patch Adams, Phelps Bowen in The Chamber, Clive Peoples Jr. in Nobody's Fool, Mr. Duckworth in The Mighty Ducks, Chief Paul Schaefer in Witness, Max Richter in Silkwood, Sam Taylor in Independence Day, Rothko in Dirty Harry, and narrator for the film Sophie's Choice.
Known For
Prominent works featuring Josef Sommer
Movie
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X-Men: The Last Stand
2006
TMDB3.2
TV
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
TMDB4.0
Movie
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Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977
TMDB3.7
Movie
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The Other Guys
2010
TMDB3.1
TV
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Law & Order
1990
TMDB3.6
Movie
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Patch Adams
1998
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Movie
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Dirty Harry
1971
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Movie
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The Family Man
2000
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Movie
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The Sum of All Fears
2002
TMDB3.2
Movie
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Witness
1985
TMDB3.5
Filmography & Credits
Complete career catalog (103 titles)
| Poster | Title | Character / Role | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Other Guys | District Attorney Radford (uncredited) | Movie | 2010 |
 | Stop-Loss | Senator Orton Worrell | Movie | 2008 |
 | The Invasion | Dr. Henryk Belicec | Movie | 2007 |
 | X-Men: The Last Stand | The President | Movie | 2006 |
 | The Elephant King | Bill Hunt | Movie | 2006 |
 | Without a Trace | Peter Ducek | TV Series | 2002 |
 | Searching for Paradise | Carl Greenslate | Movie | 2002 |
 | The Sum of All Fears | Senator Jessup | Movie | 2002 |
 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Spencer Durning | TV Series | 2001 |
 | The Family Man | Peter Lassiter | Movie | 2000 |
 | The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Winds of Change | Woodrow Wilson | Movie | 2000 |
 | Shaft | Curt Flemming | Movie | 2000 |
 | The Next Best Thing | Richard Whittaker | Movie | 2000 |
 | The West Wing | Steve Gaines | TV Series | 1999 |
 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Patrick Rumsey | TV Series | 1999 |
 | The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1999 |
 | The Hunt For The Unicorn Killer | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1999 |
 | Providence | Thomas Wheelock | TV Series | 1999 |
 | Patch Adams | Dr. Eaton | Movie | 1998 |
 | Bulworth | Doctor (uncredited) | Movie | 1998 |
 | The Proposition | Dryer | Movie | 1998 |
 | Ally McBeal | Henry Thompson | TV Series | 1997 |
 | Hidden in America | Edward Millerton | Movie | 1996 |
 | Mistrial | Nick Mirsky | Movie | 1996 |
 | The Chamber | Phelps Bowen | Movie | 1996 |
 | Early Edition | John Dobbs | TV Series | 1996 |
 | Strange Days | Palmer Strickland | Movie | 1995 |
 | Moonlight and Valentino | Thomas Trager | Movie | 1995 |
 | Letter to My Killer | Self / Appearance | Movie | 1995 |
 | Kansas | Joseph 'Joe' Farley | Movie | 1995 |
 | Nobody's Fool | Clive Peoples Jr. | Movie | 1994 |
 | Don't Drink the Water | Ambassador Magee | Movie | 1994 |
 | The Enemy Within | Defence Secretary Charles Potter | Movie | 1994 |
 | Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker | Col. Morrow | Movie | 1994 |
 | Malice | Atty. Lester Adams | Movie | 1993 |
 | An American Story | Henry Meade | Movie | 1992 |
 | The Mighty Ducks | Mr. Ducksworth | Movie | 1992 |
