Personal details
- Height: 6′ (1.83 m)
- Birth Location: Orange, Connecticut, USA
- Parents: Robert Atherton Knight
- Professions: Actor, Producer, Soundtrack
William Atherton’s career? Man, this guy’s been everywhere. He popped up big time as the lead in Steven Spielberg’s very first movie, The Sugarland Express, way back in ‘74. And it didn’t stop there—he bounced into The Day of the Locust, The Hindenburg, and Looking for Mr. Goodbar in the ‘70s. But let’s be real, most folks know him as the smarmy reporter Dick Thornburg in Die Hard and its sequel, or as the EPA jerk Walter Peck in Ghostbusters—yeah, the guy everyone loves to hate. He’s also that slimy professor in Real Genius, and if you made it through the ‘90s, you might remember him as the mad scientist in Bio-Dome. The guy just has a face for playing troublemakers. But he didn’t just stick to movies. He’s done tons of TV too—starring in big miniseries like Centennial, and fronting the cast in Malibu. He played Daryl F. Zanuck in HBO’s Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and even popped up as a recurring character on NBC’s Life and as Principal Reynolds in Lost’s last season. Heck, he even voiced Walter Peck again for the Ghostbusters video game. Atherton’s also a legit stage actor, with a bunch of awards and nominations. He created roles in classic plays, from David Rabe’s “The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel” to John Guare’s “The House of Blue Leaves.” He took on Arthur Miller’s “The American Clock” and starred in “The Caine Mutiny Court Martial,” racking up Drama Desk and Theatre World Awards along the way. Whether it’s film, TV, or theater, the dude just doesn’t quit.
Here’s a fun little nugget for film buffs: the voice you hear crooning Irving Berlin’s “What’ll I Do?” as the opening credits roll in The Great Gatsby? That’s more than just background music—it’s a key slice of the movie’s vibe. The song sets this bittersweet, dreamy mood right from the jump, like you’re being sucked straight into Gatsby’s world of glitz, heartbreak, and old-money drama. And if you thought that was the last you’d hear of it, nope. The same haunting rendition pops up again in Robert Evans’ wild documentary, The Kid Stays in the Picture, weaving that old-school nostalgia through another Hollywood story. It’s kind of wild how a single song can link two totally different films, right? That voice and melody stick with you, lingering long after the credits roll. Some details just thread themselves through movie history, and this one’s a real gem for trivia lovers.
So, there’s this guy—total farm kid from Connecticut, right? He finds himself tossed smack-dab in the middle of city life. Fields and open skies get swapped for crowded streets, blaring horns, and that weird city smell nobody really talks about. He’s got dirt under his nails but dreams bigger than his cornfields ever were. At first, he’s basically a fish out of water—awkward, clueless, probably missing his tractor more than he’d admit. But city life starts working on him. He picks up the pace, learns the subway system (eventually), and figures out how to blend in, or at least not get totally lost. People give him side-eye, but he just keeps rolling with it. By the end, he’s not just surviving—he’s thriving, making the city his own, but never really losing that farm-boy heart. It’s kind of a wild ride, honestly.
6′ (1.83 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Orange, Connecticut, USA
Robert Atherton Knight and Surekha