William Atherton Net Worth
John Thompson
Updated on January 14, 2026
![William Atherton Net Worth]()
William Atherton net worth is
![Richard Thornburg]()
![Walter Peck]()
![Prof. Jerry Hathaway]()
![Tod Hackett]()
William Atherton net worth is
$8 Million
William Atherton Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family
William Atherton (born July 30, 1947), born William Atherton Knight, is an American film, stage and television actor. | Full Name | William Atherton |
| Net Worth | $8 Million |
| Date Of Birth | July 30, 1947 |
| Place Of Birth | Orange, Connecticut, USA |
| Height | 6' (1.83 m) |
| Profession | Actor |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Bobbi Goldin |
| Parents | Robert Atherton Knight, Roby Robinson Knight |
| Nicknames | William Atherton, Atherton, William |
| IMDB | |
| Awards | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance |
| Movies | Ghostbusters, Die Hard 2, Die Hard, The Last Samurai, Real Genius, The Sugarland Express, Bio-Dome, The Girl Next Door, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, The Day of the Locust, The Pelican Brief, The Hindenburg, Jinn, The Crow: Salvation, No Mercy, Jersey Shore Shark Attack, Hoodlum, Mad City, Tim and Eric's... |
| TV Shows | Centennial |
| Star Sign | Leo |
| # | Trademark |
|---|---|
| 1 | Known around the world for what have become his signature film characters: the television reporter, Dick Thornburg in Die Hard (1988) and Die Hard 2 (1990); the EPA official, Walter Peck in Ghostbusters (1984); Professor Jerry Hathaway in Real Genius (1985) and the mad scientist, Dr. Noah Faulkner in Bio-Dome (1996). |
| 2 | Often plays manipulative yet well-dressed scoundrels |
| 3 | Rich smooth voice |
| # | Quote |
|---|---|
| 1 | If you have to be the antagonist, you often have a lot more creative powers. You have a lot more color to you. |
| 2 | I'm a farm boy from Connecticut, and I adopted urban life. |
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | Has starred as Honore in the 2011 Los Angeles production of "Gigi" and performed the show's enormously popular song, "Yes, I Remember It Well", with his co-star, Millicent Martin at the McCallum Theatre's annual charity event in Palm Springs. |
| 2 | Attended and graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1969. |
| 3 | Studied acting at the Drama School at Carnegie Institute of Technology. |
| 4 | Has sung Irving Berlin's, "What'll I Do?" for the opening title sequence in "The Great Gatsby". It was also featured in Robert Evans' documentary The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002). |
| 5 | Has won numerous awards and praise for his on and off-Broadway stage work. |
Actor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical | 2017 | post-production | Terry |
| Lowlifes | 2017 | ||
| Defiance | 2014 | TV Series | Viceroy Berto Mercado |
| Jinn | 2014 | Father Westhoff | |
| Childrens Hospital | 2013 | TV Series | Levon Bainter |
| Getting Back to Zero | 2013 | ||
| The Citizen | 2012 | Winston | |
| Workaholics | 2012 | TV Series | Thor Holmvik |
| Jersey Shore Shark Attack | 2012 | TV Movie | Dolan |
| Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie | 2012 | Earle Swinter | |
| The Unknown | 2012 | TV Series | Jim Larson |
| Castle | 2011 | TV Series | Dr. Ari Weiss |
| The Kane Files: Life of Trial | 2010 | Daniel Morgan | |
| The Glades | 2010 | TV Series | Big Jack Hasker |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | 2010 | TV Series | Ned Bogden |
| Lost | 2010 | TV Series | Principal Reynolds |
| Ghostbusters | 2009 | Video Game | Walter Peck (voice) |
| Life | 2008-2009 | TV Series | Mickey Rayborn |
| Monk | 2008 | TV Series | Commander Nathan Whitaker |
| Ghouls | 2008 | TV Movie | Stefan |
| Black Crescent Moon | 2008 | Jo Dexton | |
| Aces 'N' Eights | 2008 | TV Movie | Howard |
| Strokes | 2008 | TV Movie | Richard McBride |
| Numb3rs | 2007 | TV Series | Warren Pierce |
| The Girl Next Door | 2007 | Adult David Moran | |
| Totally Baked | 2007 | Mr. Lyle Funonion (Segment "FunOnion Boardroom") | |
| Hacia la oscuridad | 2007 | John | |
| Kush | 2007 | King | |
| Desperate Housewives | 2006 | TV Series | Dr. Barr |
| Stargate SG-1 | 2006 | TV Series | Emissary Varta |
| Headspace | 2005 | Dr. Ira Gold | |
| Gone But Not Forgotten | 2005 | TV Movie | Senator Raymond Colby |
