William H. Macy
A master of portraying desperate, flawed everymen, he turned a car salesman's pathetic lie into an enduring symbol of American anxiety.
Born 1950 (age 76)·American actor·Birthday: March 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
William H. Macy didn't look like a leading man, and that became his superpower. After cutting his teeth in Chicago theater with playwright David Mamet, he brought a precise, nervous energy to film and television. Macy specializes in the unraveling of ordinary men, finding both the tragedy and dark comedy in their failures. His defining role came as Jerry Lundegaard in the Coen brothers' 'Fargo,' a man whose harebrained kidnapping scheme spirals into bloody farce, earning Macy an Oscar nomination. He later found wider fame as the lovably dysfunctional Frank Gallagher on 'Shameless,' proving he could sustain a character's chaotic charm for over a decade. His career is a testament to the power of character acting, making the mundane profoundly compelling.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
William was born in 1950, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When William Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
William's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 60
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 70
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 76 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 'Fargo' (1996).
- Won two Emmy Awards for his lead role in the television movie 'Door to Door' (2002).
- Starred as Frank Gallagher for 11 seasons on the hit Showtime series 'Shameless'.
- Co-wrote the television movie 'The Wool Cap', which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Did You Know?
He is married to actress Felicity Huffman, his former acting student.
Macy worked as a bartender at the legendary New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star.
He is a licensed aircraft pilot.
He taught acting at New York University, where one of his students was David Duchovny.
“Acting is a great way to make a living. It's a terrible way to make a life if it's the only thing you've got.”
