Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Awakening Land, TheThe Awakening Land | Will Beagle | |
| 1980 | Foolin' Around | Bronski (as W.H. Macy) | |
| Somewhere in Time | Critic (as W.H. Macy) | ||
| 1983 | Without a Trace | Reporter | |
| 1984 | Boy Who Loved Trolls, TheThe Boy Who Loved Trolls | Socrates the turtle | |
| 1985 | Last Dragon, TheThe Last Dragon | J.J. | Cameo Appearance |
| 1986 | Kate & Allie | Carl | TV series |
| 1987 | House of Games | Sgt. Morgan | |
| Radio Days | Radio Actor | ||
| 1988 | Murder of Mary Phagan, TheThe Murder of Mary Phagan | Randy | TV miniseries |
| Things Change | Billy Drake | ||
| 1990 | Law & Order | Assistant U.S. Attorney John McCormack | TV series, pilot episode Everybody's Favorite Bagman |
| 1991 | Homicide | Tim Sullivan | Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male |
| 1992 | Water Engine, TheThe Water Engine | Charles Lang | |
| 1993 | Being Human | Boris | |
| Bakersfield P.D. | Russell Karp | TV Series | |
| Benny & Joon | Randy Burch | ||
| Searching for Bobby Fischer | Petey's Father | ||
| 1994 | The Client | Dr. Greenway | |
| 1994.5 !1994– 1998 |
ER | Dr. David Morgenstern | TV, cameos 2002, 2009 Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor – Drama Series (1997) |
| 1995 | Murder in the First | D.A. William McNeil | |
| Oleanna | John | Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male | |
| Dead on Sight | Steven Meeker | ||
| Tall Tale | Railroad Magnate | Uncredited | |
| Mr. Holland's Opus | Vice Principal Gene Wolters | ||
| Evolver | Evolver (voice) | ||
| 1996 | Fargo | Jerry Lundegaard |
|
| Andersonville | Col. Chandler | ||
| Down Periscope | Commander Carl Knox | ||
| Ghosts of Mississippi | Charlie Crisco | ||
| 1997 | Colin Fitz Lives! | Mr. O'Day ...aka "Colin Fitz" | |
| Air Force One | Major Norman Caldwell | ||
| Boogie Nights | Little Bill |
|
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| Wag the Dog | CIA Agent Charles Young | ||
| 1998 | Pleasantville | George Parker |
|
| Psycho | Milton Arbogast | Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue, TheThe Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue | Justin (voice) | ||
| Civil Action, AA Civil Action | James Gordon | Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Con, TheThe Con | Bobby Sommerdinger | ||
| Lionhearts, TheThe Lionhearts | Leo Lionheart (voice) | ||
| 1999 | Happy, Texas | Sheriff Chappy Dent |
|
| Mystery Men | The Shoveler | ||
| Slight Case Of Murder, AA Slight Case Of Murder | Terry Thorpe | Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Television Feature or Miniseries Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie |
|
| Night of the Headless Horseman, TheThe Night of the Headless Horseman | Ichabod Crane | Voice | |
| Magnolia | Quiz Kid Donnie Smith | Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast National Board of Review Award for Best Cast Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
|
| 1999.5 !1999–2000 | Sports Night | Sam Donovan | TV, Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor – Comedy Series |
| 2000 | State and Main | Walt Price |
|
| Panic | Alex | ||
| 2001 | Jurassic Park III | Paul Kirby | |
| Focus | Lawrence 'Larry' Newman | ||
| 2002 | Door to Door | Bill Porter |
|
| It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie | Glenn | ||
| Welcome to Collinwood | Riley | ||
| 2003 | Cooler, TheThe Cooler | Bernie Lootz | Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama |
| Easy Riders, Raging Bulls | Narrator | Documentary | |
| Stealing Sinatra | John Irwin |
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| Seabiscuit | Tick Tock McGlaughlin |
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| 2004 | Reversible Errors | Arthur Raven | |
| Cellular | Mooney | ||
| In Enemy Hands | Chief of Boat Nathan Travers | ||
| Spartan | Stoddard | ||
| 2005 | Wool Cap, TheThe Wool Cap | Charlie Gigot |
|
| Sahara | Admiral James Sandecker | ||
| Edmond | Edmond Burke | ||
| Thank You for Smoking | Senator Ortolan K. Finistirre | ||
| 2006 | The Simpsons: "Homer's Paternity Coot" | Himself | |
| Doogal | Brian the snail | ||
| Nightmares and Dreamscapes: "Umney's Last Case" | Sam Landry, Clyde Umney |
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| Bobby | Paul |
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| Curious George | Narrator | TV, season 1 | |
| Everyone's Hero | Lefty Maginnis | Voice | |
| Choose Your Own Adventure DVD Series | Rudyard North | ||
| Inland Empire | Announcer | ||
| 2007 | Wild Hogs | Dudley Frank | |
| He Was a Quiet Man | Gene Shelby | ||
| 2008 | Deal, TheThe Deal | Charlie Berns | |
| Bart Got a Room | Ernie Stein | ||
| Tale of Despereaux, TheThe Tale of Despereaux | Lester | Voice | |
| 2009 | Maiden Heist, TheThe Maiden Heist | George | |
| Shorts | Dr. Noseworthy | ||
| 2010 | Marmaduke | Don Twombly | |
| Dirty Girl | Ray | ||
| 2011-present | Shameless | Frank Gallagher | Series regular |
| 2011 | Lincoln Lawyer, TheThe Lincoln Lawyer | Frank Levin | |
| 2012 | Sessions, TheThe Sessions | Father Brendan |
Read more about this topic: William H. Macy