Dynamically entertaining heavyset US actor with piercing eyes, William
Forsythe has a superb talent for playing some truly unlikable and
downright nasty characters that dominate the films in which he appears!
If you're cast as the hero against Forsythe's villain, then you
have your work cut out for you, as Forsthye's raw energy and menace on
screen is second to none. He started out in a couple of minor film
roles and guest appearances in high-rated TV shows including
CHiPs (1977),
Polizeirevier Hill Street (1981)
and T. J. Hooker (1982). He
quickly moved into high-quality feature films, including playing a
small-time hoodlum in
Es war einmal in Amerika (1984),
an hilariously funny performance as a bumbling jail escapee alongside
John Goodman in the knockout
Arizona Junior (1987) and as a
renegade soldier in
Ausgelöscht (1987).
The energetic Forsythe portrayed comic book villain "Flattop" in
Dick Tracy (1990), was foolish enough
to tangle with vengeful cop Steven Seagal
in the hyper-violent
Deadly Revenge - Das Brooklyn Massaker (1991) and locked
horns with ex-NFL linebacker
Brian Bosworth in the biker
action film Stone Cold - Kalt wie Stein (1991). With
his expertise in playing icy villains, Forsythe was perfect to portray
Prohibition mobster Al Capone in the
short-lived '90s revival of the classic '60s crime show,
Die Unbestechlichen (1993), and
he continued the motif of playing edgy, nefarious individuals in the
thought-provoking
Waterdance (1992), the oily
film noir piece
Das Leben nach dem Tod in Denver (1995),
as real-life mobster Sammy Gravano, aka
"The Bull", in Der Untergang der Cosa Nostra (1996) and
supporting another ex-NFL player's foray into film acting, when L.A.
Raider Howie Long debuted in
Firestorm - Brennendes Inferno (1998).
Forsythe has remained perpetually busy in the new century with a
plethora of feature film, telemovie and TV series appearances, and
has developed a minor cult following amongst film fans for his attention
grabbing dramatic skills - check out his performances in
City by the Sea (2002),
TDR - The Devil's Rejects (2005)
and Halloween (2007).
