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Robert Patrick Gunton Jr. (born November 15, 1945) is an American character actor of stage and screen. He is known for playing strict authoritarian characters, including Prison warden Samuel Norton in the 1994 prison film The Shawshank Redemption, Chief George Earle in 1993's Demolition Man, Dr. Walcott, the domineering dean of Virginia Medical School in Patch Adams, and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in Argo. He also played Leland Owlsley in the Daredevil television series, Secretary of Defense Ethan Kanin in 24, and Noah Taylor in Desperate Housewives.
In addition to his film and television careers, Gunton is a prolific theatre actor. He originated the role of Juan Perón in the Broadway premiere of Evita and the Sweeney Todd in the 1989 revival of , roles for which he received Tony Award nominations. He has received a Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award, and a Clarence Derwent Award.
He served in the United States Army (1969–71) as a radio telephone operator with the 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, and was at the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord, South Vietnam, during the 23-day siege.
He and a comrade were awarded the Bronze Star for returning to the base to retrieve important but forgotten radios in the evacuation's final moments, so that they would not fall into the hands of the People's Army of Vietnam forces about to capture the base. Due to this, he was one of the last people to evacuate. During the battle, he lost one of his , but it was returned to him over 40 years later in 2018.
Gunton portrayed President Richard Nixon in a recreation of the Watergate tapes incident for Nightline. Gunton is also known for his guest starring role as Capt. Benjamin Maxwell in the 1991 episode "". Gunton played Warden Samuel Norton, the head of Shawshank State Prison and the primary antagonist in The Shawshank Redemption (1994) opposite Tim Robbins. He also played President Woodrow Wilson in the film Iron Jawed Angels (2004). Gunton played Cecil Dobbs in the 2011 film The Lincoln Lawyer.
Gunton also guest starred in the first season of Desperate Housewives and the sixth season of 24, where he portrayed United States Secretary of Defense Ethan Kanin. He signed on as series regular afterward and reprised the role of Kanin but now as the Chief of Staff to the new president, Allison Taylor, in the show's seventh season as well as the two-hour television prequel film, . He returned again for the eighth season but this time as the President's Secretary of State. Gunton portrays Leland Owlsley in the 2015 Television show Daredevil. Gunton made a guest appearance on in January 2017. In 2021, Gunton was used as a body double for Harold Ramis' character Egon Spengler in .
| 1965 | Tennessee, U.S.A. | Johnny Timberlake | |
| 1972 | The Kid | Cowpoke | |
| 1975 | Oklahoma! | Curly | |
| 1977 | Happy End | Ben Owens / Bill Cracker (understudy) | |
| 1978 | Working | Bud Jonas / Frank Decker | |
| King of Hearts | Raoul | Nominated - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | |
| 1979 | Tip-Toes | Rollo Metcalf | |
| 1979–83 | Evita | President Juan Perón | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Nominated - Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical |
| 1980 | How I Got That Story | The Historical Event | Clarence Derwent Award for Most Promising Male Performer Obie Award Nominated - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play |
| 1981 | Isn't It Romantic? | Paul Stuart | |
| 1982 | The Death of Von Richtofen as Witnessed From Earth | Hermann Göring | |
| Hamlet | King Claudius | ||
| 1983 | Passion Play | James | |
| An American Comedy | George Reilly | ||
| 1984 | Amadeus | Antonio Salieri | |
| 1985–87 | Big River | The King | Nominated - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical |
| 1987 | Roza | Lola | |
| 1988 | The Music Man | Harold Hill | New York City Opera |
| Phaedra Britannica | Governor | ||
| 1989–90 | Sweeney Todd | Nominated - Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical Nominated - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical Nominated - Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical | |
| 2000 | The Poison Tree | The Hon. Ronald S. Rogers | |
| 2002 | Follies | Benjamin Stone | |
| 2003 | On the Twentieth Century | Oscar Jaffee | |
| 2004 | The Great Ostrovsky | David Ostrovsky | Nominated - Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theater |
| 1981 | Rollover | Sal Naftari | |
| 1985 | Static | Frank | |
| 1987 | Matewan | C.E. Lively | |
| The Pick-up Artist | Fernando Portacarrero | ||
| 1989 | Cookie | Richie Segretto | |
| Glory | General Charles Harker | ||
| Born on the Fourth of July | Doctor | ||
| 1990 | Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Firehouse | Chief Kirby | Short |
| 1991 | JFK | TV Newsman | |
| Missing Pieces | Mr. Gabor | ||
| 1992 | Patriot Games | Interviewer | |
| The Public Eye | Older Agent | ||
| Jennifer 8 | Director Goodridge | ||
| 1993 | Father Hood | Lazzaro | |
| Demolition Man | Chief George Earle | ||
| 1994 | The Shawshank Redemption | Warden Sam Norton | |
| 1995 | Dolores Claiborne | Mr. Pease | |
| Burton Quinn | |||
| 1996 | Broken Arrow | Mr. Pritchett | |
| The Glimmer Man | Frank Deverell | ||
| 1997 | A Thousand Acres | Judge | Uncredited |
| Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil | Finley Largent | Uncredited | |
| Buffalo Soldiers | Col. Benjamin Grierson | ||
| 1998 | Patch Adams | Dean Walcott | |
| 1999 | Bats | Dr. Alexander McCabe | |
| 2000 | The Perfect Storm | Alexander McAnally III | |
| 2001 | Scenes of the Crime | Steven, Jimmy's Partner | |
| 2002 | Boat Trip | Boat Captain | |
| 2003 | Dallas 362 | Joe | |
| 2004 | I Heart Huckabees | Mr. Silver | |
| 2006 | Believe in Me | Hugh Moreland | |
| 2007 | Dead Silence | Edward Ashen | |
| Fracture | Judge Gardner | ||
| Numb | Dr. Townsend | ||
| Rendition | Lars Whitman | ||
| 2008 | Player 5150 | Nick Villa | |
| The Lazarus Project | Father Ezra | ||
| 2008 | The Least of These | Father Thomas Peters | |
| 2009 | Tenure | William Thurber | |
| 2010 | The Trial | Joe Whetstone | |
| 2011 | The Lincoln Lawyer | Cecil Dobbs | |
| Kill the Irishman | Jerry Merke | ||
| 2012 | Get the Gringo | Thomas Kaufmann | |
| Argo | Secretary of State Cyrus Vance | Hollywood Film Awards for Best Ensemble Cast | |
| Trouble with the Curve | Watson | ||
| 2013 | Highland Park | Bert | |
| Decoding Annie Parker | Dr. Benton | ||
| Jimmy | Sheriff Brinson | ||
| Runner Runner | Dean Alex Monroe | ||
| Live at the Foxes Den | Tony O'Hara | ||
| 2014 | Mountain Top | Mr Forest | |
| 2015 | Flight School Instructor | ||
| The 33 | President Sebastián Piñera | ||
| 2017 | Alex & the List | Mr. Stern | |
| 2018 | Major Zeigler | ||
| 2021 | Egon Spengler | Motion capture role, with Harold Ramis' likeness superimposed | |
| 2024 | The Inheritance | Charles Abernathy |
| 1985 | Finnegan Begin Again | Christian Jamison | Television film |
| The Equalizer | Cronin | Episode: "Mama's Boy" | |
| 1988 | Hothouse | Dr. Leonard Schrader | 7 episodes |
| Miami Vice | Rivas | Episode: "Heart of Night" | |
| 1989 | Unconquered | Governor George Wallace | Television film |
| 1990 | Judgment | Monsignor Beauvais | Television film |
| The Bride in Black | Sydney | Television film | |
| Law & Order | Gil Himes | Episode: "Happily Ever After" | |
| L.A. Law | Bob Westin | Episode: "New Kidney on the Block" | |
| 1991 | Captain Benjamin Maxwell | Episode: "" | |
| Assistant District Attorney Scott Willard | Television film | ||
| A Woman Named Jackie | Hugh Auchincloss | 3 episodes | |
| 1992 | Texas Preacher | Television film | |
| Sinatra | Tommy Dorsey | 2 episodes | |
| Larry Dietrick, State of Alaska | Television film | ||
