Bob Gunton
Encyclopedia
Robert Patrick "Bob" Gunton, Jr. (born November 15, 1945) is an American
actor
. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters, with his best known roles as Warden Samuel Norton in the 1994
prison film
The Shawshank Redemption
, Chief George Earle in 1993's
Demolition Man
, and President Juan Peron
in the original Broadway
production of Evita for which he received a Tony Award
nomination.
, the son of Rose Marie (née
Banouetz) and Robert Patrick Gunton, Sr., a labor union executive. He attended Mater Dei High School
in Santa Ana, California, the Paulist Seminary St Peter's College, in Baltimore, Maryland and the University of California, Irvine
.
in the original Broadway production of Evita, earning a Tony Award
nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance. He later starred in the title role of a 1989 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd
and received a second Tony nomination for his portrayal. Additional Broadway credits include Working
, King of Hearts
, The Music Women, and Big River
.
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 Captain Benjamin Maxwell in the well-received 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation
episode "The Wounded". Gunton played Warden Samuel Norton, the head of Shawshank State Prison and the primary antagonist in The Shawshank Redemption
opposite Tim Robbins.
Gunton also guest starred in the first season of Desperate Housewives
, 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, 24: Redemption. He returned again for the eighth season but this time as the President's Secretary of State
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters, with his best known roles as Warden Samuel Norton in the 1994
1994 in film
1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
prison film
Prison film
A prison film is a film genre concerned with prison life and often prison escape. These films range from acclaimed dramas examining the nature of prisons, like Cool Hand Luke, Brubaker, The Shawshank Redemption, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Murder One to actioners like Lock Up, Undisputed, and...
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman....
, Chief George Earle in 1993's
1993 in film
The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
Demolition Man
Demolition Man (film)
Demolition Man is a 1993 American, science fiction action film directed by Marco Brambilla, and starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, and Denis Leary co-star....
, and President Juan Peron
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
in the original Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of Evita for which he received a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination.
Early life
Gunton was born in Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, the son of Rose Marie (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Banouetz) and Robert Patrick Gunton, Sr., a labor union executive. He attended Mater Dei High School
Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)
Mater Dei High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Santa Ana, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. With an enrollment of 2,100 students Mater Dei High School is one of the largest Catholic high schools in the United States...
in Santa Ana, California, the Paulist Seminary St Peter's College, in Baltimore, Maryland and the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
.
Career
Gunton played the role of Juan PeronJuan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
in the original Broadway production of Evita, earning a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance. He later starred in the title role of a 1989 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd (musical)
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and libretto by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond....
and received a second Tony nomination for his portrayal. Additional Broadway credits include Working
Working (musical)
Working is a musical with a book by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, music by Schwartz, Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Mary Rodgers, and James Taylor, and lyrics by Schwartz, Carnelia, Grant, Taylor, and Susan Birkenhead....
, King of Hearts
King of Hearts (musical)
King of Hearts is a 1978 musical with a book by Joseph Stein, lyrics by Jacob Brackman, and music by Peter Link, orchestrated by Bill Brohn. It is based on the 1966 anti-war cult film of the same name....
, The Music Women, and Big River
Big River (musical)
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a musical with a book by William Hauptman and music and lyrics by Roger Miller.Based on Mark Twain's classic 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it features music in the bluegrass and country styles in keeping with the setting of the novel...
.
Gunton portrayed President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
in a recreation of the Watergate tapes
Watergate tapes
The Watergate tapes, a subset of the Nixon tapes, are a collection of recordings of conversations between Richard Nixon and his fellow conspirators plotting a break in to the Watergate Hotel. U.S. President Richard Nixon and various White House staff started communicating on February 1971 and...
incident for Nightline. Gunton is also known for his guest starring role as Captain Benjamin Maxwell in the well-received 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
episode "The Wounded". Gunton played Warden Samuel Norton, the head of Shawshank State Prison and the primary antagonist in The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman....
opposite Tim Robbins.
Gunton also guest starred in the first season of Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
, the sixth season of 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
, where he portrayed United States Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
Ethan Kanin. He signed on as series regular afterward and reprised the role of Kanin but now as the Chief of Staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
to the new President, Allison Taylor
Allison Taylor
Allison Taylor may refer to:*Allison Taylor, 24 character*Allison Taylor...
, in the show's seventh season as well as the two hour television prequel film, 24: Redemption. He returned again for the eighth season but this time as the President's Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
.
Filmography
- RolloverRollover (film)Rollover is a 1981 political and financial thriller directed by Alan J. Pakula and starring Jane Fonda and Kris Kristofferson.-Plot summary:...
– Sal Naftari (1981) - StaticStatic (film)Static is an American comedy-drama film directed by Mark Romanek. Static stars Keith Gordon, Amanda Plummer, and Bob Gunton, and was released in 1986 by NFI Productions....
– Frank (1985) - The Pick-up ArtistThe Pick-up Artist (film)The Pick-up Artist is a 1987 American film written and directed by James Toback. This romantic comedy starred Molly Ringwald and Robert Downey Jr. It was rated PG-13 by the MPAA.-Plot:...
– Fernando Portacarrero (1987) - MatewanMatewanMatewan is an American drama film written and directed by John Sayles, illustrating the events of a coal mine-workers' strike and attempt to unionize in 1920 in Matewan, a small town in the hills of West Virginia....
– C.E. Lively (1987) - CookieCookie (film)-Plot:Cookie Voltecki is the illegitimate daughter of mobster Dino Capisco , who has just finished thirteen years in prison. Since being released from jail, all that Dino wants is to settle some old scores, and make up for lost time with his daughter.Cookie's mother, Lenore Voltecki , has been...
– Richie Segretto (1989) - Glory – Gen. Harker (1989)
- Born on the Fourth of JulyBorn on the Fourth of July (film)Born on the Fourth of July is a 1989 American film adaptation of the best selling autobiography of the same name by Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic. Tom Cruise plays Kovic, in a performance that earned him his first Academy Award nomination. Oliver Stone co-wrote the screenplay with Kovic, and also...
- Doctor (1989) - JFKJFK (film)JFK is a 1991 American film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and alleged subsequent cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison .Garrison filed charges against New Orleans businessman Clay...
– TV Newsman (1991) - SinatraSinatra (TV miniseries)Sinatra is a 1992 award-winning CBS miniseries. Directed by James Steven Sadwith and written by William Mastrosimone and Abby Mann and produced by Tina Sinatra and Richard M. Rosenbloom...
– Tommy DorseyTommy DorseyThomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
(1992) - Demolition ManDemolition Man (film)Demolition Man is a 1993 American, science fiction action film directed by Marco Brambilla, and starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, and Denis Leary co-star....
– Chief George Earle (1993) - The Shawshank RedemptionThe Shawshank RedemptionThe Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman....
– Warden Samuel Norton (1994) - Dolores ClaiborneDolores Claiborne (film)Dolores Claiborne is a 1995 film based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, starring Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It was directed by Taylor Hackford.-Plot:...
– Mr. Pease (1995) - Ace Ventura: When Nature CallsAce Ventura: When Nature CallsAce Ventura: When Nature Calls is the sequel to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective . Jim Carrey reprises his role as the title character Ace Ventura, a detective who specializes in retrieval of tame or captive animals. This is the only sequel to a film starring Carrey in which Carrey reprised his role...
– Burton Quinn (1995) - In Pursuit of HonorIn Pursuit of HonorIn Pursuit of Honor is a 1995 made-for-cable movie directed by Ken Olin. Don Johnson stars as a member of a United States Cavalry detachment refusing to slaughter its horses after being ordered to do so by General Douglas MacArthur...
