Will Patton

He appeared opposite Kevin Costner in four films: No Way Out (1987), The Postman (1997), and Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 (both 2024), as well as having a guest role in seasons 3 and 4 of Costner's Paramount Network series Yellowstone (2020–2022). Patton played Deputy Marnes in season one of the 2023 TV series Silo. Patton was nominated alongside castmates for his ensemble work in Minari and Yellowstone at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2020 and 2021, and won two Obie Awards for Best Actor in Sam Shepard's play Fool for Love and the Public Theater production of What Did He See?.

• Birth Name — William Rankin Patton • Born — 14 June 1954 • Birthplace — Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1981–present

William Rankin Patton was born on June 14, 1954 in Charleston, South Carolina, the eldest of three children. His mother’s name was Laura McClenagan Patton and his father's name was Bill Patton. Bill Patton was a playwright and acting/directing instructor who was a Lutheran minister and served as a chaplain at Duke University. Patton was raised on a farm, where his parents ran a foster home for wayward teenagers.

Patton had lead roles in Sam Shepard's play Fool for Love and in the Public Theater production of What Did He See?

Patton has recorded more than forty-five audiobooks, including works by Stephen King, James Lee Burke, and Al Gore.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1981 — Kent State — Peter — Television film • 1982 — CBS Library — Ben Moody — Episode: "Robbers, Rooftops and Witches" • 1982–1983 — Ryan's Hope — 'Ox' Knowles — Contract role • 1984–1985 — Search for Tomorrow — Kentucky Bluebird — 26 episodes • 1985 — data-sort-value="Equalizer, The" | The Equalizer — Officer Nick Braxton — Episode: "Lady Cop" • 1987 — data-sort-value="Gathering of Old Men, A" | A Gathering of Old Men — Lou Dimes — Television film • 1990 — Nasty Boys — Raymond Batiste — Episode: "Flesh and Blood" • 1991 — Dillinger — FBI Agent Melvin Purvis — Television film • Deadly Desire — Giles Menteer — Television film • 1992 — Lincoln and the War Within — Ward Lamon — Television film • In the Deep Woods — Eric Gaines — Television film • data-sort-value="Child Lost Forever: The Jerry Sherwood Story, A" | A Child Lost Forever: The Jerry Sherwood Story — Frank Maxwell — Television film • Roseanne — Grant — Episode: "Of Ice and Men" • 1993 — Taking the Heat — Hadley — Television film • 1995–1997 — VR.5 — Dr. Frank Morgan — 5 episodes • 1997 — data-sort-value="Protector, The" | The Protector — Jeff — Unknown episodes • 2001–2003 — data-sort-value="Agency, The" | The Agency — Jackson Haisley — Main role • 2004 — Family Sins — Philip Rothman — Television film • data-sort-value="Last Ride, The" | The Last Ride — Aaron Purnell — Television film • 2005 — Into the West — James Fletcher — Episode: "Wheel to the Stars" • 2006–2007 — Numbers — Lieutenant Gary Walker — 4 episodes • 2009 — 24 — Alan Wilson — 5 episodes • American Experience — John Wilkes Booth (voice) — Episodes: "The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln" • 2010 — CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — Craig Haliday — Episode: "Unshockable" • 2011–2015 — Falling Skies — Captain Dan Weaver — Main role • 2016 — data-sort-value="Good Wife, The" | The Good Wife — Mike Tascioni — 4 episodes • 2017 — Shots Fired — Sheriff Daniel Platt — Main role • 2019 — Swamp Thing — Avery Sunderland — Main role • 2020–2022 — Yellowstone — Garrett Randall — Recurring role; nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series • 2022–2024 — Outer Range — Wayne Tillerson — Main role • 2023 — Silo — Deputy Marnes — 4 episodes • TBA — The Magnificent Seven — Cyrus T. Clemons — Upcoming series • The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey — Lou Smith

Will Patton is recorded as having received Audie Award for Best Male Narrator. Recorded at birth as William Rankin Patton.

Will portrayed character Ox Knowles on Ryan's Hope from 1982 to 1983. Patton portrayed the evil antagonist in Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) and had a significant role in No Way Out (1987) opposite Kevin Costner, his first major film. He went on to play the role of General Bethlehem, again opposite Kevin Costner, in the 1997 The Postman. He portrayed coach Bill Yoast in Remember the Titans (2000), and FBI agent Melvin Purvis in the 1991 made-for-television film Dillinger, before a supporting actor performance in Armageddon (1998). Patton performed the role of Alan Wilson for five episodes on the TV show 24 (2009). Patton also appeared in Silkwood (1983), The Client (1994), Copycat (1995), The Spitfire Grill (1996), Entrapment (1999), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), The Mothman Prophecies (2002), The Punisher (2004), The Fourth Kind (2009), Brooklyn's Finest (2010), Minari (2020) and The Forever Purge (2021). Patton had a guest role in seasons 3 and 4 of Costner's Paramount Network series Yellowstone (2020-2022). Patton portrayed the character of Sam Conroy in the film American Violet (2008). From 2011 to 2015, he starred as Colonel Weaver in the TNT sci-fi television series Falling Skies, executive-produced by Steven Spielberg. In 2018, Patton portrayed Officer Frank Hawkins in the horror reboot of Halloween, and reprised his role in its two Halloween sequels, Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022). He also portrayed Avery Sunderland in the DC Universe TV series Swamp Thing in 2019. Patton's Yellowstone costar, Kevin Costner, identified Patton in May 2023 as an actor that will join him again, this time in Horizon, a "Civil War saga" based on four scripts which Costner intends to write, direct, and act in, covering a 15-year period of "pre- and post-Civil War... settlement of the American west".