| 1993 | Wild Palms | Dr. Tobias Schenkl | 5 episodes |
| Murder in the Heartland | Governor Anderson | 2 episodes | |
| 1994 | Roswell | Frank Joyce | Television film |
| Cosmic Slop | President Ellis (Space Traders segment) | Television film | |
| 1995 | In Pursuit of Honor | Colonel John Hardesty | Television film |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | Television film | ||
| 1995 | Courthouse | Judge Homer Conklin | 11 episodes |
| 1996 | The Siege at Ruby Ridge | Bo Gritz | Television film |
| 1997 | Elvis Meets Nixon | President Richard Nixon | Television film |
| Buffalo Soldiers | Colonel Benjamin Grierson | Television film | |
| 1998 | Nothing Sacred | Bishop Corey | Episode: "Signs and Words" |
| The Outer Limits | Clute Nichols | Episode: "The Hunt" | |
| Ally McBeal | Michaelson | Episode: "These Are the Days" | |
| 2000 | Running Mates | Terrence Randall | Television film |
| Family Law | Judge Mason | Episode: "Telling Lies, Conclusion" | |
| 2001 | When Billie Beat Bobby | Jerry Perenchio | Television film |
| 61* | Dan Topping | Television film | |
| 2002 | The Court | Casey | Episode: "Back in the Bottle" |
| Spin City | Governor Riley | Episode: "A Friend in Need" | |
| Touched by an Angel | Sidney Alcott | Episode: "A Feather on the Breath of God" | |
| 2002–2004 | Greg the Bunny | Jack 'Junction Jack' Mars | Main role; 13 episodes |
| 2003 | Mister Sterling | California Governor Marino | 4 episodes |
| Director Robert Carvallo | Episode: "Play with Fire" | ||
| Peacemakers | Mayor Malcolm Smith | Main role; 9 episodes | |
| 2003–2004 | Judging Amy | Dr. Alan Foster | 3 episodes |
| 2004 | Iron Jawed Angels | President Woodrow Wilson | Television film |
| Judas | High Priest Caiaphas | Television film | |
| Monk | Dwight Ellison | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Game Show" | |
| 2004–2006 | Desperate Housewives | Noah Taylor | Recurring role; 10 episodes |
| 2005 | Nip/Tuck | Agent Sagamore | 3 episodes |
| 2006 | Pepper Dennis | Dick Dinkle | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| Numbers | Boyd Resnick | Episode: "Waste Not" | |
| E-Ring | General Hughes | 3 episodes | |
| 2007 | Pandemic | Dr. Max Sorkosky | Miniseries |
| The Batman | Gorman | Voice, Episode: "Riddler's Revenge" | |
| Women's Murder Club | Arthur Lazar | Episode: "Train In Vain" | |
| 2007–2010 | 24 | Ethan Kanin | Main role; 31 episodes |
| 2008 | Boston Legal | Attorney William Connolly | Episode: "The Court Supreme" |
| Ethan Kanin | Television film | ||
| President Franklin D. Roosevelt | BBC documentary with historical reconstructions | ||
| 2010 | The Mentalist | Alexander Harrington | Episode: "Red All Over" |
| Warren the Ape | Unknown | Episode: "Out with the Old" | |
| 2010–2016 | Royal Pains | General William Collins | Recurring role; 12 episodes |
| 2011 | Marshall Phelps | Episode: "Strays" | |
| Family Guy | Warden | Voice, Episode: "Cool Hand Peter" | |
| 2012 | Wilfred | Warner | Episode: "Now" |
| Up All Night | Tom | Episode: "The Wedding" | |
| 2014 | New Girl | Ed | Episode: "Basketsball" |
| Trophy Wife | Francis Harrison | Episode: "The Wedding: Part Two" | |
| 2015 | Daredevil | Leland Owlsley | Main cast (season 1); 9 episodes |
| Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street | Grandpa | 2 episodes | |
| 2016 | The Last Tycoon | Vanderbilt Riddle | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2017 | Lawrence Hendricks Sr. | Episode: "Decline and Fall" | |
| Trial & Error | Jeremiah Jefferson Davis | 6 episodes | |
| 2018 | The Blacklist | Nicholas Moore | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | The Cool Kids | Colonel Christianson | Episode: "Funeral Crashers" |
| Project Blue Book | President Harry S. Truman | Episode: "The Washington Merry-Go Round" | |
| Elementary | Frederick Wentz | Episode: "Reichenbach Falls" |
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