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William H. Macy
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Although William H. Macy is not a household name such as Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise, he is certainly a recognizable, and respected talent in the ever-expanding thespian sea. "Willie" as friends called him during his Bethany College years, was raised primarily in Georgia and Maryland. He was brought up in a home where moral issues were clear. His mother lost her first husband in World War II, then married a war hero (Macy's father), a medal-winning B-17 pilot. "World War II was 'the good war,' " Macy has said in the past. "They felt good about their sacrifices and moved on."
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Born in Miami, Florida, William H. Macy is the only child of a decorated World War II bomber pilot and a war widow. A popular student in high school, he experienced his first connection with the performing arts playing the role of Mordred in a school production of Camelot. Following his graduation in 1968, he pursued a degree in veterinary science at West Virginia's Bethany College, until he was prompted to transfer after participating in student productions to Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt., in 1970 to study acting. There, Macy's acting aspirations fully flowered under the tutelage of Goddard alum and rising playwright David Mamet.
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William H. Macy's introduction of the film sets the script's cutesy-tired tone: "This time the hero has four legs, and he galloped into the headlines just when America was looking for heroes." (Mr. Macy plays a reporter in the feature film.)
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The reliable actor and sometimes writer-producer William H. Macy worked steadily on stage and screen for more than 15 years before breaking out in the Coen brothers' 1996 movie Fargo (with Frances McDormand). Macy got his acting start at Vermont's Goddard College as a student of playwright David Mamet's. In the early 1970s he joined Mamet and others in founding the St. Nicholas Theater Company in Chicago, and Macy was one of the original actors in Mamet's American Buffalo. During the 1980s Macy was based in New York, where he helped co-found the Atlantic Theater Company and worked on stage and in commercials and television productions. By the late 1980s his film career was taking off and he quickly became known as a reliable supporting player, appearing in films by directors such as Woody Allen (1987's Radio Days and 1992's Shadows and Fog) and Macy's old friend David Mamet (1987's House of Games and 1991's Homicide). Macy ... showed up in TV movies and had a recurring role in TV's E.R.
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William H. Macy has taken on the role of Bernie Lootz in The Cooler. Bernie is a Las Vegas loser who has such bad luck that he is a paid by, Alec Baldwin’s character of a casino owner, to suck the good luck from a gambler who is winning. It isn’t until Bernie finds true love in a young cocktail waitress, played by Maria Bello, that his luck turns around. Good luck is good for Bernie and his new love but starts to ruin Baldwin’s casino. Now Bernie must figure out a way to get them out of Las Vegas without getting killed.
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William H. Macy is respected as an actor, director and writer. He initially wanted to be a veterinarian, but changed direction after performing in college plays. He's a theater legend as an originator of new roles and has written several TV scripts, including TNT's award-winning Door to Door. The Emmy-winning actor's film credits include Wild Hogs, He Was a Quiet Man and The Deal—which he co-wrote and makes its world premier at Sundance. Macy ... serves on the United Cerebral Palsy Board of Trustees.
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William H. Macy