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1983 — Variety — Mark • King Blank — Bar Customer • Silkwood — Joe • 1985 — data-sort-value="Beniker Gang, The" | The Beniker Gang — Forest Ranger • Desperately Seeking Susan — Wayne Nolan • After Hours — Horst • 1986 — Chinese Boxes — Lang Marsh • Belizaire the Cajun — Matthew Perry • 1987 — No Way Out — Scott Pritchard • 1988 — Wildfire — Mike • Stars and Bars — Duane Gage • 1989 — Signs of Life — Mr. Coughlin • 1990 — Everybody Wins — Jerry • data-sort-value="Shock to the System, A" | A Shock to the System — Lieutenant Laker • Bright Angel — Woody — Uncredited • 1991 — data-sort-value="Rapture, The" | The Rapture — Deputy Foster • Cold Heaven — Father Niles • 1992 — In the Soup — 'Skippy' • 1993 — data-sort-value="Paint Job, The" | The Paint Job — Wesley • Midnight Edition — Jack Travers • Romeo Is Bleeding — Martie • 1994 — Tollbooth — Dash Pepper • Natural Causes — Michael Murphy • Judicial Consent — Alan Warwick • data-sort-value="Client, The" | The Client — Sergeant Hardy • data-sort-value="Puppet Masters, The" | The Puppet Masters — Dr. Graves • 1995 — Copycat — Inspector Nicoletti • 1996 — Plain Pleasures • data-sort-value="Spitfire Grill, The" | The Spitfire Grill — Nahum Goddard • Fled — Detective Matthew 'Gib' Gibson • 1997 — Inventing the Abbotts — Lloyd Abbott • Hounddogg • This World, Then the Fireworks — Lieutenant Morgan • data-sort-value="Postman, The" | The Postman — General Bethlehem — Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor • 1998 — OK Garage — Sean • Armageddon — Charles 'Chick' Chapple • I Woke Up Early the Day I Died — Preacher • 1999 — Breakfast of Champions — 'Moe' The Truck Driver • Entrapment — Hector Cruz • Jesus' Son — John Smith • 2000 — Gone in 60 Seconds — Atley Jackson • Trixie — W. 'Red' Rafferty • Remember the Titans — Coach Bill Yoast • 2002 — data-sort-value="Mothman Prophecies, The" | The Mothman Prophecies — Gordon Smallwood • 2004 — data-sort-value="Punisher, The" | The Punisher — Quentin Glass • 2006 — Road House 2 — Nate Tanner • 2007 — Code Name: The Cleaner — Riley • data-sort-value="Mighty Heart, A" | A Mighty Heart — DSS Special Agent Randall Bennett • data-sort-value="List, The" | The List — Michael Harriston • Dog Days of Summer — Eli Cottonmouth • 2008 — Wendy and Lucy — The Mechanic • American Violet — Sam Conroy • Lucky Days — J.C. • 2009 — Barbarian Princess — Sanford B. Dole • Looking at Animals — Raymond • data-sort-value="Canyon, The" | The Canyon — Henry • data-sort-value="Fourth Kind, The" | The Fourth Kind — Sheriff August • Waking Madison — Madison's Father • data-sort-value="Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, The" | The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond — Old Man Dobyne • 2010 — Brooklyn's Finest — Lieutenant Bill Hobarts • Meek's Cutoff — Solomon Tetherow • Knucklehead — Vic Sullivan • 2012 — data-sort-value="Girl, The" | The Girl — Tommy • Abigail Harm — The Visitor / Narrator • 2014 — data-sort-value="November Man, The" | The November Man — Perry Weinstein • 2016 — American Honey — Backseat Cowboy • 2017 — data-sort-value="Scent of Rain and Lightning, The" | The Scent of Rain and Lightning — Senior • Megan Leavey — Jim • 2018 — Boarding School — Dr. Sherman • An Actor Prepares — Wisdom • Halloween — Deputy Frank Hawkins • 2019 — Blood on Her Name — Richard Tiller • Hammer — Stephen Davis • Radioflash — Frank • 2020 — Minari — Paul — Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture • 2021 — data-sort-value="Devil Below, The" | The Devil Below — Schuttmann • data-sort-value="Forever Purge, The" | The Forever Purge — Caleb Tucker • Halloween Kills — Deputy Frank Hawkins • 2022 — Halloween Ends • 2023 — Janet Planet — Wayne • 2024 — Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 — Owen Kittredge • Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 • 2025 — Train Dreams — Narrator (voice) • TBA — Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 3 — Owen Kittredge — Filming • You Can't Win — Foot and A Half George — Post-production