William Devane

William Joseph Devane born September 5 1937 is an American film television and theater actor known for his role as Greg Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing and as James Heller on the Fox serial drama 24 the role he reprised in Live Another Day He is also known for his supporting roles in films such as McCabe Mrs Miller Family Plot Marathon Man Rolling Thunder and Space Cowboys Devane began his acting career with the New York Shakespeare Festival where he performed in 15 plays In 1966 Devane portrayed Robert F Kennedy in the OffBroadway spoof MacBird He gained acclaim for his role as President John F Kennedy in a television docudrama about the Cuban Missile Crisis The Missiles of October and again when he played blacklisted radio personality John Henry Faulk in the Emmy Awardwinning TV movie Fear on Trial He is widely known for his ten years as the ambitious and hardnosed politicianturnedcorporate titan Greg Sumner on Knots Landing In 1994 Devane appeared as Al Capone in Lois Clark The New Adventures of Superman in an episode entitled That Old Gang of Mine He also had a recurring role on the CBS show Early Edition as the lead characters father Devane appeared in the films McCabe Mrs Miller Lady Liberty Family Plot Marathon Man Rolling Thunder Yanks Testament Timestalkers Forgotten Sins Exception to the Rule Payback Hollow Man and Space Cowboys Devane has played members of the Presidential Cabinet on two evening dramas In 2004 on The West Wing he gueststarred as the Secretary of State and potential VicePresidential nominee Devane appeared in several scenes with Martin Sheen they also appeared together as President John F Kennedy and his brother Robert respectively 30 years earlier in The Missiles of October In 2005 he joined the cast of 24 as Secretary of Defense James Heller for seasons 4 5 and 6