Acting
Sam Waterston
Born 1940-11-15
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Department: Acting
Biography
Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy on the NBC television series Law & Order. He has been nominated for multiple Golden Globe-, Screen Actors Guild-, BAFTA- and Emmy Awards, having starred in over eighty film and television productions during his forty-five year career. Allmovie has characterised Waterston as having "cultivated a loyal following with his quietly charismatic, unfailingly solid performances." Description above from the Wikipedia article Sam Waterston, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Prominent works featuring Sam Waterston
TV
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Family Guy
1999
TMDB3.7
TV
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
TMDB4.0
TV
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Law & Order
1990
TMDB3.6
Movie
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Miss Sloane
2016
TMDB3.7
TV
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The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
TMDB3.0
TV
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Jeopardy!
1984
TMDB3.5
TV
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Saturday Night Live
1975
TMDB3.5
Movie
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Hannah and Her Sisters
1986
TMDB3.8
TV
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The View
1997
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TV
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Tales from the Crypt
1989
TMDB4.0
Filmography & Credits
Complete career catalog (129 titles)
| Poster | Title | Character / Role | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Carousel | Sam | Movie | 2026 |
 | The Six Triple Eight | Franklin Delano Roosevelt | Movie | 2024 |
 | Merchant Ivory | Self | Movie | 2024 |
 | Rain Falls from Earth: Surviving Cambodia's Darkest Hour | Self (voice) | Movie | 2024 |
 | A Case for Love | Self | Movie | 2024 |
 | Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled | Self | TV Series | 2023 |
 | The Dropout | George Shultz | TV Series | 2022 |
 | Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time | Self (voice) | Movie | 2021 |
 | The Man in the Woods | Headmaster Waldorf | Movie | 2020 |
 | Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story | Self | Movie | 2020 |
 | On the Basis of Sex | Erwin Griswold | Movie | 2018 |
 | The Mayo Clinic | Charlie Mayo (voice) | Movie | 2018 |
 | Jane Fonda in Five Acts | Self - (archive footage) | Movie | 2018 |
 | Godless | Marshall John Cook | TV Series | 2017 |
 | Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators | Narrator (voice) | Movie | 2017 |
 | Dateline: Saigon | Narrator (voice) | Movie | 2017 |
 | Miss Sloane | George Dupont | Movie | 2016 |
 | Anesthesia | Prof. Walter Zarrow | Movie | 2016 |
 | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2015 |
 | And It Was Good | Judge Alexander Baas / Doctor / Gravedigger | Movie | 2015 |
 | Grace and Frankie | Sol Bergstein | TV Series | 2015 |
 | Dean Smith | Narrator | Movie | 2015 |
 | Please Be Normal | Dad | Movie | 2015 |
 | Jo | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 2013 |
 | The Newsroom | Charlie Skinner | TV Series | 2012 |
 | Prohibition | Reader (voice) | TV Series | 2011 |
 | The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear | Self | Movie | 2010 |
 | Masters of Science Fiction | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 2007 |
 | The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays | John Honeyman (segment "A Walk in the Woods") | Movie | 2006 |
 | The Colbert Report | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 2005 |
| The Colbert Report | Self (uncredited) | TV Series | 2005 |
 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Jack McCoy | TV Series | 2005 |
 | Hammer and Cycle | Self - Narrator | Movie | 2004 |
 | The Commission | J. Lee Rankin | Movie | 2003 |
 | Le Divorce | Chester Walker | Movie | 2003 |
 | The Matthew Shepard Story | Dennis Shepard | Movie | 2002 |
 | A House Divided | David Dickson | Movie | 2000 |
 | The Unfinished Journey | Narrator (voice) | Movie | 1999 |
 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Jack McCoy | TV Series | 1999 |
 | In Bad Taste | Self | Movie | 1999 |
 | Moment of Impact: Stories of the Pulitzer Prize Photographs | Self / Host / Narrator | Movie | 1999 |
 | Here Am I, Send Me: The Story of Jonathan Daniels | Narrator | Movie | 1999 |
 | Family Guy | Bruce Kaplan (voice) | TV Series | 1999 |
 | Exiled | Jack McCoy | Movie | 1998 |
 | Miracle at Midnight | Dr. Karl Koster | Movie | 1998 |
 | Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery | Thomas Jefferson (voice) | TV Series | 1997 |
