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William Sadler (born 13 April 1950; age 73) is the actor who played Luther Sloan in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine sixth and seventh season episodes "Inquisition", "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges", and "Extreme Measures".

Biography[]

Sadler was born in Buffalo, New York, and started acting in high school. He was born on the same day as actor Ron Perlman. The two would later perform together in the play "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui".

Although he began his acting career performing on the stage and has made several television appearances, his most extensive work has been in films. Perhaps his best known film roles are those of "Colonel Stuart" in 1990's Die Hard 2 (which featured his Deep Space Nine co-star Colm Meaney as the Irish Air pilot whose plane is crashed by Sadler's villainous Colonel Stuart and starred Robert Costanzo) and "Heywood" in 1994's The Shawshank Redemption. Among his co-stars in the latter film were fellow Star Trek alumni Dion Anderson, Bill Bolender, Brian Brophy, Clancy Brown, Jude Ciccolella, Don McManus, Bob Gunton, and Mark Rolston.

Sadler is also known for his role as the "Grim Reaper" in 1991's Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, for which he won a Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. That film co-starred his Deep Space Nine co-stars Hal Landon, Jr. and Roy Brocksmith, whom Sadler had previously co-starred with in the first episode of Tales from the Crypt (which also featured Patti Yasutake). Sadler would go on to play a different Grim Reaper in the Tales from the Crypt episode "The Assassin", co-starring Jonathan Banks and Marshall R. Teague, in which Sadler appeared opposite "the Crypt Keeper" voiced by John Kassir. He reprised his role as the Grim Reaper in the 2020 film Bill & Ted Face the Music.

Sadler's many other film credits include Trespass (1992, with Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr.), Demon Knight (1995, with Brenda Bakke, John Kassir, Dick Miller, John Schuck, Tim de Zarn, and John Larroquette), and The Green Mile (1999, with James Cromwell and Paula Malcomson). He was also a star on Roswell. On that show Ronald D. Moore became a chief writer, Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts were (co-)producers, Jonathan Frakes was an executive producer and frequent director, and which also guest-starred Frakes as himself in two episodes, one of which also starred John Billingsley in a scene in which the main character Max Evans auditions for a part on Star Trek: Enterprise.

He later starred in the series Wonderfalls – created by Bryan Fuller – which ran for only one season in 2004, and Traveler, which again lasted for one summer season in 2007. The latter series also starred Steven Culp and Neal McDonough. He also had a recurring role on the HBO series The Pacific, which also features Conor O'Farrell. He also appeared in Alex Kurtzman's and Roberto Orci's remake of Hawaii Five-O as John "Jack" McGarrett, Steve McGarrett's father and the former Honolulu PD training officer/partner of Daniel Dae Kim's character Chin Ho Kelly.

Sadler portrayed NYPD Detective Micheal Sheehan in the 2019 mini-series "When They See us" focusing in the investigation into the 1989 Central Park Rape Case. The production costarred Len Cariou as prosecutor Robert Morgenthau.

Sadler has also played President Ellis in Iron Man 3 and in episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Other Trek connections[]

Additional non-Trek film and television projects in which Sadler has appeared with fellow Star Trek performers include:

Television[]

Guest Appearances[]

Movies[]

Films[]

Yes, he appeared in both a number of movies, and a number of films!

External links[]

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