William H. Macy Biography

Son of an insurance broker and WWII veteran, William H. Macy once dreamed of becoming a veterinarian.

But when he was in college, Bill's dreams changed to acting and now he's one of Hollywood's most sought-after character actors and has a reputation for being the nicest guy in show business.

Macy studied acting at Goddard College under playwright David Mamet, going on to join Mamet's theatre group - the St. Nicholas Company.

Having left the company in 1978, he headed to New York where work as a voice over artist helped to pay the bills. A number of roles in Broadway shows led to TV movies such as 'Foolin' Around'. Thanks to his early professional relationship with David Mamet, Macy landed a number of parts in his films including 'House of Games', 'Homicide' and 'The Client'.

Macy is perhaps best known for his role in the hugely successful Coen brothers film 'Fargo' in 1996 for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

On 6 September 1997, Macy married Felicity Huffman, an actress known for her role in 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Transamerica'. The couple have two daughters called Sophie and Georgia and are still going strong today.

Other films that he appeared in the 1990s and 2000s include 'Benny & Joon' with Johnny Depp, 'Boogie Nights', 'Magnolia', 'Jurassic Park III' and 'The Grinch'

His many other credits include 'Pleasantville', a remake of 'Psycho' by Gus Van Sant and 'Air Force One'.

In recent years, he has starred in 'Seabiscuit' (2003), 'Thank You for Smoking' (2005), 'He was a Quiet Man' (2007), 'Marmaduke' (2010) and will be starring in 'A Single Shot' in 2013.

As the films credits roll in, he has managed to successfully divide his time between film and television with starring roles in the US hit shows 'Law & Order' and 'ER' in several episodes between 1994 and 2009. His most recent television role is playing Frank in the US version of the UK hit 'Shameless', which started in 2011.

On 8 March 2012, Macy was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his role in 'Fargo' alongside his wife Huffman, who received the same honour for her work.