Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#284
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
William H. Macy represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 43 years in, and William is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
William H. Macy appears in 47 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without William. Room is the clearest case: a film rated 8.0 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for horror, comedy, action. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Will Ropp, Edgar Wright, Sean McNamara and others, William H. Macy helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Room (2015) as Robert · Fargo (1996) as Jerry Lundegaard · Magnolia (1999) as Quiz Kid Donnie Smith
Career snapshot
Ranked #284 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
47
1983–2026
Career length
43 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.0
Room
Average Nutevio score
6.4
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
8.0
Room
Most frequent director
David Mamet
2 films together
Longest collaboration
2×
With David Mamet
Most common genre
Drama
31 titles
Average runtime
1h 51m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.1
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.7
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
1980s
7.0 average MV
The 1980s are where the work and the material meet. WarGames — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1980s
7.0
Across 1 catalogue film in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1980s
7.1
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1980s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. WarGames.
Most productive era
2000s
16 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 7.01 film | 7.210 films | 6.610 films | 6.77 films | 6.73 films |
| Action | — | 6.22 films | 6.14 films | 6.21 film | 7.02 films |
| Thriller | 7.01 film | 6.84 films | 6.54 films | 6.84 films | 6.82 films |
| Comedy | — | 6.95 films | 6.28 films | 6.13 films | 4.03 films |
| Crime | — | 7.52 films | 6.14 films | 6.52 films | — |
| Romance | — | — | 6.62 films | — | 5.51 film |
| Horror | — | 5.11 film | 7.01 film | — | 4.91 film |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
1983WarGames
Where our catalogue meets this career, as NORAD Officer (uncredited).
Career peak
1996Fargo
Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Highest rated performance
2015Room
8.0 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer.
Most recent film
2026Brian
The current state of the argument.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
47 of 47 films
as Robert
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson
as Jack Buck
Directed by Sean McNamara
as Quiz Kid Donnie Smith
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
as Frank Levin
Directed by Unknown
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Jerry Lundegaard
Fargo (1996)
Performance score8.2
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Jerry Lundegaard gives William H. Macy a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Robert
Room (2015)
Performance score8.0
Room asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Robert is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Jack Buck
Soul on Fire (2025)
Performance score7.7
Soul on Fire asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Jack Buck is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Quiz Kid Donnie Smith
Magnolia (1999)
Performance score7.7
Magnolia asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Quiz Kid Donnie Smith is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Jerry Lundegaard
Start here. Fargo is the clearest statement of what William H. Macy does — accessible, 98 minutes, and rated 7.9 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet William at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Magnolia (1999)
Keeps the drama register of Fargo but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
Keeps the drama register of Magnolia but asks for a colder reading of it.
Room (2015)
Keeps the drama register of The Lincoln Lawyer but asks for a colder reading of it.
Soul on Fire (2025)
Keeps the drama register of Room but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Joel Coen
Director
2 films together
Notably Fargo
Steven Zaillian
Director
2 films together
Notably Searching for Bobby Fischer
Gary Ross
Director
2 films together
Notably Pleasantville
David Mamet
Director
2 films together
Notably State and Main
John Badham
Director
1 film together
Notably WarGames
Jeremiah S. Chechik
Director
1 film together
Notably Benny & Joon
Stephen Herek
Director
1 film together
Notably Mr. Holland's Opus
Wolfgang Petersen
Director
1 film together
Notably Air Force One
Barry Levinson
Director
1 film together
Notably Wag the Dog
Gus Van Sant
Director
1 film together
Notably Psycho
Paul Thomas Anderson
Director
1 film together
Notably Magnolia
Joe Johnston
Director
1 film together
Notably Jurassic Park III
Anthony Russo
Director
1 film together
Notably Welcome to Collinwood
Wayne Kramer
Director
1 film together
Notably The Cooler
David R. Ellis
Director
1 film together
Notably Cellular
Breck Eisner
Director
1 film together
Notably Sahara
Jason Reitman
Director
1 film together
Notably Thank You for Smoking
Emilio Estevez
Director
1 film together
Notably Bobby
David Lynch
Director
1 film together
Notably Inland Empire
Frank A. Cappello
Director
1 film together
Notably He Was a Quiet Man
Peter Hewitt
Director
1 film together
Notably The Maiden Heist
Robert Rodriguez
Director
1 film together
Notably Shorts
Abe Sylvia
Director
1 film together
Notably Dirty Girl
William H. Macy
Director
1 film together
Notably Rudderless
Daniel Barnz
Director
1 film together
Notably Cake
Lenny Abrahamson
Director
1 film together
Notably Room
Michael Jacobs
Director
1 film together
Notably Maybe I Do
Wes Ball
Director
1 film together
Notably Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Peter Farrelly
Director
1 film together
Notably Ricky Stanicky
Travis Mills
Director
1 film together
Notably Frontier Crucible
Sean McNamara
Director
1 film together
Notably Soul on Fire
Edgar Wright
Director
1 film together
Notably The Running Man
Will Ropp
Director
1 film together
Notably Brian
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Joel Coen
Director
2 films together · 7.7 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
FargoGary Ross
Director
2 films together · 7.2 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
PleasantvilleSteven Zaillian
Director
2 films together · 6.8 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Searching for Bobby FischerDavid Mamet
Director
2 films together · 6.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
State and MainLenny Abrahamson
Director
1 film together · 8.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
RoomPaul Thomas Anderson
Director
1 film together · 7.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
MagnoliaSean McNamara
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Soul on FireWilliam H. Macy
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
RudderlessJason Reitman
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Thank You for SmokingWes Ball
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Kingdom of the Planet of the ApesDavid Lynch
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Inland EmpireJeremiah S. Chechik
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Benny & JoonJohn Badham
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
WarGamesEdgar Wright
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Running ManBarry Levinson
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Wag the DogStephen Herek
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Mr. Holland's OpusTravis Mills
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Frontier CrucibleWayne Kramer
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The CoolerPeter Farrelly
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Ricky StanickyWolfgang Petersen
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Air Force OneFrank A. Cappello
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
He Was a Quiet ManEmilio Estevez
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BobbyDavid R. Ellis
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
CellularDaniel Barnz
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
CakeJoe Johnston
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Jurassic Park IIIAnthony Russo
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Welcome to CollinwoodAbe Sylvia
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Dirty GirlRobert Rodriguez
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ShortsBreck Eisner
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
SaharaPeter Hewitt
Director
1 film together · 5.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Maiden HeistMichael Jacobs
Director
1 film together · 5.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Maybe I DoGus Van Sant
Director
1 film together · 5.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
PsychoWill Ropp
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BrianSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Room
as Robert
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Mr. Holland's Opus
as Vice Principal Gene Wolters
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Fargo
as Jerry Lundegaard
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
WarGames
as NORAD Officer (uncredited)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Fargo
as Jerry Lundegaard
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. William H. Macy has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
43 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Drama Legend
Awarded
31 catalogue titles in drama, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Inland Empire
as Announcer
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Fargo
as Jerry Lundegaard
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
The Cooler
as Bernie Lootz
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Inland Empire
as Announcer
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
as Trevathan
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
as Trevathan
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Rudderless
as Trill
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
The Running Man
as Molie Jernigan
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
Matt Damon
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
David Krumholtz
Built a career in the same territory: action and adventure
Cillian Murphy
Built a career in the same territory: drama and history
Have your say
Community
Which William H. Macy performance holds up best?
Our readers argue about this one. Make your case, or read the ranked debate already in progress.
Join the conversation
Reference
Continue exploring
Trending performers
Directors they work with
Collections to read next
