Early life and education

Gunton was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Rose Marie (née Banovetz) and Robert Patrick Gunton, Sr., a labor union executive. He attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, the Paulist Seminary St Peter's College, in Baltimore, Maryland, and the University of California, Irvine. At one point, he had planned to become a Catholic priest. Gunton served in the United States Army (1969-71), earning a Bronze Star for valor and the Vietnam Service Medal.

Career

Gunton played the role of Juan Peron in the original Broadway production of Evita, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance. He later starred in the title role of a 1989 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd and received a second Tony nomination for his portrayal. Additional Broadway credits include Working, King of Hearts, The Music Women, How I Got That Story, and Big River.

Gunton portrayed President Richard Nixon in a recreation of the Watergate tapes incident for Nightline. He also played President Woodrow Wilson in the film Iron Jawed Angels. Gunton is also known for his guest starring role as Capt. Benjamin Maxwell in the well-received 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded". Gunton played Warden Samuel Norton, the head of Shawshank State Prison and the primary antagonist in The Shawshank Redemption opposite Tim Robbins. Gunton played Cecil Dobbs in the 2011 film The Lincoln Lawyer.

Gunton also guest starred in the first season of Desperate Housewives, the sixth season of 24, where he portrayed United States Secretary of Defense Ethan Kanin. He signed on as series regular afterward and reprised the role of Kanin but now as the Chief of Staff to the new president, Allison Taylor, in the show's seventh season as well as the two-hour television prequel film, 24: Redemption. He returned again for the eighth season but this time as the President's Secretary of State. Gunton portrays Leland Owlsley in the 2015 TV series Daredevil.

Select stage roles

• How I Got That Story - The Historical Event
• Evita - Juan Peron
• Big River - The King
• Sweeney Todd - Sweeney
• King of Hearts
• Working - Various Roles

Filmography

Film

• Rollover (1981) - Sal Naftari
• Static (1985) - Frank
• The Pick-up Artist (1987) - Fernando Portacarrero
• Matewan (1987) - C.E. Lively
• Cookie (1989) - Richie Segretto
• Glory (1989) - Gen. Harker
• Born on the Fourth of July (1989) - Doctor
• JFK (1991) - TV Newsman
• The Public Eye (1992) - Older Agent
• Sinatra (1992) - Tommy Dorsey
• Father Hood (1993) - Lazzaro
• Demolition Man (1993) - Chief George Earle
• The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Warden Samuel Norton
• Dolores Claiborne (1995) - Mr. Pease
• Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) - Burton Quinn
• In Pursuit of Honor (1995) - Colonel John Hardesty
• Broken Arrow (1996) - Pritchett
• The Glimmer Man (1996) - Frank Deverell
• The Siege at Ruby Ridge (1996) - Bo Gritz
• A Thousand Acres (1997) - Judge (uncredited)
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) - Finley Largent
• Elvis meets Nixon (1997) - President Nixon
• Buffalo Soldiers (1997) - Col. Benjamin Grierson
• Patch Adams (1998) - Dean Walcott
• Bats (1999) - Dr. Alexander McCabe
• Running Mates (2000) - Terrence Randall
• The Perfect Storm (2000) - Alexander McAnally III, owner of the yacht the Mistral
• 61* - Yankees Owner/President Dan Topping (2001)
• Boat Trip (2002) - Boat Captain
• I Heart Huckabees (2004) - Mr. Silver
• Iron Jawed Angels (2004) - President Woodrow Wilson
• Believe in Me (2006) - Hugh Moreland
• Dead Silence (2007) - Edward Ashen
• Fracture (2007) - Judge Gardner
• Numb (2007) - Dr. Townsend
• Pandemic (2007) - Dr. Max Sorkosky
• Rendition (2007) - Lars Whitman
• The Lazarus Project (2008) - Father Ezra
• Tenure (2009) - William Thurber
• The Trial (2010) - Joe Whetstone
• The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) - Cecil Dobbs
• Kill the Irishman (2011) - Jerry Merke
• Get the Gringo (2011) - Warren Kaufmann
• Trouble with the Curve (2012) - Watson
• Argo (2012) - Secretary of State Cyrus Vance
• Jimmy (2013) - Sheriff Brinson
• Runner Runner (2013) - Dean Alex Monroe
• Live at the Foxes Den (2013) - Tony O'Hara
• Larry Gaye: Renegade Male Flight Attendant (2015) - Flight School Instructor
• The 33 (2015) - President Sebastián Piñera
• The Gettysburg Address (2015) - William Herndon

Television

• Miami Vice - Rivas, a brutal drug overlord in the fifth season episode "Heart of Night" (first aired November 18, 1988)
• Law & Order - Gil Himes (1990)
• Judgment - Monsignor Beauvais (1990)
• Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Firehouse - Chief Kirby (1990)
• A Woman Named Jackie - Jacqueline's stepfather, Hugh Auchincloss (1991)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - Captain Benjamin Maxwell in the episode "The Wounded" (1991)
• Wild Palms - Dr. Tobias Schenkl (1993) (miniseries)
• Roswell - Frank Joyce (1994)
• The Siege at Ruby Ridge - Bo Gritz (1996)
• Greg the Bunny - Junction Jack (2002)
• Touched By an Angel - Sidney Alcott (2002) (1 episode)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Director Robert Carvallo (2003) (1 episode)
• Peacemakers - Mayor Malcolm Smith (2003)
• Desperate Housewives - Noah Taylor (2004-2006)
• Monk - Trudy's father, Dwight Ellison (2004)
• Nip/Tuck - Agent Sagamore (2005)
• Pepper Dennis - Dick Dinkle (2006)
• E-Ring - General Hughes (2006) (3 episodes)
• Women's Murder Club - Arthur Lazar in the episode "Train In Vain" (2007)
• 24 - Ethan Kanin (2007-2010) (31 episodes)
• The Batman - Gorman (2007)
• World War II: Behind Closed Doors (BBC documentary with historical reconstructions) - President Franklin D Roosevelt (2008)
• 24: Redemption - Ethan Kanin (2008) (television film)
• Royal Pains - Gen. William Collins (2010)
• Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior - Marshall Phelps (2011)
• Family Guy - Warden (2011)
• Wilfred - Warner in the episode "Now" (2012)
• New Girl - Ed in the episode "Basketball" (2014)
• Daredevil - Leland Owlsley (2015)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]