- Colonel John Hardesty (1995) - Broken ArrowBroken Arrow (1996 film)Broken Arrow is a 1996 American action film directed by John Woo, written by Graham Yost, and starring John Travolta and Christian Slater. The original music score was composed by Hans Zimmer, and features guitarist Duane Eddy. It deals with the theft of an American nuclear weapon.The film received...
– Pritchett (1996) - The Glimmer ManThe Glimmer ManThe Glimmer Man is a 1996 American action film directed by John Gray and starring Steven Seagal, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Bob Gunton and Brian Cox.-Plot:...
– Frank Deverell (1996) - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – Finley Largent (1997)
- Patch AdamsPatch Adams (film)Patch Adams is a 1998 comedy-drama film starring Robin Williams. Directed by Tom Shadyac, it is based on the life story of Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams and the book Gesundheit: Good Health is a Laughing Matter by Adams and Maureen Mylander. The film is generally considered a box-office success,...
– Dean Walcott (1998) - BatsBats (film)Bats is a 1999 horror film, directed by Louis Morneau and produced by Destination Films. The film stars Lou Diamond Phillips, Dina Meyer, Bob Gunton and Leon.-Plot:...
– Dr. Alexander McCabe (1999) - Running MatesRunning Mates (film)Running Mates is a 2000 American political comedy/drama television film directed by Ron Lagomarsino and starring Tom Selleck. The film follows the presidential election campaign of James Pryce, a Democratic Party presidential candidate, who has a hard time deciding on whom to pick as his...
– Terrence Randall (2000) - The Perfect StormThe Perfect Storm (film)The Perfect Storm is a 2000 dramatic disaster film directed by Wolfgang Petersen. It is an adaptation of the 1997 non-fiction book of the same title by Sebastian Junger about the crew of the Andrea Gail that got caught in the Perfect Storm of 1991. The film stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg,...
– Alexander McAnally III, owner of the yacht the Mistral (2000) - 61* – Dan Topping (2001)
- I Heart Huckabees – Mr. Silver (2004)
- Iron Jawed AngelsIron Jawed AngelsIron Jawed Angels is a 2004 American drama film. It was directed by Katja von Garnier and starred Hilary Swank, Frances O'Connor, Julia Ormond, and Anjelica Huston. It focuses on the American women's suffrage movement during the 1910s. The film received acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival...
– President Woodrow WilsonWoodrow WilsonThomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
(2004) - Believe In MeBelieve In Me"Believe in Me" is a single released by André Tanneberger from his album Seven Years: 1998-2005.-Believe in Me :# "Believe in Me" 3:16# "Believe in Me" 4:00# "Believe in Me" 8:01...
- Hugh Moreland (2006) - Dead SilenceDead SilenceDead Silence is a 2007 horror film, directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, the creators of Saw...
– Edward Ashen (2007) - FractureFracture (2007 film)Fracture is a 2007 legal/crime suspense film from New Line Cinema and Castle Rock Entertainment, directed by Gregory Hoblit, starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling...
– Judge Gardner (2007) - NumbNumb (film)Numb is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Harris Goldberg. According to an interview with Goldberg on a bonus feature of the DVD release, he was inspired to write the screenplay by his own experience battling depersonalization disorder and clinical depression.-Plot:When modestly...
– Dr. Townsend (2007) - RenditionRendition (film)Rendition is a 2007 drama film directed by Gavin Hood and starring Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep, Peter Sarsgaard, Alan Arkin, Jake Gyllenhaal and Omar Metwally. It centers on the controversial CIA practice of extraordinary rendition, and is based on the true story of Khalid El-Masri who was...
– Lars Whitman (2007) - The Lazarus Project – Father Ezra (2008)
- TenureTenure (film)Tenure is a 2009 American comedy film written and directed by Mike Million and starring Luke Wilson, David Koechner and Gretchen Mol. The film was produced by Paul Schiff and released by Blowtorch Entertainment as their first original production....
