William Edward Fichtner (born November 27, 1956) is an American actor. Raised in the Buffalo, N.Y. area, he started his career with supporting appearances in Virtuosity (1995), Heat, and Strange Days (both 1995). A prolific character actor in film, Fichtner is recognised for memorable performances in Contact (1997), Armageddon (1998), Go (1999), The Perfect Storm (2000), Black Hawk Down (2001), Crash (2004), and The Longest Yard (2005).