SAM WATERSTON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Sam Waterston was born on November 15th, 1940 in Cambridge, Massachusetts with the middle birth name Atkinson, born to Alice Tucker and George Chychele Waterston. He had three siblings and he received his early years education at both the Brooks school, the Groton School and a Boarding school in North Andover, Massachusetts, where his father was one of the teachers. 

After earning his high school diploma, Waterston enrolled at Yale University on a scholarship earning his BA in 1962. He later went on to study in Paris for a bit at the Sorbonne and also received further acting training from the American Actors Workshop.
 
Over the course of his career in the industry, Sam Waterston has earned six Emmy Award nominations and has one a Golden Globe and a number of Screen Actor Guild Awards. He has added over eighty film and television roles to his resume and has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 
 
Sam's career in entertainment first began by working as a stage actor appearing in such productions as, "The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean" (1965) followed by a role in, "Fitzwilly" (1967). 

Soon he began to break into the television side of acting adding such credits to his resume as the television series, "Dr. Kildare" (1965), "Camera Three" (1966), "N.Y.P.D." (1967) and the television movie, "The Glass Menagerie" (1973).

In addition to stage and television work, Waterston also was taking on film roles such as, "Savages" (1972), "The Great Gatsby" (1974), "Rancho Deluxe" (1975), "Journey Into Fear" (1975), "Capricorn One" (1978) and he received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in the film, "The Killing Fields" (1984).
 
As his career progressed, he did not limit himself ton one particular realm of acting. Between 1985 and 1986 he worked on the television series, "Amazing Stories" as well as the television movie's, "The Fifth Missile" and also added such film credits as, "Hannah and Her Sisters" (1986), "Just Between Friends" (1985) and "Flagrant désir " (1986).

Other successful film roles he has on his credits include, "Mindwalk" (1990), "A Captive in the Land" (1993), "Serial Mom" (1994), "Shadow Conspiracy" (1997), "Sweet Revenge" (2002), "Le Divorce" (2003) and "The Commission".

He is most well known though for his role on the television series, "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" portraying Executive Assistant District Attorney/District Attorney Jack McCoy. He has been honored with many Emmy's for his role on these series. Between the two, Waterston has appeared in more than 368 episodes. In 2010, "Law & Order" completed it's twenty year run airing on NBC, where Waterston was part of sixteen of the 20 years. 

In addition to his other work in entertainment, he has also loaned his voice to a number of projects such as for the television commercial, "The Nation" which is a political magazine and narrated the documentary, "The Great Race" and "For Time-Life" history specials. He has also done voice over work for the television series, "Family Guy" and the voice of "Thomas Jefferson" on the 1997 television mini-series. 

Sam Waterston is currently married to his second wife, Lynn Louisa Woodruff whom he wed in 1976 and together they have three children and reside in Connecticut. He also has one other child from his first marriage to Barbara Rutledge-Johns whom he was married to from 1964 through 1975.

His most recent work is appearing on the television series, "The Newsroom" (2012). Along with spending time with his family, Waterston is involved in a number of humanitarian and charitable causes such as, "Oceana" and serves as a board member for such foundations as, Refugees International, Meals on Wheels and The United Way.

 
Filmography

2012  The Newsroom

1994-2010  Law & Order

2000-2010  Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

2007  Masters of Science Fiction

2005  Law & Order: Trial by Jury

2003  The Commission

2003  Le divorce

2002  The Matthew Shepard Story

2000  A House Divided

2000  Family Guy

1997-1999  Homicide: Life on the Street

1999  Great Books

1998  Exiled

1998  Miracle at Midnight

1997  Shadow Conspiracy

1997  Thomas Jefferson

1996  The Proprietor

1995  The Journey of August King

1994  Serial Mom

1994  David's Mother

1994  Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker

1994  The Enemy Within

1993  I'll Fly Away: Then and Now

1993  Tales from the Crypt

1991-1993  I'll Fly Away

1993  A Captive in the Land

1993  A Dog Race in Alaska

1992  Warburg: A Man of Influence

1991  The Man in the Moon

1990  Lantern Hill

1990  Mindwalk

1990  The Civil War

1989  Crimes and Misdemeanors

1989  Welcome Home

1989  The Nightmare Years

1988  The American Experience

1988  Lincoln

1988  Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami

1988  A Walk in the Woods

1987  September

1987  Devil's Paradise

1987  The Room Upstairs

1987  Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light

1986  Flagrant désir

1986  Just Between Friends

1986  Amazing Stories

1986  The Fifth Missile

1986  Hannah and Her Sisters

1985  Warning Sign

1985  Love Lives On

1985  Finnegan Begin Again

1984  The Killing Fields

1984  The Boy Who Loved Trolls

1983  Dempsey

1983  In Defense of Kids

1982  Games Mother Never Taught You

1982  Q.E.D.

1982  Freedom to Speak

1980  Oppenheimer

1980  Heaven's Gate

1980  Hopscotch

1980  Sweet William

1979  Eagle's Wing

1979  Friendly Fire

1978  Interiors

1977  Capricorn One

1976  Sweet Revenge

1975  Journey Into Fear

1975  Rancho Deluxe

1974  Reflections of Murder

1974  The Great Gatsby

1973  The Glass Menagerie

1973  Much Ado About Nothing

1972  Savages

1972  Mahoney's Estate

1971  NET Playhouse

1971  Who Killed Mary Whats'ername?

1970  Cover Me Babe

1969  Three

1969  Generation

1967  Fitzwilly

1967  N.Y.P.D.

1966  Camera Three

1965  Dr. Kildare

1965  The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean