Bob Gunton

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 role as Warden Samuel Norton in the 1994 prison film The Shawshank Redemption.

Early life

Gunton was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Rose Marie (née Banouetz) and Robert Patrick Gunton, Sr., a labor union executive.^[1] He attended the University of California, Irvine.

Career

Gunton appeared on Broadway as Juan Peron opposite Patti LuPone in the original cast of Evita and in a 1989 revival of Sweeney Todd and received Tony Award nominations for both. Additional Broadway credits include Working, King of Hearts, The Music Man, 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 also appeared in the sixth season of 24, where he portrayed United States Secretary of Defense Ethan Kanin. He reprised the role in the show's seventh season, but now as Chief of Staff to the new President, and as a series regular.

Filmography

• Rollover – Sal Naftari (1981)
• Static – Frank (1985)
• The Pick-up Artist – Fernando Portacarrero (1987)
• Matewan – C.E. Lively (1987)
• Cookie – Richie Segretto (1989)
• Glory – Gen. Harker (1989)
• JFK – TV Newsman (1991)
• Sinatra – Tommy Dorsey (1992)
• Demolition Man – Chief George Earle (1993)
• The Shawshank Redemption – Warden Samuel Norton (1994)
• Dolores Claiborne – Mr. Pease (1995)
• Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls – Burton Quinn (1995)
• Broken Arrow – Pritchett (1996)
• The Glimmer Man – Frank Deverell (1996)
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – Finley Largent (1997)
• Patch Adams – Dean Walcott (1999)
• Bats – Dr. Alexander McCabe (1999)
• Running Mates – Terrence Randall (2000)
• The Perfect Storm – Alexander McAnally III, owner of the yacht the Mistral (2000)
• I Heart Huckabees – Mr. Silver (2004)
• Iron Jawed Angels – President Woodrow Wilson (2004)
• Dead Silence – Edward Ashen (2007)
• Fracture – Judge Gardner (2007)
• Numb – Dr. Townsend (2007)
• Rendition – Lars Whitman (2007)
• The Lazarus Project – Father Ezra (2008)
• The Irishman – TBA (2010)

Television

• Star Trek: The Next Generation – Captain Benjamin Maxwell in the episode The Wounded (1991)
• Wild Palms – Dr. Tobias Schenkl (1993) (miniseries)
• The Siege At Ruby Ridge (TV-movie) – Bo Gritz (1996)
• 61* – Yankees Owner/President Dan Topping (2001)
• Greg the Bunny – Junction Jack (2002)
• Peacemakers– Mayor Malcolm Smith (2003)
• Desperate Housewives – Noah Taylor (2004)
• Monk – Trudy's father, Dwight Ellison (2004)
• Nip/Tuck – Agent Sagamore (2005)
• Pepper Dennis – Dick Dinkle (2006)
• Women's Murder Club – Arthur Lazar in the episode "Train In Vain" (2007)
• 24 – Ethan Kanin (2007)
• The Batman – Gordan (2007)
• World War II: Behind Closed Doors^[2] (BBC documentary with historical reconstructions) – President Franklin D Roosevelt (2008)
• 24 – Ethan Kanin (2010)

References

Further Reading

• Voisin, Scott, "Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting." BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN 9-781593-933425.

External links

United States Army portal

• Internet Broadway Database entry
• Bob Gunton at the Internet Movie Database
• Bob Gunton at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Bob Gunton Online - Unofficial fan site with news, pictures, media.