Sam Waterston
Known for Acting · 126 credits
- Born
- 1940-11-15 (age 85)
- Place of birth
- Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Also known as
- Samuel Atkinson Waterston
Biography
Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy on the NBC television series Law & Order. He has been nominated for multiple Golden Globe-, Screen Actors Guild-, BAFTA- and Emmy Awards, having starred in over eighty film and television productions during his forty-five year career. Allmovie has characterised Waterston as having "cultivated a loyal following with his quietly charismatic, unfailingly solid performances."
Description above from the Wikipedia article Sam Waterston, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
TV Shows (35)
Jeopardy!
1984
as Self
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Jack McCoy
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self - Guest
Law & Order
1990
as Jack McCoy
Family Guy
1999
as Bruce Kaplan (voice)
The Colbert Report
2005
as Self (uncredited)
The View
1997
as Self / Self - Guest
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self (uncredited)
Homicide: Life on the Street
1993
as Jack McCoy
Dr. Kildare
1961
as Mark
Grace and Frankie
2015
as Sol Bergstein
People's Choice Awards
1975
as Self - Presenter
The Newsroom
2012
as Charlie Skinner
Tales from the Crypt
1989
as G.G. Devoe (segment "As Ye Sow")
American Playhouse
1982
as Robert Oppenheimer / John Honeyman
Film '72
1971
as Self
Amazing Stories
1985
as Jordan Manmouth
HBO First Look
1992
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
2005
as Jack McCoy
The Dropout
2022
as George Shultz
Godless
2017
as Marshall John Cook
The Civil War
1990
as Abraham Lincoln (voice)
Masters of Science Fiction
2007
I'll Fly Away
1991
as Forrest Bedford
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Travis Coles
Jo
2013
Prohibition
2011
as Reader (voice)
Q.E.D.
1982
as Professor Quentin Everett Deverill
Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled
2023
as Self
Oppenheimer
1980
as Robert Oppenheimer
Lincoln
1988
as Abraham Lincoln
Thomas Jefferson
1997
as Thomas Jefferson (voice)
Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
1997
as Thomas Jefferson (voice)
The Nightmare Years
1989
as Bill Shirer
Time Life's Lost Civilizations
1995
as Narrator
Movies (91)
The Six Triple Eight
2024
as Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Hannah and Her Sisters
1986
as David (uncredited)
Heaven's Gate
1980
as Frank Canton
Miss Sloane
2016
as George Dupont
Devil's Paradise
1987
as Jones
The Great Gatsby
1974
as Nick Carraway
Crimes and Misdemeanors
1989
as Ben
The Killing Fields
1984
as Sydney Schanberg
The Man in the Moon
1991
as Matthew Trant
Serial Mom
1994
as Eugene Sutphin
Dateline: Saigon
2017
as Narrator (voice)
On the Basis of Sex
2018
as Erwin Griswold
Anesthesia
2016
as Prof. Walter Zarrow
Capricorn One
1977
as Lt. Col. Peter Willis
Interiors
1978
as Mike
Nixon
1995
as Richard Helms
Shadow Conspiracy
1997
as The President
Merchant Ivory
2024
as Self
The Enemy Within
1994
as President William Foster
Le Divorce
2003
as Chester Walker
Jane Fonda in Five Acts
2018
as Self - (archive footage)
Fitzwilly
1967
as Oliver
Night of 100 Stars III
1990
as Self
Reflections of Murder
1974
as Michael Elliott
A Captive in the Land
1990
as Royce
Warning Sign
1985
as Cal Morse
Exiled
1998
as Jack McCoy
The Boy Who Loved Trolls
1984
as Ofoeti
Just Between Friends
1986
as Harry Crandall
Hopscotch
1980
as Jack Cutter
September
1987
as Peter
The Matthew Shepard Story
2002
as Dennis Shepard
The Journey of August King
1995
as Mooney Wright
And It Was Good
2015
as Judge Alexander Baas / Doctor / Gravedigger
Three
1969
as Taylor
