Robert Patrick Gunton Jr. (born November 15, 1945) is an American character actor of stage and screen. He is known for playing characters including Warden Samuel Norton in the 1994 prison drama The Shawshank Redemption, Chief George Earle in 1993's Demolition Man, Dr. Walcott, the domineering dean of Virginia Medical School in Patch Adams, and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in Argo. He also played Leland Owlsley in the Daredevil television series, Secretary of Defense Ethan Kanin in 24, and Noah Taylor in Desperate Housewives.
In addition to his film and television careers, Gunton is a prolific theatre actor. He originated the role of Juan Perón in the Broadway premiere of Evita and the titular character in the 1989 revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, roles for which he received Tony Award nominations. He has received a Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award, and a Clarence Derwent Award.
Early life, education, and the Vietnam War Gunton was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Rose Marie (née Banouetz) and Robert Patrick Gunton Sr., a labor union executive. A lifelong devout Catholic, Gunton initially planned to be a priest. He attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, and the Paulist Seminary St Peter's College, in Baltimore, Maryland, before graduating from the University of California, Irvine in 1968 with Bachelor of Arts degree in drama.
Gunton then served in the United States Army (1969–71) as a radio telephone operator with the 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, and was at the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord, South Vietnam, during the 23-day siege. He and a comrade were awarded the Bronze Star for returning to the base to retrieve important but forgotten radios in the evacuation's final moments, so that they would not fall into the hands of the People's Army of Vietnam forces about to capture the base. Due to this, he was one of the last people to evacuate. During the battle, he lost one of his dog tags, but it was returned to him over 40 years later in 2018.
Career In 1977, Gunton was the standby for Christopher Lloyd in the first Broadway - transferred from off-Broadway - production of the Brecht/Weill musical Happy End. After Lloyd sustained a leg injury, it was Gunton who performed on the show's opening night. (Lloyd played the rest of the run on crutches.) Gunton was cast as Juan Perón in the original 1980 Broadway production of Evita, earning a nomination for Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He had a supporting role in the 1985 HBO film Finnegan Begin Again starring Robert Preston and Mary Tyler Moore. Gunton later starred in the title role of a 1989 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd and received a second Tony Award nomination for his portrayal. Additional theatre credits include Working, King of Hearts, The Music Man (NYCO), How I Got That Story, and Big River.
Gunton portrayed President Richard Nixon in a recreation of the Watergate tapes incident for Nightline. Gunton is also known for his guest starring role as Capt. Benjamin Maxwell in the 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 (1994) opposite Tim Robbins. He also played President Woodrow Wilson in the film Iron Jawed Angels (2004). Gunton played Cecil Dobbs in the 2011 film The Lincoln Lawyer.
Gunton also guest starred in the first season of Desperate Housewives and 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. Gunton made a guest appearance on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in January 2017. In 2021, Gunton was used as a body double for Harold Ramis' character Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Stage credits Year Title Role Notes1965Tennessee, U.S.A. Johnny Timberlake1972The KidCowpoke1975Oklahoma!Curly1977Happy EndBen Owens / Bill Cracker (understudy)1978WorkingBud Jonas / Frank DeckerKing of HeartsRaoulNominated - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical1979Tip-ToesRollo Metcalf 1979–83Evita President Juan PerónDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a MusicalNominated - Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical1980How I Got That StoryThe Historical EventClarence Derwent Award for Most Promising Male PerformerObie Award for Distinguished Performance by an ActorNominated - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play1981Isn't It Romantic?Paul Stuart1982The Death of Von Richtofen as Witnessed From EarthHermann GöringHamletKing Claudius1983Passion PlayJamesAn American ComedyGeorge Reilly1984AmadeusAntonio Salieri1985–87Big RiverThe KingNominated - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical 1987Roza Lola 1988The Music ManHarold HillNew York City OperaPhaedra BritannicaGovernor1989–90Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetSweeney ToddNominated - Tony Award for Best Actor in a MusicalNominated - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a MusicalNominated - Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical2000The Poison TreeThe Hon. Ronald S. Rogers2002FolliesBenjamin Stone2003On the Twentieth CenturyOscar Jaffee2004The Great OstrovskyDavid OstrovskyNominated - Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theater
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1981 Rollover Sal Naftari 1985 Static Frank 1987 Matewan C.E. Lively The Pick-up Artist Fernando Portacarrero 1989 Cookie Richie Segretto Glory General Charles Harker Born on the Fourth of July Doctor 1990 Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Firehouse Chief Kirby Short 1991 JFK TV Newsman Missing Pieces Mr. Gabor 1992 Patriot Games Interviewer The Public Eye Older Agent Jennifer 8 Director Goodridge 1993 Father Hood Lazzaro Demolition Man Chief George Earle 1994 The Shawshank Redemption Warden Sam Norton 1995 Dolores Claiborne Mr. Pease Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls Burton Quinn 1996 Broken Arrow Mr. Pritchett The Glimmer Man Frank Deverell 1997 A Thousand Acres Judge Uncredited Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Finley Largent Uncredited Buffalo Soldiers Col. Benjamin Grierson 1998 Patch Adams Dean Walcott 1999 Bats Dr. Alexander McCabe 2000 The Perfect Storm Alexander McAnally III 2001 Scenes of the Crime Steven, Jimmy's Partner 2002 Boat Trip Boat Captain 2003 Dallas 362 Joe 2004 I Heart Huckabees Mr. Silver 2006 Believe in Me Hugh Moreland 2007 Dead Silence Edward Ashen Fracture Judge Gardner Numb Dr. Townsend Rendition Lars Whitman 2008 Player 5150 Nick Villa The Lazarus Project Father Ezra 2008The Least of TheseFather Thomas Peters 2009 Tenure William Thurber 2010 The Trial Joe Whetstone 2011 The Lincoln Lawyer Cecil Dobbs Kill the Irishman Jerry Merke 2012 Get the Gringo Thomas Kaufmann Argo Secretary of State Cyrus VanceHollywood Film Awards for Best Ensemble Cast Trouble with the Curve Watson 2013 Highland Park Bert Decoding Annie Parker Dr. Benton Jimmy Sheriff Brinson Runner Runner Dean Alex Monroe Live at the Foxes Den Tony O'Hara 2014 Mountain Top Mr Forest 2015 Larry Gaye: Renegade Male Flight Attendant Flight School Instructor The 33 President Sebastián Piñera 2017 Alex & the List Mr. Stern 2018 Unbroken: Path to Redemption Major Zeigler 2021 Ghostbusters: Afterlife Egon Spengler Motion capture role, with Harold Ramis' likeness superimposed 2024 The Inheritance Charles Abernathy
Television