William Oliver Campbell (born July 7, 1959) is an American film and television actor. In television, he is best known for his roles as Rick Sammler on Once and Again, as Detective Joey Indelli on Crime Story, as Jordan Collier on The 4400, and as Dr. Jon Fielding on the Tales of the City miniseries. He is also known for his recurring role as Luke Fuller in Dynasty which was his first prominent role. His most notable films include The Rocketeer, Bram Stoker's Dracula and Enough. He portrayed Darren Richmond on the AMC television series The Killing, and played Dr. Alan Farragut in the SyFy series Helix.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Campbell was born on July 7, 1959 in Charlottesville, Virginia. He attended Fork Union Military Academy and Western Albemarle High School. His parents divorced when he was two years old.
Career[]
After an appearance in an episode of the hit 1980's sitcom Family Ties, Campbell's first prominent role was that of Luke Fuller, Steven Carrington's lover on Dynasty. Campbell appeared in the show's fifth season (1984-1985) when Dynasty was the number one show on American television. Following this, he had a regular role as Detective Joey Indelli on the 1986-1988 NBC series Crime Story. Campbell was the first choice of the producers of Star Trek: The Next Generation to play the role of William Riker, but lost the role to Jonathan Frakes.
In 1991, Campbell played the lead role in The Rocketeer. He went on to appear as "Quincy Morris", a vampire hunter in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). In 1993, he starred in the short-lived detective series Moon Over Miami, and won the role of Dr. Jon Fielding in the television adaptation of Tales of the City. He appeared in the sequels More Tales of the City in 1998, and Further Tales of the City in 2001.
In 1999, Campbell began his role as Rick Sammler on Once and Again, opposite Sela Ward. The series ran for three seasons until 2002, during which time Campbell received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series. Campbell then had a regular role as Jordan Collier on the sci-fi series The 4400, which aired for four seasons on the USA Network between 2004-2007. In 2006, he had a recurring role in the teen soap The O.C.
After his role in the 2002 film Enough, in which he played the abusive husband of Jennifer Lopez's character, he portrayed serial killer Ted Bundy in the 2003 made-for-TV movie The Stranger Beside Me. He then played a college professor accused of raping a student in a 2004 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and also played an accused serial killer who defends himself in the 2007 television series Shark. In 2010, Campbell had a recurring role in the short-lived revival of Melrose Place. Following this, Campbell took a prominent role in the AMC series The Killing, an American remake of the Danish series of the same name.
In 2012, Campbell played the stern but kindly father in the independent film, Fat Kid Rules the World. In 2000, Campbell was named one of the "World's 50 Most Beautiful People" by People magazine. In 2013, he played Abraham Lincoln in the National Geographic television adaptation of the Bill O'Reilly/Martin Dugard book, Killing Lincoln.
Personal life[]
By the end of filming of the 1991's The Rocketeer, the 31-year-old Campbell was in a romance with 20-year-old co-star Jennifer Connelly. They were involved for five years before they broke up in 1996.
Campbell is a rugby enthusiast, having played rugby with the UVA Rugby Football Club, Chicago Lions RFC and the Santa Monica Rugby Club.
Campbell has been (since at least 2016) a "landed resident" (permanent resident) of Canada, with an apartment in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Roles[]
Trivia[]
- Billy Campbell was considered for the role of Spider-Man on Spider-Man: The Animated Series before Christopher Daniel Barnes was cast.[1]