The Unfinished Journey
1999
as Narrator (voice)
A House Divided
2000
as David Dickson
The Mayo Clinic
2018
as Charlie Mayo (voice)
Earth and the American Dream
1992
as Reader (voice)
The Fifth Missile
1986
as Capt. Allard Renslow
Welcome Home
1989
as Woody
Finnegan Begin Again
1985
as Paul Broadbent
Generation
1969
as Desmond
Eagle's Wing
1979
as White Bull
Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker
1994
as Daniel Chamberlain
Miracle at Midnight
1998
as Dr. Karl Koster
The Proprietor
1996
as Harry Bancroft
Flagrant désir
1986
as Inspecteur Gerry Morrison
The Man in the Woods
2020
as Headmaster Waldorf
Amazing Stories: The Movie IV
1995
as Jordan Manmouth (archive footage)
Journey into Fear
1975
as Mr. Graham
Rancho Deluxe
1975
as Cecil Colson
Friendly Fire
1980
as C.D.B. Bryan
Savages
1972
as James, the Limping Man
Who Killed Mary Whats'ername?
1971
as Alex Monte
The Commission
2003
as J. Lee Rankin
Mindwalk
1991
as Jack Edwards
Much Ado About Nothing
1973
as Benedick
The Glass Menagerie
1973
as Tom Wingfield
In Defense of Kids
1983
as Paul Wilcox
Cover Me Babe
1970
as Cameraman
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
2006
as John Honeyman (segment "A Walk in the Woods")
Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami
1988
as Jim Delmore
Serial Mom: Surreal Moments
as Self
David's Mother
1994
as John Nils
Swimming to Cambodia
1987
as Additional Cast from 'The Killing Fields' (archive footage)
The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
2010
as Self
Carousel
2026
as Sam
Sweet William
1980
as William McClusky
Sweet Revenge
1976
as Le Clerq
Mahoney's Last Stand
1972
as Felix
The Room Upstairs
1987
as Travis Coles
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time
2021
as Self (voice)
Dempsey
1983
as Doc Kearns
A Case for Love
2024
as Self
In Bad Taste
1999
as Self
Lantern Hill
1989
as Andrew Stuart
Love Lives On
1985
as Bernie
Please Be Normal
2015
as Dad
A Walk in the Woods
1988
as John Honeyman
Hammer and Cycle
2004
as Self - Narrator
Games Mother Never Taught You
1982
as David Bentells
Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage
1994
as Tom Wingfield (archive footage)
I'll Fly Away: Then and Now
1993
as Forrest Bedford
Dean Smith
2015
as Narrator
Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators
2017
as Narrator (voice)
Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story
2020
as Self
Moment of Impact: Stories of the Pulitzer Prize Photographs
1999
as Self / Host / Narrator
Here Am I, Send Me: The Story of Jonathan Daniels
1999
as Narrator
The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean
1966
as Andy
Rain Falls from Earth: Surviving Cambodia's Darkest Hour
2024
as Self (voice)
About Sam Waterston
Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy on the NBC television series Law & Order. He has been nominated for multiple Golden Globe-, Screen Actors Guild-, BAFTA- and Emmy Awards, having starred in over eighty film and television productions during his forty-five year… With 126 credits spanning from 1951 to 2026, Sam Waterston has appeared in 91 films and 35 TV shows.
Fans searching for Sam Waterston movies, Sam Waterston filmography, or the latest projects starring Sam Waterston can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Sam Waterston Movies
- The Six Triple Eight (2024) — as Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) — as David (uncredited)
- Heaven's Gate (1980) — as Frank Canton
- Miss Sloane (2016) — as George Dupont
- Devil's Paradise (1987) — as Jones
Where to Watch Sam Waterston Films
Most Sam Waterston movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Sam Waterston, check our movies catalogue and browse page.