An always-welcome presence in today's movies, William H. Macy was born March 13, 1950, in Miami, Fla. He attended Bethany College in Bethany, W.V., and studied under David Mamet at Goddard College, Vt.

Macy made his film debut in Somewhere in Time (1980); his association with Mamet continued both onstage and onscreen (House of Games, Things Change, Homicide, Oleanna, Wag the Dog, Spartan). Movie fans know him as nervous murder suspect Jerry Lundegaard in the Coen Brothers' classic Fargo (1996), a role he campaigned for, played to the hilt and capped with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.

He did a tour of duty on TV's "E.R." and was also memorable in Mr. Holland's Opus, Boogie Nights, Pleasantville and The Cooler. Macy has also received several Emmy nods (for A Slight Case of Murder, The Wool Cap, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, among others) and two wins (acting and writing for Door to Door).