William Oliver Campbell
,
Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S
Birthday
1959-07-07
Occupation
Actor
Spouse(s)
Years Active
1981–present
Biography
After appearances in the 1981 British-made war film How Sleep the Brave, and an episode of the hit 1980s 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 (1984–85) when Dynasty was the number one show on American television. Following this, he had a regular role as Detective Joey Indelli on the 1986–88 NBC series Crime Story.
Campbell was the second 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 1988, Campbell would appear as a guest star in the second season episode "The Outrageous Okona".
In 1991, Campbell played the lead role in the retro sci-fi fantasy film The Rocketeer. He then played a vampire hunter in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In 1993, he starred in the short-lived detective series Moon Over Miami, and also won the role of Dr. Jon Fielding in the television adaptation of Tales of the City, based on the bestselling novels by Armistead Maupin. He would go on to appear in the sequels More Tales of the City in 1998, and Further Tales of the City in 2001.
In 1999, Campbell began what is probably his most famous role, that of Rick Sammler on the ABC series Once and Again. 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 2005, he had a recurring role in the teen soap The O.C.
In recent years, Campbell has often played villains. 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 will star as Abraham Lincoln in a National Geographic television adaptation of Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard's book, "Killing Lincoln."
By Posted on