 | The View | Self | TV Series | 1997 |
| The View | Self - Guest | TV Series | 1997 |
 | Thomas Jefferson | Thomas Jefferson (voice) | TV Series | 1997 |
 | Shadow Conspiracy | The President | Movie | 1997 |
 | The Proprietor | Harry Bancroft | Movie | 1996 |
 | Nixon | Richard Helms | Movie | 1995 |
 | The Journey of August King | Mooney Wright | Movie | 1995 |
| The Journey of August King | Producer | Movie | 1995 |
 | Amazing Stories: The Movie IV | Jordan Manmouth (archive footage) | Movie | 1995 |
 | Time Life's Lost Civilizations | Narrator | TV Series | 1995 |
 | Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage | Tom Wingfield (archive footage) | Movie | 1994 |
 | The Enemy Within | President William Foster | Movie | 1994 |
 | Serial Mom | Eugene Sutphin | Movie | 1994 |
 | David's Mother | John Nils | Movie | 1994 |
 | Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker | Daniel Chamberlain | Movie | 1994 |
| I'll Fly Away: Then and Now | Forrest Bedford | Movie | 1993 | |
 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Jack McCoy | TV Series | 1993 |
 | Earth and the American Dream | Reader (voice) | Movie | 1992 |
 | HBO First Look | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1992 |
 | Mindwalk | Jack Edwards | Movie | 1991 |
 | I'll Fly Away | Forrest Bedford | TV Series | 1991 |
 | The Man in the Moon | Matthew Trant | Movie | 1991 |
 | The Civil War | Abraham Lincoln (voice) | TV Series | 1990 |
 | Law & Order | Jack McCoy | TV Series | 1990 |
 | Night of 100 Stars III | Self | Movie | 1990 |
 | A Captive in the Land | Royce | Movie | 1990 |
 | The Nightmare Years | Bill Shirer | TV Series | 1989 |
 | Crimes and Misdemeanors | Ben | Movie | 1989 |
 | Welcome Home | Woody | Movie | 1989 |
 | Lantern Hill | Andrew Stuart | Movie | 1989 |
 | Tales from the Crypt | G.G. Devoe (segment "As Ye Sow") | TV Series | 1989 |
 | Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami | Jim Delmore | Movie | 1988 |
 | Lincoln | Abraham Lincoln | TV Series | 1988 |
 | A Walk in the Woods | John Honeyman | Movie | 1988 |
 | September | Peter | Movie | 1987 |
 | Devil's Paradise | Jones | Movie | 1987 |
 | Swimming to Cambodia | Additional Cast from 'The Killing Fields' (archive footage) | Movie | 1987 |
 | The Room Upstairs | Travis Coles | Movie | 1987 |
 | Flagrant désir | Inspecteur Gerry Morrison | Movie | 1986 |
 | Just Between Friends | Harry Crandall | Movie | 1986 |
 | The Fifth Missile | Capt. Allard Renslow | Movie | 1986 |
 | Hannah and Her Sisters | David (uncredited) | Movie | 1986 |
 | Amazing Stories | Jordan Manmouth | TV Series | 1985 |
 | Warning Sign | Cal Morse | Movie | 1985 |
 | Love Lives On | Bernie | Movie | 1985 |
 | Finnegan Begin Again | Paul Broadbent | Movie | 1985 |
 | The Killing Fields | Sydney Schanberg | Movie | 1984 |
 | The Boy Who Loved Trolls | Ofoeti | Movie | 1984 |
 | Jeopardy! | Self | TV Series | 1984 |
 | Dempsey | Doc Kearns | Movie | 1983 |
 | In Defense of Kids | Paul Wilcox | Movie | 1983 |
 | Games Mother Never Taught You | David Bentells | Movie | 1982 |
 | Q.E.D. | Professor Quentin Everett Deverill | TV Series | 1982 |
 | American Playhouse | Robert Oppenheimer | TV Series | 1982 |
| American Playhouse | John Honeyman | TV Series | 1982 |
 | Heaven's Gate | Frank Canton | Movie | 1980 |
 | Friendly Fire | C.D.B. Bryan | Movie | 1980 |
 | Oppenheimer | Robert Oppenheimer | TV Series | 1980 |
 | Hopscotch | Jack Cutter | Movie | 1980 |
 | Sweet William | William McClusky | Movie | 1980 |
 | Eagle's Wing | White Bull | Movie | 1979 |
 | Interiors | Mike | Movie | 1978 |
 | Capricorn One | Lt. Col. Peter Willis | Movie | 1977 |
 | Sweet Revenge | Le Clerq | Movie | 1976 |
 | Saturday Night Live | Self (uncredited) | TV Series | 1975 |
 | Journey into Fear | Mr. Graham | Movie | 1975 |
 | Rancho Deluxe | Cecil Colson | Movie | 1975 |
 | People's Choice Awards | Self - Presenter | TV Series | 1975 |
 | Reflections of Murder | Michael Elliott | Movie | 1974 |
 | The Great Gatsby | Nick Carraway | Movie | 1974 |
 | The Glass Menagerie | Tom | Movie | 1973 |
 | Much Ado About Nothing | Benedick | Movie | 1973 |
 | Mahoney's Last Stand | Felix | Movie | 1972 |
 | Savages | James, the Limping Man | Movie | 1972 |
 | Who Killed Mary Whats'ername? | Alex Monte | Movie | 1971 |
| Film '72 | Self | TV Series | 1971 | |
 | Cover Me Babe | Cameraman | Movie | 1970 |
 | Three | Taylor | Movie | 1969 |
 | Generation | Desmond | Movie | 1969 |
 | Fitzwilly | Oliver | Movie | 1967 |
 | The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean | Andy | Movie | 1966 |
 | Dr. Kildare | Mark | TV Series | 1961 |
 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Travis Coles | TV Series | 1951 |