 | Hostages | Tom Sutherland | Movie | 1992 |
 | Citizen Cohn | Albert Cohn | Movie | 1992 |
 | Shadows and Fog | Priest | Movie | 1991 |
 | A Woman Named Jackie | Joseph Kennedy Sr. | TV Series | 1991 |
 | Before the Storm | Stewart Merriman | Movie | 1991 |
| Under Cover | Stewart Merriman | TV Series | 1991 | |
 | Under Cover | Stewart Merriman | Movie | 1991 |
 | When Will I Be Loved? | Martin Ransil | Movie | 1990 |
 | William Shakespeare's Hamlet | Polonius | Movie | 1990 |
 | Law & Order | Defense Attorney Patrick Rumsey | TV Series | 1990 |
| Law & Order | Judge Lawrence Hellman | TV Series | 1990 |
 | The Kennedys of Massachusetts | Franklin D. Roosevelt | TV Series | 1990 |
 | Money, Power, Murder. | Jack Finley | Movie | 1989 |
 | Bloodhounds of Broadway | Waldo Winchester | Movie | 1989 |
 | Forced March | Richard Kline | Movie | 1989 |
 | Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman | Charles Estiman | Movie | 1989 |
 | Bridge to Silence | Al Duffield | Movie | 1989 |
 | Chances Are | Judge Fenwick | Movie | 1989 |
 | Dracula's Widow | Lannon | Movie | 1988 |
 | Hothouse | Dr. Sam Garrison | TV Series | 1988 |
 | The Rosary Murders | Lieutenant Koznicki | Movie | 1987 |
 | A Special Friendship | General Winder | Movie | 1987 |
 | The Betty Ford Story | President Gerald Ford | Movie | 1987 |
 | Double Image | James Angleton | Movie | 1986 |
 | The Execution of Raymond Graham | Jim Neal | Movie | 1985 |
 | Target | Barney Taber | Movie | 1985 |
 | The Equalizer | Ernest Rasher | TV Series | 1985 |
 | D.A.R.Y.L. | Dr. Jeffrey Stewart | Movie | 1985 |
 | Brotherly Love | Mr. Rafferty | Movie | 1985 |
 | Witness | Schaeffer | Movie | 1985 |
 | Screen Two | James Angleton | TV Series | 1985 |
 | Iceman | Whitman | Movie | 1984 |
 | Silkwood | Max Richter | Movie | 1983 |
 | Saigon: Year of the Cat | Jack Ockham | Movie | 1983 |
 | Sparkling Cyanide | George Barton | Movie | 1983 |
 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1983 |
 | Independence Day | Sam Taylor | Movie | 1983 |
 | Sophie's Choice | Narrator (voice) | Movie | 1982 |
 | Still of the Night | George Bynum | Movie | 1982 |
 | Hanky Panky | Adrian Pruitt | Movie | 1982 |
 | American Playhouse | Doc | TV Series | 1982 |
| American Playhouse | Waldo Winchester | TV Series | 1982 |
 | Reds | State Department Official | Movie | 1981 |
 | Absence of Malice | McAdam | Movie | 1981 |
 | Rollover | Roy Lefcourt | Movie | 1981 |
 | The Henderson Monster | Dr. Martin Grossman | Movie | 1980 |
 | Hide in Plain Sight | Jason R. Reid | Movie | 1980 |
 | Doctor Franken | Mr. Parker | Movie | 1980 |
 | Too Far to Go | Henry Mills | Movie | 1979 |
 | The Scarlet Letter | Nathaniel Hawthorne | TV Series | 1979 |
 | Oliver's Story | Dr. Dienhart | Movie | 1978 |
 | Mourning Becomes Electra | Ezra Mannon | TV Series | 1978 |
 | Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Larry Butler | Movie | 1977 |
 | The Andros Targets | Benson Fisher | TV Series | 1977 |
 | The Front | Committee Chairman | Movie | 1976 |
 | Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys | Pomeroy | Movie | 1976 |
 | The Adams Chronicles | Charles Lee | TV Series | 1976 |
 | Valley Forge | Brig. Gen. Varnum | Movie | 1975 |
 | The Stepford Wives | Ted Van Sant | Movie | 1975 |
 | Man on a Swing | Pete Russell | Movie | 1974 |
 | Enemies | Nikolai | Movie | 1974 |
 | The Witches of Salem: The Horror and the Hope | Proctor | Movie | 1972 |
 | Dirty Harry | Rothko | Movie | 1971 |
 | Great Performances | Nikolai | TV Series | 1971 |
| Great Performances | Polonius | TV Series | 1971 |
 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Brig. Gen. Varnum | TV Series | 1951 |