- William Thurber (2009) - The TrialThe Trial (2010 film)The Trial is a 2010 drama film starring Matthew Modine. It is based on the novel of the same name by Robert Whitlow.-Plot:After his two sons and wife die in a horrific car crash, suicide seems to be the only escape for small town attorney Kent "Mac" McClainas until he's assigned a capital...
- Joe Whetstone (2010) - The Lincoln LawyerThe Lincoln Lawyer (film)The Lincoln Lawyer is a 2011 American thriller film adapted from the novel of the same name by Michael Connelly, starring Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy and Marisa Tomei...
- Cecil Dobbs (2011) - Kill the Irishman – (2011)
Television
- Miami ViceMiami ViceMiami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
– Rivas, a brutal drug overlord in the fifth season episode "Heart of Night" (first aired November 18, 1988) - Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
– Gil Himes (1990) - A Woman Named JackieA Woman Named JackieA Woman Named Jackie is a 1991 American made for television miniseries chronicling the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. It was based on C...
– Jacqueline's stepfather, Hugh Auchincloss (1991) - Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
– Captain Benjamin Maxwell in the episode "The Wounded" (1991) - Wild PalmsWild PalmsWild Palms is a six-hour mini-series, which first aired in May 1993 on the ABC network in the United States. Written by Bruce Wagner, who was also the executive producer, Wild Palms was a sci-fi drama about the dangers of brainwashing through technology and drugs...
– Dr. Tobias Schenkl (1993) (miniseriesMiniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
) - The Siege at Ruby Ridge – Bo Gritz (1996)
- 61* – YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
Owner/President Dan Topping (2001) - Greg the BunnyGreg the BunnyGreg the Bunny is an American television sitcom that originally aired on Fox TV in 2002. It starred Seth Green and a hand puppet named Greg the Bunny, originally invented by the team of Sean S. Baker, Spencer Chinoy and Dan Milano. Milano and Chinoy wrote and co-produced the Fox show. In the show,...
– Junction Jack (2002) - PeacemakersPeacemakersPeacemakers, was an American pacifist organization. The name of the group is taken from a section of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”...
– Mayor Malcolm Smith (2003) - Desperate HousewivesDesperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
– Noah Taylor (2004) - MonkMonk (TV series)Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...
– Trudy's father, Dwight Ellison (2004) - Nip/TuckNip/TuckNip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
– Agent Sagamore (2005) - Pepper DennisPepper DennisPepper Dennis is a comedy-drama television series that aired on The WB from April to July 4, 2006. It was quickly announced on May 17, 2006 that Pepper Dennis would not be one of the WB shows transferred to The CW Television Network....
– Dick Dinkle (2006) - Women's Murder ClubWomen's Murder ClubWomen's Murder Club is an American police procedural and legal drama, which ran on ABC from October 12, 2007, to May 13, 2008. The series is set in San Francisco, California and is based on the 'Women's Murder Club' series of novels written by James Patterson...
– Arthur Lazar in the episode "Train In Vain" (2007) - 2424 (TV series)24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
– Ethan Kanin (2007–2010) (31 episodes) - The BatmanThe Batman (TV series)The Batman is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. It ran from 2004 to 2008, on the Saturday morning television block Kids' WB...
– Gordan (2007) - World War II: Behind Closed Doors (BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary with historical reconstructions) – President Franklin D Roosevelt (2008) - 24: Redemption - Ethan Kanin (2008) (television film)
- "Royal PainsRoyal PainsRoyal Pains is a USA Network television series that premiered on June 4, 2009, starring Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Jill Flint and Reshma Shetty. The series is based in part on actual concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies...
" - Gen. William Collins (2010) USA Network - Criminal Minds: Suspect BehaviorCriminal Minds: Suspect BehaviorCriminal Minds: Suspect Behavior was an American police procedural drama on CBS. The show debuted in 2011 as a spin-off from the successful Criminal Minds, which premiered in 2005. This edition's profiling team also works for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Behavioral Analysis Unit in...
- Marshall Phelps (2011) CBS
Further reading
- Voisin, Scott, "Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting." BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN 9-781593-933425.