William Joseph Devane (born September 5, 1937) is an American film, television and theater actor, known for his role as Greg Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing and as James Heller on the Fox serial drama 24, the role he reprised in Live Another Day. He is also known for his supporting ... roles in films such as McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Family Plot), Marathon Man, Rolling Thunder and Space Cowboys. Devane began his acting career with the New York Shakespeare Festival where he performed in 15 plays. In 1966, Devane portrayed Robert F. Kennedy in the Off-Broadway spoof MacBird. He gained acclaim for his role as President John F. Kennedy in a television docudrama about the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Missiles of October, and again when he played blacklisted radio personality John Henry Faulk in the Emmy Award-winning TV movie Fear on Trial. He is widely known for his ten years as the ambitious and hardnosed politician-turned-corporate titan Greg Sumner on Knots Landing. In 1994, Devane appeared as Al Capone in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in an episode entitled "That Old Gang of Mine". He also had a recurring role on the CBS show Early Edition as the lead character's father. Devane appeared in the films McCabe & Mrs. Miller; Lady Liberty; Family Plot; Marathon Man; Rolling Thunder; Yanks; Testament; Timestalkers; Forgotten Sins; Exception to the Rule; Payback; Hollow Man and Space Cowboys. Devane has played members of the Presidential Cabinet on two evening dramas. In 2004, on The West Wing, he guest-starred as the Secretary of State and potential Vice-Presidential nominee. Devane appeared in several scenes with Martin Sheen; they also appeared together as President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, respectively, 30 years earlier in The Missiles of October. In 2005, he joined the cast of 24 as Secretary of Defense James Heller for seasons 4, 5 and 6.
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| Organization | Category | Movie |
|---|
Knots Landing
as Greg Sumner
Episodes: 269
First Aired: Dec 27, 1979
24
as James Heller
Episodes: 60
First Aired: Nov 06, 2001
Phenom
as Lou Della Rosa
Episodes: 22
First Aired: Sep 14, 1993
The Grinder
as Dean Sanderson Sr.
Episodes: 22
First Aired: Sep 29, 2015
Turks
as Sergeant Joseph Turk
Episodes: 13
First Aired: Jan 21, 1999
The Michael Richards Show
as Brady McKay
Episodes: 9
First Aired: Oct 24, 2000
Black Beauty
as John Manly
Episodes: 5
First Aired: Jan 31, 1978
Bosch: Legacy
as Whitney Vance
Episodes: 4
First Aired: May 05, 2022
Stargate SG-1
as President Hayes
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Jul 27, 1997
From Here to Eternity
as Sgt. Milt Warden
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Feb 14, 1979
A Woman Named Jackie
as Black Jack Bouvier
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Oct 13, 1991
Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac
as Greg Sumner
Episodes: 2
First Aired: May 07, 1997
The West Wing
as Lewis Berryhill
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 22, 1999
Revenge
as Edward Grayson
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 21, 2011
The Missiles of October
as John F. Kennedy - US President
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 18, 1974
King of the Hill
as Chuck Garrison (voice)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 12, 1997
Gunsmoke
as Moss Stratton
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 10, 1955
The X-Files
as General Mark Suveg
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 10, 1993
NCIS
as Nicolas Mason
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 23, 2003
Psych
as Peters
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jul 07, 2006
Hope and Gloria
as William Devane
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 09, 1995
Medical Center
as Dr. Ray Waltham
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 24, 1969
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
as Al Capone
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 12, 1993
Mannix
as Al Kordic
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 16, 1967
Touched by an Angel
as Benjamin Parker
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 21, 1994
The Snoop Sisters
as David Prine
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 19, 1973
Crumbs
Episodes: 13
First Aired: Jan 12, 2006
The Monroes
Episodes: 9
First Aired: Sep 12, 1995
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 01, 1962
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 19 |
| 2024 | 7 | 37 | 57 | 22 |
| 2024 | 8 | 28 | 42 | 19 |
| 2024 | 9 | 18 | 35 | 10 |
| 2024 | 10 | 16 | 30 | 10 |
| 2024 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 9 |
| 2024 | 12 | 15 | 23 | 9 |
| 2025 | 1 | 24 | 36 | 14 |
| 2025 | 2 | 14 | 26 | 2 |
| 2025 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 7 | 14 | 2 |