| Into the Sun | 2005 | CIA Agent Block | |
| Boston Legal | 2005 | TV Series | A.D.A. Howard Zale |
| Law & Order | 2002-2004 | TV Series | Dan Jensen / Don Snyder |
| Who's Your Daddy? | 2004 | Video | Duncan Mack |
| The Last Samurai | 2003 | Winchester Rep | |
| Justice League | 2003 | TV Series | Dr. Destiny John Dee |
| Race to Space | 2001 | Ralph Stanton | |
| Night Visions | 2001 | TV Series | William Price |
| Burning Down the House | 2001 | Arthur Kranston | |
| The Crow: Salvation | 2000 | Nathan Randall | |
| The Stranger | 1999/II | Arthur | |
| Chicken Soup for the Soul | 1999 | TV Series | Ron |
| The Practice | 1997-1999 | TV Series | D.A. Keith Pratt D.A. Pratt |
| Introducing Dorothy Dandridge | 1999 | TV Movie | Darryl Zanuck |
| The Outer Limits | 1998 | TV Series | Franklin Murdoch |
| Michael Kael contre la World News Company | 1998 | James Denit | |
| Mad City | 1997 | Dohlen | |
| Executive Power | 1997 | Video | President John Fields |
| Hoodlum | 1997 | Thomas Dewey | |
| Nash Bridges | 1996 | TV Series | Dr. Linus Mills |
| Raven Hawk | 1996 | TV Movie | Philip Thorne |
| Bio-Dome | 1996 | Dr. Noah Faulkner | |
| Frank & Jesse | 1995 | Allan Pinkerton | |
| Broken Trust | 1995 | TV Movie | Roemer |
| Virus | 1995 | TV Movie | Dr. Reginald Holloway |
| Saints and Sinners | 1994 | Terence McCone | |
| The Pelican Brief | 1993 | Bob Gminski | |
| Chrome Soldiers | 1992 | TV Movie | Sheriff Blackwell |
| Diagnosis Murder | 1992 | TV Movie | Eric Walker |
| Murder, She Wrote | 1985-1991 | TV Series | Prosecutor Andy Henley / Greg Dalton / Larry Holleran |
| Tales from the Crypt | 1991 | TV Series | Malcolm Mayflower |
| Oscar | 1991 | Overton | |
| Grim Prairie Tales: Hit the Trail... to Terror | 1990 | Arthur | |
| Die Hard 2 | 1990 | Richard Thornburg | |
| Buried Alive | 1990 | TV Movie | Cortland 'Cort' van Owen |
| The Equalizer | 1987-1989 | TV Series | Martin 'Alpha' Loeber / Gideon |
| Intrigue | 1988 | TV Movie | Doggett |
| Die Hard | 1988 | Richard Thornburg | |
| The Law and Harry McGraw | 1987 | TV Series | |
| The Twilight Zone | 1985-1987 | TV Series | Brian Wolfe (segment "The Card") / Mr. Dundee (segment "Night of the Meek") |
| No Mercy | 1986 | Allan Deveneux | |
| A Fight for Jenny | 1986 | TV Movie | Michael Rosen |
| Real Genius | 1985 | Prof. Jerry Hathaway | |
| Ghostbusters | 1984 | Walter Peck | |
| Malibu | 1983 | TV Movie | Stan Harvey |
| Tomorrow's Child | 1982 | TV Movie | Jim Spence |
| A Single Light | 1981 | TV Movie | |
| The House of Mirth | 1981 | TV Movie | Lawrence Selden |
| Centennial | 1978-1979 | TV Mini-Series | Jim Lloyd |
| Looking for Mr. Goodbar | 1977 | James | |
| Independence | 1976 | Short | Benjamin Rush |
| The Hindenburg | 1975 | Karl Boerth | |
| The Day of the Locust | 1975 | Tod Hackett | |
| The Sugarland Express | 1974 | Clovis Michael Poplin | |
| Class of '44 | 1973 | Fraternity President | |
| The New Centurions | 1972 | Johnson |
Soundtrack
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession | 2004 | TV Movie documentary performer: "What'll I Do" | |
| The Kid Stays in the Picture | 2002 | Documentary performer: "What'll I Do?" | |
| The Great Gatsby | 1974 | performer: "What'll I Do?" - as Bill Atherton |
Producer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kush | 2007 | co-producer | |
| Headspace | 2005 | co-producer |
Thanks
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread and Roses | 2000 | special thanks |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters | 2016 | Video documentary post-production | Himself |
| Ghostheads | 2016 | Documentary | Himself |
| Decoding Die Hard | 2013 | Video documentary | Himself |
| On Set: Jersey Shore Shark Attack | 2012 | Short | Himself |
| Slimer Mode | 2009 | Video documentary | Himself - 'Walter Peck' |
| Wrong Guy, Wrong Place, Wrong Time: A Look Back at 'Die Hard' | 2007 | Video short | Himself |
| Fractured Skulls: The Making of Headspace | 2006 | Video short | Himself |
| Bread and Roses | 2000 | Himself - Party Guest (uncredited) | |
| HBO First Look | 1995 | TV Series documentary | Himself - Richard Thornberg |
Archive Footage
Known for movies
Die Hard (1988)
as Richard Thornburg
Ghostbusters (1984)
as Walter Peck
Real Genius (1985)
as Prof. Jerry Hathaway
The Day of the Locust (1975)
as Tod Hackett